Sidney Shapiro and his wife, Feng Zi [File photo]

All through his life, Shapiro translated many classics of Chinese literature. Among them, the novel Outlaws of the Marsh is the best known and won high praises internationally.

"Translating Chinese literature is my career and also my joy in life. It enables me to 'acquaint with more Chinese people and to go more places for traveling'," Shapiro once said

In 2010, he was bestowed a lifetime achievement award by the Translators Association of China.

Shapiro always had a strong connection to the land of China and he often joked about himself as the "Chinese's son-in-law".

"As time gone by, although I still retain some of the American traits, I find a growing sentiment in myself that China has become my own country, my motherland, and my home," Shapiro once told a visiting friend.

Shapiro died on Saturday morning, just two months short of his 99th birthday. A memorial for him will be held at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing on Friday.

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