Shelf lives

"I'm deeply influenced by my mother, who's also a Sinologist," she says. Her mother is Marine Jibladze, a Special Book Award of China winner and the director of Confucius Institute at the Free University of Tbilisi.

Other younger generations of translators include Scott Ian Rainen from the United of States, who studied at Sichuan University and attained an MA degree in Religious Studies, and runs a translation organization he founded in 2016; and Jack Hargreaves from the United Kingdom, who has translated Buddhism-related books and is looking improve his mastery of the ancient Chinese language.

Meanwhile, the older generation of Sinologists and China experts tend to focus on the country's recent development, as well as the contemporary literature scene.

French writer and Sinologist Marianne Bastid-Bruguiere has been following the history of education in China.

"All my family members study law, so I chose China as my field for its diversity and strong cultural and historical traditions," she says.