ABSTRACT
The first Chinese translation of Vitruvius’ Ten Books on Architecture was published in 1986. The translator, Gao Lütai 高履泰, a Chinese architect, had studied architecture in Japan and completed his translated manuscript in 1956 based on Japanese architect Morita Keiichi’s 森田庆一 1943 Japanese translation. Because of the Cultural Revolution, however, the publication of Gao’s translation was delayed for thirty years following his manuscript submission. Morita’s Japanese translation was based on the German classicist Valentine Rose’s Latin edition of Vitruvius. Using this Japanese version as a primary example, Gao’s translation also referenced Frank Granger’s English translation as a supplementary source to ensure full accuracy of details. 1
