Li Jianwu
Li Jianwu was a Chinese author, dramatist and translator who was the president of French Literature Research Council. Li was an officer of the Chinese State Council and a member of National Committee of the Chinese [People's Political Consultative Conference]. He translated the works of the French novelists Gustave Flaubert and Stendhal into Chinese.
Biography
Li was born in 1906 in Yuncheng County, Shanxi, his father, Li Mingfeng, was a warlord of Qing Empire. After the downfall of Yuan Shikai Administration, Li's family moved to Beijing, where he studied at Beijing Normal University's Elementary School. At the age of 13, his father was killed by Anhui clique General Chen Shufan. Li went on to attend the [High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University] in 1921, at the same time, he started to publish works, and made the acquaintance of Wang Tongzhao.In 1925, Li was put under house arrest for his opposition to Minister of Education Ma Junwu. That same year, he entered Tsinghua University with a major in Western languages. In 1931, Li went to France to study at the University of Paris. After graduating in 1933, he taught at Jinan University.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Li moved to the French Concession to escape the violence. There he met Zheng Zhenduo, A Ying and Xia Yan.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li worked as a researcher at Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.