Events mark centennial of translation of The Communist Manifesto

Activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the translation of the full text of The Communist Manifesto were held in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang province, Friday and Saturday.

The first Chinese version of the groundbreaking work by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was completed by Chen Wangdao, who was a scholar and educator from Fenshuitang village in Yiwu city and served as president of Fudan University from 1952 to 1977.

A themed exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the translation opened at the Yiwu Library on Friday.

The exhibition featured nearly 300 items from archives, pictures, objects and videos provided by Fudan University, Shanghai City Archives and Yiwu City Archives.

Li Yanan and Xu Yayun, two volunteers at The Communist Manifesto exhibition hall at Fudan University in Shanghai, served as commentators at the Yiwu exhibition, which gave them the opportunity to come to the hometown of the university's former president and understand and spread the spirit of The Communist Manifesto.

"I have a better understanding of Marxism through the tour in Yiwu, the hometown of our former president," said Li, adding that he will tell the story of Chen Wangdao effectively and carry on the revolutionary traditions.

During the opening ceremony, Zheng Zhenqian, a 92-year-old teacher in Yiwu, donated the original holograph of the letter written by Chen Wangdao, in which Chen replied to Zheng's request for a Chinese version of The Communist Manifesto.

On the same day, an unveiling ceremony for Fudan University's Yiwu Research Institute also was held in Yiwu's Zhongfu Square.

The research institute will focus on building one institute and three bases. One institute refers to the Yiwu-Fudan Innovation Research Institute, which will include a science and medical innovation center and a humanities and social sciences research base. The science and medical innovation center is expected to promote a community of innovation and industrial clusters in the fields of new materials, photoelectric information, biomedicine and high-end equipment in Yangtze River Delta regions. The humanities and social sciences research base will include the research platforms for the Belt and Road Initiative, global communication omnimedia and an international think tank.

A launch ceremony of a commemorative stamp for the translation of The Communist Manifesto was held in Yiwu's Fenshuitang village, where Chen Wangdao completed the translation in 1920.

Designed by Li Chen, a famous stamp designer, the stamps depict Chen when he was translating The Communist Manifesto in Fenshuitang.

Cai Jingwen contributed to the story.