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Sidney Shapiro liked to stroll down Nanguanfang Hutong near Shichahai Lake in Beijing. The door plate of one compound in the hutong （small alley） shows both English and Chinese names. Sidney Shapiro named himself Sha Boli， which literally means “knowledgeable and wise” in Chinese. When visitors arrived， he greeted them in person and escorted them through a courtyard accented by tulips， roses and bamboo. Along the way， he usually mentioned factoids about Beijing or hutongs. Shapiro often performed tai chi while listening to jazz. He liked gardening and grew fond of local Beijing flavors including soy milk and fried bread sticks. In his neighbors’ eyes， Shapiro was just another ordinary “elderly Chinese person.”
After leaving New York for Shanghai in 1947， the Americanborn man stayed in China for 67 years throughout a legendary life. Shapiro was born into a Jewish family in New York and spent his childhood there. He attended law school and became a lawyer. During World War II， Shapiro served as a gunner operating a 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. He began studying Chinese by accident， which turned out to be his “first step along the road to a life and career in China.” After he left the army， Shapiro no longer liked the idea of a career in law and decided to further his Chinese study at Columbia University and Yale. The next spring， craving adventure， with $200 dollars in his pocket， Shapiro boarded a small freighter bound for Shanghai， even though at that time“Shanghai was a world of devils， plagued by virulent inflation. There were corpses on every corner. And in the country， civil war was a hair trigger away.”
Shapiro contacted a few people he had been asked to look up by connections made in the states. The first was Fengzi （Phoenix）. Phoenix was actually the girl’s stage and pen name. During the Japanese invasion， Phoenix had become a newspaper reporter– China’s first female war correspondent – and when they met， she was working as an editor for a leftist magazine. Shapiro was enchanted by the brave girl， who called herself “a rebel of a rebellious time.” On May 16， 1948， they were married and made their way to Beijing. After the city was liberated， they both went to work– Phoenix as a dramatist， Shapiro as a literary translator.
Enduring thick and thin together， this Sino-American couple faced many challenges resulting from national and cultural conflicts. During the Korean War， Phoenix ventured to the front lines with a group of writers and artists to convey greetings， where she saw the horrors of war first-hand， barely escaping bombs dropped by U.S. forces. This “devastating experience” left Phoenix utterly miserable for a time since her husband was American. During the“cultural revolution，” Phoenix was placed under long-term house arrest while her history was “investigated.” Shapiro did not abandon his wife， but wrote a letter to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to request Phoenix’s release. Shapiro and Phoenix knew each other well. “It was thanks to her that I was able to adapt and live contentedly in a China which became my China，” wrote Shapiro in his book. And in Phoenix’s eyes， everything about China aroused Shapiro’s curiosity. “He was very fond of anything Chinese.”
Filling the shelves in Shapiro’s studio were books written and translated himself. After 1952， he worked successively at Chinese Literature， the Book Section of Foreign Languages Press and China Pictorial magazine. His translation of Daughters and Sons about Chinese guerrilla warfare against Japanese aggressors was published by New York-based Liberty Book Club in 1956， becoming the first Chinese revolutionary book to appear on U.S. bookshelves. His work on Ba Jin’s Family and Mao Dun’s Spring Silkworm opened a window for foreign readers to discover China.“Translating is my career and also my passion，” noted Shapiro. “It lets me ‘know’ more Chinese and ‘travel’ to more places. It seems to make me live more than once.”
During the “cultural revolution，” while looking forward to a quick ending to the turmoil， he completed an exhausting translation of Outlaws of the Marsh， one of the most important classical Chinese novels. Shapiro liked both the content and wording of the novel. “Song Jiang （the hero） saved my life during the ‘cultural revolution，’” Shapiro often quipped.
In 1963， Shapiro became a naturalized Chinese citizen after approval from Zhou Enlai. The reasons a typical American would seek to become a Chinese citizen can be found in his autobiography An American in China， published in 1979， which introduced a new China to the world and became the first modern Chinese book positive about New China published in the U.S.
“My feeling and thought about China is changing. First na？ve and young， finally integrated into Chinese society. More understanding furthers my passion to this country.” In China， Shapiro found his wife， friends and contentment brought by Chinese traditional culture， which all became integral to his life and melted any inklings ever to leave.
In 1983， Shapiro became a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， the country’s top advisory body. Shapiro’s committee was composed of a dozen foreigners who had become Chinese citizens. In 1984， given his superior Chinese， Shapiro was nominated to address the whole body of the CPPCC in the Great Hall of the People on behalf of the committee. “I felt good about the experience， not just because it was rare and exciting，” recalled Shapiro. “It proved that we foreign-born members of the CPPCC could really participate and be useful.” To better understand the country’s situation， he， along with other CPPCC members， made inspections of grassroots locales across the country and reported findings and advice to the highest government authorities almost every year. Huge changes happened before his eyes， “Traveling to witness the situation in person is more realistic than reading materials，” remarked Shapiro.
