The 100th Anniversary Chinese Union Version

Published on 22 April 1919 in Shanghai, the Chinese Union Version Bible (CUV) was the largest Bible translation project in the history of the Chinese Protestant Church.

The Chinese Union Version (CUV) turned 100, since it was first published in 1919 and has become the predominant translation of the Bible into Chinese. In conjunction with its anniversary, The Bible Society of Malaysia held a Bilingual Chinese Scripture Forum in March of 2019 to appreciate the contribution of the CUV in the life of the Church. Published on 22 April 1919 in Shanghai, the Chinese Union Version Bible (CUV) was the largest Bible translation project in the history of the Chinese Protestant Church. Spanning three decades, it survived major political events like the Boxer Rebellion, collapse of the Chinese empire and World War I. The translation work involved 16 missionary Bible translators of different nationalities, denominations and mission societies, an even higher number of Chinese translators and assistants, and the crucial support of the Bible Societies.

As for its circulation, hundreds of colporteurs across China helped sell and distribute the Bibles in cities as well as far-flung towns and villages. Enduring the test of time, the CUV remains today the predominant translation used by most Chinese Christians not only in China but also in Chinese-speaking churches the world over. For the past 100 years, the CUV has been gladly embraced by Chinese-speaking believers from all walks; layman Christians who read, memorise and quote from it, Chinese pastors who preach from it, churches that read it during service, Bible lecturers who teach with it and seminarians who study it during their theological training. This much beloved translation has since accompanied the Chinese Church through the past century, where Chinese believers learn the language of faith and the Chinese Church had her theological vocabulary shaped. It is also the version that has contributed remarkably to the tremendous growth of the Chinese Church both spiritually and numerically especially in the past few decades.

(Excerpt taken from www.ubscp.org)