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Oldrich Kral, famous Czech sinologist, dies at 87

Czech sinologist, writer and translator, professor Oldrich Kral died on June 21 at the age of 87.  As an academic, Oldrich Kral visited Peking university multiple times in the 1950s and 60s. He travelled to China even after he was appointed professor of sinology at the Charles University in Prague in 1993.  His last visit to China took place in June 2018.

Since the middle of the 20th century, Oldrich Kral had devoted his life to writing and literary translation. His translation of Chinese literature and philosophy into Czech is significant, and showed Czech readers the masterpieces of Chinese classic literature. For instance, Oldrich Kral became the first Czech sinologist to translate Laozi’s famous poems.

For his translation work, professor Kral received number of national and international awards including the Odeon Publisher Award for the best translation in 1988, International award for translating the novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" written by Cao Xueqin (Beijing 2003); Czech State Award for Translation (2010); Chinese Award for Translation (Beijing 2017).

Oldrich Kral greatly contributed not only to the development of Czech sinology but also to enhancing relations between China and the Czech Republic. Highly respected by his peers and academicians, professor Kral has been a true inspiration for today’s generation of Czech sinologists and students of Czech studies.

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Beijing would like express sincere condolences to the family and friends.