Abstract Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have been popular among Chinese readers since they were introduced to China through translation a century ago. This paper studies the translation of Andersen’s fairy tales in China by focusing on prominent Chinese translators of Andersen and their landmark translations. Regarding translation as a social activity, the author attempts to interpret the behaviour of the translator in terms of the historical context in which it occurred, as well as the corresponding ideology of literature. It is argued that the language styles and translating strategies adopted by the translators of different ages have varied according to the translator’s understanding of the original works, his purpose of translating, the publishers’ interests and the readers’ expectations in the target culture, as well as the image of Andersen constructed in the socio-cultural context from which the translation emerged. Therefore, the translation practice, which has contributed to the canonization of Andersen in China, is a process of the translators’ negotiations with the fluid Chinese poetics and ideology of the 20th century.