Yang was the first Chinese translator of the classic Spanish novel "Don Quixote." (Photo : Wikipedia)
Esteemed Chinese author Yang Jiang passed away in Beijing on May 25, Wednesday.
The 104-year-old writer died at the city's Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said a state-owned news agency. The cause of her death, however, was not revealed.
Born on July 17, 1911, Yang was known for her anti-romantic plays, including "Taking True for False," "As You Wish" and "Quilts in the Wind." Aside from being an author and a playwright, Yang was also a prolific translator.
The Peking, China-born writer was recognized as the first Chinese translator of Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel, "Don Quixote."
Yang was married to Qian Zhongshu, who was an equally well-respected Chinese novelist. The couple went to a British school in the 1930s. The Washington Post noted that they often communicated with each other in French and English.
During the Cultural Revolution, Yang and Qian were brought to a remote village in China. They lived in a small room for several years while doing hard labor. The couple was said to be denied access to any form of literature.
Her exile inspired Yang to write the "Six Chapters from My Life Downunder," which paved the way for her robust literary career.
In 1997, Yang published an essay collection titled "We Three," which narrated her life with her husband and daughter, who died of cancer.
In a report by the South China Morning Post, Yang and Qian were depicted as a "model couple."
"Contradicting a Chinese saying that it is impossible for a woman to be both a chaste wife and gifted scholar or talented artist, Qian once described Yang as 'the most chaste wife and talented girl' in China," wrote the SCMP.
After her husband's death in 1998, Yang took charge of collating and editing the late Qian's unpublished manuscripts.
Yang also taught at the Tsinghua University until her retirement.
