“In my family records, it has always been known as ‘North Saddle Island’. I had never come across any reference to the ‘Huaniao Island’,” said Ms. Felicity Somers Eve, the great-granddaughter of David Marr Henderson, the Scottish engineer who served as the first Chief Lighthouse Engineer of China’s Imperial Maritime Customs Service from 1868 to 1898.
Standing beneath the historic Huaniao Lighthouse in Shengsi, Zhoushan, Ms. Eve reflected on her long-standing difficulty locating the lighthouse before her trip to China. This seemingly trivial place-name discrepancy was, in fact, a reflection of the distinct narrative frameworks, one of the many cultural divides that interpreters and translators must navigate to foster shared understanding.
Henderson, who oversaw the design and construction of 34 lighthouses across China during his tenure, including the iconic one at Huaniao Island, referred to it in his manuscripts by an English name. However, the local Chinese name, “Huaniao” (literally “Flower and Bird”), carries its own poetic and cultural weight deeply rooted in local traditions, embodying a unique connection to the land and its people.
This minor discrepancy, once only a source of confusion, recently became a focal point for cross-cultural dialogues during a special event titled “Archives Return Home—The Donation of David Marr Henderson’s Huaniao Lighthouse Design Manuscripts”. It was here that Yao Yanbo, an associate professor from the school of Foreign Languages at Zhejiang Ocean University who worked as an interpreter and translator for the event, recognized differing historical narratives shaping both sides’ understanding.
Beyond illuminating the historical context behind the two place names, Yao assisted Ms. Eve in identifying Henderson’s personal letters among the exhibited manuscripts written more than 150 years ago, and more importantly, discerned from his writings that the lighthouse’s construction relied on the diligent efforts of local Chinese residents, a detail that enriched both sides’ understanding of the shared history.
“Archives are vital carriers of cultural heritage, yet language barriers often obscure not just words, but the distinct narrative perspectives embedded in them,” Yao emphasized. “Only through accurate identification and translation can these foreign-language manuscripts be transformed into truly accessible and useful research materials.” As an investigator of a National Social Science Fund of China project titled “British Writings from Sea Travels to China in the 17th-19th Centuries”, Professor Yao has a profound understanding of the irreplaceable value of historical manuscripts for academic research.
Archival translation is far more than a mere linguistic transfer; it is a bridge connecting knowledge and understanding across narrative divides. “Behind every place name, behind every person name, lies a wealth of history and culture. Helping Ms. Eve recognize that the lighthouse designed by her great-grandfather stands right here on this land, and enabling her to grasp the Chinese connotation of ‘Huaniao’, is a key to forging genuine cultural connection,” she noted.
Guided by this philosophy, Ms. Eve opened her speech at the manuscript donation ceremony with a warm greeting—“Nihao Shengsi, Nihao Huaniao” (Hello Shengsi, Hello Huaniao). This simple yet heartfelt salutation transcended the mere donation of historical archives, becoming a symbolic recognition of shared heritage amid differing narratives.
Yao also shared the cultural evolution of her great-grandfather’s Chinese name with Ms. Eve. When Henderson first arrived in Shanghai to assume his post, his Chinese name was registered as “Han Deshan” (韩得善), with “De” (得) meaning“to obtain” or “to acquire”. After years in China, as he improved his Chinese proficiency, he changed the “De” in his given name to “德” (still pronounced “De”), making his official Chinese name “Han Deshan” (韩德善). This revised character “德” embodies the profound concept of “virtue” or “moral integrity” in Chinese culture. By making this intentional adjustment, Henderson expressed his deepening identification with Chinese culture.
During the following visits to the Opium War Memorial Hall and the Lisbon Maru Rescue Exhibition in Zhoushan, Yao further observed potential narrative differences surrounding these historical events. As the same event may be remembered through different lenses, interpreters and translators should not only tell the facts correctly, but presents the stories in a way that connects people of diverse cultures. Ms. Eve was particularly moved by the story of local fishermen who bravely rescued British prisoners of war amid Japanese gunfire during World War II, prompting her to share historical wartime anecdotes passed down by her friends.
As the British philosopher Bertrand Russell once observed, “contacts between different civilizations have often proved to be landmarks in human progress.” In this sense, translation serves as a lighthouse, illuminating divergent narratives to chart a course toward connection and understanding. This is precisely the mission that the School of Foreign Languages at Zhejiang Ocean University embraces: by leveraging the university’s distinctive strengths in marine-related education, it strives to serve society through nurturing interdisciplinary “foreign language + marine” talents dedicated to bridging cultural divides.
（相关链接：http://education.chinadaily.com.cn/2025-11/17/c_1141235.htm）
