Against the backdrop of profound changes in the global cultural landscape, promoting outstanding Chinese traditional culture internationally is a core strategy for enhancing the country’s cultural soft power. Translating classical literature into English serves as an important means of conveying the spiritual essence and wisdom of Chinese civilization. This not only holds cultural value but also carries far-reaching strategic significance, making it a focal point of interdisciplinary research. This paper highlights potential tensions in the development of this field: despite benefiting from strategic guidance at the highest level, there remain limitations in foundational capacity-building. Even with political support, the project faces numerous challenges, including the ‘cultural deficit’ in translated works, a lack of talent able to navigate multicultural contexts, and a mismatch between university translation teaching methods and societal needs. Through a systematic review of local and international research pathways, methodological developments, and the field’s consensus, this study identifies persistent gaps and proposes strategic directions for the future. These directions include establishing a solid framework of translation ethics, enhancing audience-based experimental research methods, utilizing digital technologies, and expanding the vocabulary of translated texts. The ultimate success of the field lies in a strategic shift from a product-centered to an audience-centered model of cultural exchange, enabling Chinese culture to evolve from merely ‘going global’ to achieving ‘effective integration’ in global cultural discourse.