One of Yang's best-known works: Six Chapters of My Life "Downunder".

In the late 1960s, intellectuals at the institute were sent to the countryside to work, and Qian and Yang, almost 60,were among them.

Yang later compiled her stories of that time into a book, Six Chapters of My Life "Downunder".

Lu Jiande, deputy director of the institute, says that unlike other memoirs of the time, Yang's contains no complaint or anger. It was a difficult time for intellectuals, but he admires Yang for her positive attitude.

Yang spent her leisure time writing, and when Qian passed by, she would give him the work to read. Then, the couple would often sit, chatting and laughing, though there were plenty of serious moments, too.

During this time, their son-in-law committed suicide. In Six Chapters, Yang captures the event in a single sentence, but the sadness fills the page.

After Yang's translation of Le Sage's Gil Blas into Chinese was well-received in 1956, she was picked to translate Don Quixote from Spanish. She began to learn the language in 1959, at the age of 48.

"They neither lowered their heads when things went against them, nor appeared arrogant when they rose to fame," remembers Peking University's Chen.

"Such people deserve our younger generations' respect."

Contact the writer at yangyangs@chinadaily.com.