Cinese

China, known in Dante’s time as Cathay, was in that period a part of the Tartar Empire, peoples speaking Mongolian who originated from central Asia which, under the leadership of Genghis Khan (1162-1227) and his successors, that great empire had brought into being.  Indeed, in the Divine Comedy Dante never refers directly to China but mentions the Tartars and does so in such a way as to make one think that he is not really alluding to them but is alluding to their Chinese subjects. [...]

Prose translation of the whole Divine Comedy by Tian De-wang (1909 – 2000), professor of German and Italian literatures at Peking University, Department of western languages. Edition in three volumes published at Peking in 1997 (first edition of Inferno 1990). Illustrated by Gustave Doré.

Translation by Zhu Wei-ji (1904-1971), as above. Edition published at Shanghai in 1995 (first edition 1990). Various illustrations.