A Study of Lin Zexu’s translation activities in the Late Qing Dynasty

Abstract

Translation activities in different periods are part and parcel of the whole history of translation and play a pivotal role in the development of translation. The author will study Lin Zexu’s translation activities in the late Qing dynasty that involves three main fields in
translation, including western journal, western books and foreign affairs. The study of Lin’s translation activities focuses on the period, at the
height of Lin’s translation activities, of banning the opium trade in Guangdong. Therefore, the author will mainly study the influence of Lin’s translation activities in that period on China at that time and the significance and contributions of translation history. To conclude, the study shows that
Lin’s translation activities is of great significance in history, which makes him the first person to carry out the translation of foreign newspaper, the
first person to organize the translation team with Chinese as the main body to translate foreign books, the first person to organize his team to translate
the Chinese-English diplomatic note and the first Chinese to open his eyes to the outside world in modern China. [1]