"East flows the mighty river, the huge waves sweeping away the brilliant figures of thousands of years past," as ancient Chinese literati Su Shi once wrote about the Battle of Red Cliffs (Chibi) – a decisive war in AD 208 that prevented the powerful warlord, Cao Cao, from conquering the Yangtze River's southern bank.
This epic battle still captures the imagination of contemporary intellectuals. In this interview, Nicolas Chapuis, ambassador of the European Union to China, recalls his trip to the historical site in today's city of Wuhan last December.
"Lots of 'beautiful sites' (scenic spots and historical sites) are not the original sites. But they have always been rebuilt. That shows how much the Chinese people are attached to cultural heritage," Chapuis said.
A Sinologist and translator, as well as a diplomat, he graduated in Paris with a doctoral degree in Chinese studies. Chapuis has introduced many Chinese writers to France, including Qian Zhongshu, Yang Jiang and Ba Jin. The ambassador is also the first to translate a full poetry collection by Du Fu into French.
