Li Shijun

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Li Shijun (李士俊; 29 March 1923 – 10 November 2012), also known by his Esperanto pen name Laŭlum, was a Chinese author, editor and translator who helped bring Chinese literature to Esperanto readers. He was a longtime member of Esperanto organizations and served as president of Akademio de Esperanto starting in 1983, with reelections in 1992, 2001 and 2010. He was also a member of the China Democratic League.

Li came from a farming family in Anguo, Hebei. He studied at Ji'nan No.1 High School and, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, attended National Sichuan No.6 High School, where he first encountered Esperanto in 1939. He began learning Esperanto in 1939. In 1946 he helped found the Chengdu Esperanto Association with his teacher Xu Shouzhen and started a newspaper named Jurnalisto. He worked in several Sichuan cities from 1946 to 1950. In 1948 his mentor Xu Shouzhen was killed by the Nanking government.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Li moved to Beijing to help organize the China Esperanto Association. In October 1950 he was appointed editor and translator at the China Publishing Company. From 1957 to 1995 he was a guest professor at several Chinese universities, including Renmin University of China, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University, Qingdao University, and the Communication University of China.

Li was among the first in China to translate Chinese literature into Esperanto. His translations covered many major works, including selections from Chinese classical novels, Lu Xun, Ba Jin (for example The Family), Li Bai and Du Fu poetry, Tang poetry, Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.

In addition to his translations, Li received several honors: the Grabowshi Prize at the 2003 World Congress of Esperanto and the Chinese Translation Culture Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

Li Shijun died in Beijing on November 10, 2012, at the age of 89. He is remembered as a pioneer who introduced Chinese literature to Esperanto readers and as a significant figure in Esperanto culture in China.