Da Torre Pellice a Shanghai: un itinerario sconosciuto dei Promessi sposi in Cina

This paper re-examines the first Chinese translation of The Betrothed, a work long assumed to have been produced by an English translator and based on an English version, and therefore frequently dismissed as lacking scholarly value. The study first traces the origins of this “misunderstanding,” showing how it has been uncritically perpetuated up to the present day. It then identifies the actual translators, one of whom turns out to have been a Waldensian missionary from the valleys of Piedmont. Finally, it reconstructs the chronology of the translation, as well as the circumstances and motivations that led to its publication. The investigation ultimately reveals that the work is not only the earliest direct translation of Manzoni’s original text into Chinese, but also a faithful and high-quality rendition of significant historical and linguistic value — one that merits far greater scholarly attention and further research.