In last few years， due to his age， Shapiro gradually retreated from the political stage. In his spare time， he fed stray cats and gardened in his courtyard. His dinner was often simple： two slices of toast with bacon and cabbage washed down with a cup of coffee or beer. Shapiro lived with his daughter. In the eyes of his granddaughter Stella， who was educated for a decade in the United States， Shapiro was just “an ordinary grandpa.” “I had never considered my grandpa a foreigner，” she revealed. “He was just a kind and caring grandfather.”
After leaving New York for Shanghai in 1947， the Americanborn man stayed in China for 67 years throughout a legendary life. Shapiro was born into a Jewish family in New York and spent his childhood there. He attended law school and became a lawyer. During World War II， Shapiro served as a gunner operating a 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. He began studying Chinese by accident， which turned out to be his “first step along the road to a life and career in China.” After he left the army， Shapiro no longer liked the idea of a career in law and decided to further his Chinese study at Columbia University and Yale. The next spring， craving adventure， with $200 dollars in his pocket， Shapiro boarded a small freighter bound for Shanghai， even though at that time“Shanghai was a world of devils， plagued by virulent inflation. There were corpses on every corner. And in the country， civil war was a hair trigger away.”
Shapiro contacted a few people he had been asked to look up by connections made in the states. The first was Fengzi （Phoenix）. Phoenix was actually the girl’s stage and pen name. During the Japanese invasion， Phoenix had become a newspaper reporter– China’s first female war correspondent – and when they met， she was working as an editor for a leftist magazine. Shapiro was enchanted by the brave girl， who called herself “a rebel of a rebellious time.” On May 16， 1948， they were married and made their way to Beijing. After the city was liberated， they both went to work– Phoenix as a dramatist， Shapiro as a literary translator.
Enduring thick and thin together， this Sino-American couple faced many challenges resulting from national and cultural conflicts. During the Korean War， Phoenix ventured to the front lines with a group of writers and artists to convey greetings， where she saw the horrors of war first-hand， barely escaping bombs dropped by U.S. forces. This “devastating experience” left Phoenix utterly miserable for a time since her husband was American. During the“cultural revolution，” Phoenix was placed under long-term house arrest while her history was “investigated.” Shapiro did not abandon his wife， but wrote a letter to Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to request Phoenix’s release. Shapiro and Phoenix knew each other well. “It was thanks to her that I was able to adapt and live contentedly in a China which became my China，” wrote Shapiro in his book. And in Phoenix’s eyes， everything about China aroused Shapiro’s curiosity. “He was very fond of anything Chinese.”
Filling the shelves in Shapiro’s studio were books written and translated himself. After 1952， he worked successively at Chinese Literature， the Book Section of Foreign Languages Press and China Pictorial magazine. His translation of Daughters and Sons about Chinese guerrilla warfare against Japanese aggressors was published by New York-based Liberty Book Club in 1956， becoming the first Chinese revolutionary book to appear on U.S. bookshelves. His work on Ba Jin’s Family and Mao Dun’s Spring Silkworm opened a window for foreign readers to discover China.“Translating is my career and also my passion，” noted Shapiro. “It lets me ‘know’ more Chinese and ‘travel’ to more places. It seems to make me live more than once.”
During the “cultural revolution，” while looking forward to a quick ending to the turmoil， he completed an exhausting translation of Outlaws of the Marsh， one of the most important classical Chinese novels. Shapiro liked both the content and wording of the novel. “Song Jiang （the hero） saved my life during the ‘cultural revolution，’” Shapiro often quipped.
In 1963， Shapiro became a naturalized Chinese citizen after approval from Zhou Enlai. The reasons a typical American would seek to become a Chinese citizen can be found in his autobiography An American in China， published in 1979， which introduced a new China to the world and became the first modern Chinese book positive about New China published in the U.S.
“My feeling and thought about China is changing. First na？ve and young， finally integrated into Chinese society. More understanding furthers my passion to this country.” In China， Shapiro found his wife， friends and contentment brought by Chinese traditional culture， which all became integral to his life and melted any inklings ever to leave.
In 1983， Shapiro became a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， the country’s top advisory body. Shapiro’s committee was composed of a dozen foreigners who had become Chinese citizens. In 1984， given his superior Chinese， Shapiro was nominated to address the whole body of the CPPCC in the Great Hall of the People on behalf of the committee. “I felt good about the experience， not just because it was rare and exciting，” recalled Shapiro. “It proved that we foreign-born members of the CPPCC could really participate and be useful.” To better understand the country’s situation， he， along with other CPPCC members， made inspections of grassroots locales across the country and reported findings and advice to the highest government authorities almost every year. Huge changes happened before his eyes， “Traveling to witness the situation in person is more realistic than reading materials，” remarked Shapiro.
In last few years， due to his age， Shapiro gradually retreated from the political stage. In his spare time， he fed stray cats and gardened in his courtyard. His dinner was often simple： two slices of toast with bacon and cabbage washed down with a cup of coffee or beer. Shapiro lived with his daughter. In the eyes of his granddaughter Stella， who was educated for a decade in the United States， Shapiro was just “an ordinary grandpa.” “I had never considered my grandpa a foreigner，” she revealed. “He was just a kind and caring grandfather.”