Published on: 2026-06-15
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Moscow, June 15 /Xin Hua/ — Russian translator-sinologist Kirill Batygin (Chinese pseudonym — Czi Bo’an) has already translated more than 50 books by Chinese and Western authors. Among the Chinese writers he works with are Mo Yan, Liu Zixi, Zhang Ailin, Han Sun, Xia Czia, Zhang Syaoman, and many others. From K. Batygin’s point of view, in the popular consciousness of Russians, Chinese culture is often reduced to the names Confucius and Laozi. The main task of his work, he sees as showing the reader a living, modern China.
“For many of our compatriots, acquaintance with Chinese culture is limited to Confucius, maybe also Laozi, and among contemporary authors — Mo Yan and Liu Cixin. At the same time, the recent triumphant visit of Mo Yan to Russia demonstrates the enormous interest of Russians in Chinese literature,” noted K. Batygin in an interview with correspondent Xin Hua. “Moreover, I am attracted by the literature in which ordinary Chinese write about what is happening in modern China. It seems to me that this is exactly what the Russian reader needs today.”
K. Batygin has been engaged in literary translation for about nine years, his first major work being the book “Twenty Lectures on Peking Opera” by Luo Chjen — a complex text with long quotations in classical literary language, which he calls a serious challenge for a novice translator.
K. Batygin’s path in Chinese studies began almost by accident. Upon entering the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship, he had to choose between Arabic and Chinese languages and settled on Chinese — spontaneously, without any particular expectations. About 20 years have passed since then.
A special place in K. Batygin’s work is occupied by what he calls “folk literature” — works in which ordinary Chinese write about their everyday lives. One such book is “My Mom is a Cleaner” by Zhang Xiaoman, which became a bestseller in China. In my opinion as a translator, it is precisely such books about modern China that are particularly needed by the Russian reader today.
In 2026, for the first time in Russia, a complete book by the Chinese writer Zhang Ailin will be published in the translation by K. Batygin — a collection of essays “Written on Water.” In the same year, a new edition of separate works by Liu Cixin is expected — for the first time translated directly from Chinese. Previously, Russian readers have become acquainted with the main Chinese sci-fi author almost exclusively through relay translations from English.
K. Batygin is convinced that the role of the translator does not end with delivering the text to the publisher. “I perceive myself more as an ambassador of the edition,” he noted. “The translator is a person who is most involved in working with the book, and he can help it find its reader.”
Speaking about the growing role of artificial intelligence, K. Batygin does not believe that neural networks are capable of replacing translators of fiction. “A machine can make a cold imprint of a text, perhaps even more accurate than us, but without feeling,” he noted. “In the theater, we go not after the cold text of Shakespeare, but after a living performance of the play. The same applies to literary translation.”
According to K. Batygin, the best works of Chinese literature fully deserve to be studied in Russian schools. “Russian and Soviet literature is already included in the school and university curriculum in China,” he emphasized. “For us, Chinese literature is primarily an object of study for specialists in Chinese studies; in Russia, there is still no mass popularization of Chinese works, for example, in the school curriculum.” According to him, it is only a matter of time: the interest of Russian readers in China is constantly growing, and now is a good moment to promote Chinese authors in Russia.
Despite the two “Yasnaya Polyana” awards received in 2024-2025, K. Batygin believes that his work is only just beginning. “We are only now beginning to move towards understanding that everything is not limited to Western verbal art,” he said. “Literature of the East opens before us, primarily that of China, and we have a long way to go to truly get to know it.” –0–
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