H.C. Andersen in China

Hans Christian Andersen is known and loved throughout modern China. With his fairy tales and other stories the Danish author builds a bridge of imagination, sympathy, and human warmth between people and readers, between Chinese and Danes.

This collection of studies is the result of an exceptional working relationship between researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, initiated when we met in Shanghai in 2011 to launch a research project on “The Global Significance of Hans Christian Andersen”.

The book deals with Andersen’s significance, unmatched for a transnational author, in China, and with the first translations of his tales by which, a century ago, he was introduced to Chinese readers. It provides insights from a variety of literary, cultural, and political perspectives. Above all, the book bears witness to a common engagement with the task of achieving insight and understanding.