You Shandu: The first generation of Hungarian sinologists trained in New China

Józsa Sándor, a famous Hungarian sinologist and translator, and honorary associate professor of the Department of Chinese Studies at ELTE University, Hungary, has long been engaged in the research and dissemination of Chinese and Chinese languages, culture, and history, and his representative works include "Chinese Textbook", "Twenty-one Poems of Mao Zedong", "China and Austria-Hungary", etc., and won the 16th Chinese Book Special Contribution Award in 2023. He was one of the first batch of foreign students to come to China after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and he was also the first generation of Hungarian sinologists trained by the People's Republic of China, who made contributions to the dissemination of Chinese culture, the promotion of Sino-Hungarian cultural exchanges, and the mutual understanding between the Chinese and Hungarian peoples.

Connecting with China: Lucky to have a life-changing opportunity to study abroad

In December 1950, 5 students from Romania, 5 students from Bulgaria and 4 students from Hungary arrived at Tsinghua University, and the Chinese and Chinese language course for exchange students from Eastern Europe of Tsinghua University officially opened. Youshandu was one of the four Hungarian students, and became the only one of them who has been engaged in Sino-Hungarian friendship and cooperation. Now it seems that this is just a simple set of historical data about the Chinese language course for exchange students in Eastern Europe, but at that time, behind this set of data was a major decision on the future development of relations between New China and the socialist countries of Eastern Europe. Zhou Enlai, then Premier of the Government Council, personally presided over the meeting to study and arrange the relevant work of the special class, and instructed the Culture and Education Committee of the Government Council at that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education to form a special group to draw up plans to discuss the exchange of students with relevant countries. Zhou Peiyuan, a famous physicist who was then the provost and vice chairman of the school council of Tsinghua University, became the only class teacher appointed by the central government in the history of education in New China. The Hungarian government also attaches great importance to the selection of the first batch of students, and searches for suitable candidates throughout the country. In this way, the pointer of luck inadvertently slipped to Youshandu, and the general trend of strengthening people-to-people exchanges between China and Hungary changed the fate of his life.

"My undergraduate major was the study of modern Hungarian history, so my mission was to go to China to study China's modern and modern history." After many years, talking about this past, You Shandu still can't suppress his excitement from the heart. According to him, after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Hungarian history at the end of the 40s of the 20th century, he was assigned by the state to teach in a secondary school in a foreign country after graduation. However, "one day in November 1950, a 'mysterious telegram' from the capital Budapest shattered my peaceful life and firmly linked my destiny to China, and the trajectory of my life changed dramatically. I was very excited, excited and at the same time a little at a loss, where China is and what China is like, these are all unknown to me when I was younger. It was a very long trip, and it took me and my classmates 15 days by train to get from Budapest to Beijing via Moscow. More than 70 years have passed, and when he talks about the wonderful experience of connecting with China, You Shandu's eyes are full of tears of excitement.

Into China: Witness many historical moments of friendly exchanges between China and Hungary

In 1950, China was in ruins, and in the impression of You Shandu, who had just arrived to study in China, all aspects were not particularly developed, and even some aspects were quite backward, but he and other classmates felt unprecedented enthusiasm. "At that time, we received Chinese language training at Tsinghua University, and the teacher who taught us Chinese lessons was the best teacher in Beijing. They were visiting professors at universities in the United Kingdom and the United States, and they were summoned back from abroad by the country to give us Chinese language training. You Shandu described his Chinese teachers as "the most senior and intimate teachers", who would often go directly to their dormitories to ask for warmth, take the initiative to pay attention to their studies and life, and would send steaming dumplings in thermos flasks during the Chinese New Year. In the winter of 1952, You Shandu moved from Tsinghua University to Renmin University at No. 1 Tieshi Hutong, and he was deeply impressed by the biting cold wind of the Beijing winter of that year: "We were wearing our thick suits, but it was still very cold." However, the cold did not last long, and the Chinese government, which was not wealthy at the time, tried every means to provide enough living security for the students, and Renmin University quickly customized padded jackets for them to solve their dilemma of being cold.

