Macau-based sinologist honored with 18th Special Book Award of China

On the Agenda

Brazilian sinologist and translator Giorgio Sinedino has been named a recipient of the 18th Special Book Award of China, the country’s top honor for foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of Chinese culture and literature abroad. The award ceremony took place on June 17 in Beijing, recognizing 16 specialists from 12 countries whose scholarly work, literary creations, translations, and editorial achievements have significantly helped global audiences understand China’s culture, thought, and historical identity.

Sinedino, based in Macau since 2013, was honored for his dedication to bridging Chinese and Portuguese-speaking cultures, a note from the National Administration of Press and Publications said.

A member of the Executive Council of the International Confucian Association and a councilor at the World Sinologists Council, “he has long contributed to the dissemination of Chinese classical thought and literature.”

In his speech at the award ceremony, he emphasized the importance of intercultural dialogue and reaffirmed his commitment to fostering greater understanding between China and the Lusophone world.

According to the note, Sinedino arrived in China in 2005 and currently teaches at the University of Macau’s Faculty of Humanities, Department of Portuguese. Over the years, he has played a pivotal role in academic and literary initiatives that introduce Chinese traditional values and philosophies to Portuguese-speaking audiences. His work spans both translation and original scholarship, grounded in deep textual knowledge and cultural sensitivity.

Among his most notable contributions are the Portuguese translations of The Analects, Dao De Jing with the Glosses of the Lord by the River, and The Immortal from Southern China – A Cultural Reading of the Zhuangzi. These were published in Brazil starting in 2012, with The Analects becoming the first annotated Portuguese edition translated directly from Classical Chinese. Remarkably, it remained the only such version available in a Western language for over a decade and has sold more than 200,000 copies. In 2024, revised versions of these works were reissued under the “Understanding China” series by the Foreign Languages Press—China’s largest and most prestigious public publishing house.

Sinedino has also expanded his scope to include modern Chinese literature. His upcoming book, Lu Xun’s Cry, presents dramatized translations and critical studies of works by Lu Xun, a foundational figure in 20th-century Chinese letters. The project, developed over four years, reflects support from multiple institutions, including the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Lu Xun Museum. It is tailored for Portuguese-speaking readers and introduces a unique “dramatized” translation method that adapts literary conventions to enhance narrative intensity and character development.

The Special Book Award of China, established in 2005 by the National Administration of Press and Publications, has recognized 216 scholars, translators, editors, and authors from 63 countries. Giorgio Sinedino’s inclusion among its laureates affirms his influential role in building literary and cultural bridges between China and the Lusophone world.