Government pays £1.5m to translate entire works of Shakespeare into Chinese

The government has pledged a £1.5 million grant to the Royal Shakespeare Company, to translate the entire works of Shakespeare into Chinese.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will give the RSC a further £300,000 to tour through China, in the hopes of boosting tourism and "cultural links".

The money will allow the RSC to translate every Shakespeare play into Mandarin, in the hopes of introducing them to a new audience.

The translated texts will then allow Chinese theatre companies to stage their own versions of the Bard's best-loved work, for home-grown audiences.

The scheme, announced by culture secretary Sajid Javid, is aimed a improving economic links with China and encouraging more tourists to visit the home of Shakespeare.

It will also see translation of 14 Chinese plays into English, in what the DCMS hopes will allow "audiences here to experience the best of Chinese culture for the first time".

The plans, announced as part of an "economic and financial dialogue" with Chinese Vice President Ma Kai, will "boost business through culture" to foster mutual understanding, while "promoting the best of Britain’s unique and varied cultural scene on an international stage", a spokesman said.

Mr Javid said: “Creating stronger links with China is a top priority for the Government, and sharing the very best of our respective cultures is a brilliant way to make this happen. This funding means Western and Eastern cultures can learn from and be enriched by one another and what better way than using the works of Shakespeare. The package marks a really important step for both China and the UK to grow a strong and progressive relationship.

“Our culture and heritage is what makes the UK GREAT and by making them accessible to new audiences abroad it will also help drive more visitors to our shores.”

Gregory Doran, the RSC's artistic director, said: “I profoundly believe that we foster deeper understanding between cultures by sharing and telling each other our stories.

"Therefore, I am hugely excited by the ambitions of our Chinese cultural partners and their interest in working with the Royal Shakespeare Company on these new collaborations. China has a rich dramatic heritage that mirrors the epic scale, complexity and universality of Shakespeare’s work and a national curriculum which requires young people to study his plays.

“Our plans to translate Shakespeare into Mandarin, to see translation and performance of more Chinese classics in the UK and to tour RSC productions to China will celebrate the arts and culture of both nations. We are delighted that the DCMS and the Treasury are able so generously to support our artistic vision and bring more Shakespeare and classical drama to new audiences both here and in China.”