Referring to his old friend in China, You Shandu talked about an interesting story about Guo Yuheng, a professor at Beijing Language and Culture University, and his wife: "When Guo Yuheng was a visiting professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at ELTE University in Hungary, he gave birth to two children, one named Buda, Buda of Budapest, and the other named Pest, Pace of Budapest. The reason is that when Buda was born, they stayed in a hotel in Buda. When Pace was born, they stayed in a hotel in Pace. It's a very interesting thing. In his eyes, the people of China and Hungary have a deep emotional foundation for each other, and this affection has always accompanied him in his 70-year sinology career, and has been a great motivation for him to continue to enter China, study China, and translate China.

After returning to China in 1955, out of a strong interest in China, Youshandu took the initiative to work at the Hungarian Institute of Chinese Science and History. At that time, there were frequent exchanges between China and Hungary, and the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in great need of people who could speak Chinese, so after working for a period of time at the Hungarian Institute of Chinese Science and History, he was transferred to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The reason was simple, he was the only Hungarian who could speak Chinese at that time. In just over a year, he has translated for many important Chinese leaders such as Zhou Enlai and Zhu De who visited Hungary. In his photo album, there are still many photos with these Chinese leaders, which have become the most precious part of his Chinese memory. In January 1956, Zhu De visited Hungary, and Youshandu served as the official interpreter. At a mass rally, the Hungarian leader at the time gave Jude a special sabre, and Jude excitedly drew the saber from its scabbard and raised it high. Speaking of this scene, You Shandu was very proud: "As the only interpreter present at the time, I stood next to him, and for me, it was an unforgettable experience. ”

Promoting China: Achieving important sinological achievements in promoting Sino-Hungarian exchanges

In 1956, he left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue his career in education at ELTE University. From 1975 to 1976, he was reassigned to the Hungarian Embassy in China for one year. In September 1976, Yushandu returned to Hungary and continued to work in the Department of Chinese at ELTE University.

"At the end of the 70s, Chinese textbooks in Hungarian universities were very limited, and the only few teaching materials could not fully meet the needs of local teaching in Hungary." You Shandu recalled. He and his colleague Gao Ender are determined to combine their translation experience and the practice of Chinese language teaching to select the best Chinese textbooks and adapt them into a set of textbooks suitable for Hungarian students. After the textbook was published, Yushandu said proudly: "Although Gao Ender and I were still associate professors until we retired, the textbook we co-developed has opened the door for countless Hungarian students to understand China, which is more important than any title." The four-volume Chinese Textbook edited by Youshandu is the first complete set of Sinology learning materials in Hungary, and it has been used to teach Chinese to Hungarian students until now.

From 1988 to 1991, he was a visiting professor at the University of Foreign Chinese in Beijing, where he taught Hungarian history to Chinese students. Since then, he has been active in various fields of Sino-Hungarian cultural exchange.

"In the 70 years of research, my research horizon has never left China as a research object." Now over 90 years old, You Shandu is still writing and has had an important impact on many scholarly works. In his book China and Austria-Hungary, based on his deep understanding of the history and reality of China and Hungary, he has completely recorded the relations and history between China and Hungary after 1949, which is a very precious compilation of historical materials so far. In Yushandu's view, "the uniqueness of Hungarian culture comes from its oriental roots". On the wall of his study, there has always been a famous sentence by Pei Duofei written in Chinese characters: "Life is precious, but love is more valuable." If it is free, both can be thrown". "Throughout our history, we have been fighting for survival and freedom. In modern times, China has suffered from and struggled with semi-colonial rule." This gives the two countries a better basis for mutual understanding.

You Shandu has made great achievements in translating Chinese culture. Because of his work as a spoken translator at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he had the opportunity to meet Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, and their charm and demeanor left a deep impression on the young Youshandu. "At that time, I often read the People's Daily, and I was deeply attracted by Mao Zedong's poems that appeared in the newspaper. I try to chant these works, and appreciate the feelings and moods in the poems with my heart. "I like "Qinyuan Spring, Changsha" and "Qinyuan Spring, Snow" the most, the kind of majestic momentum of 'asking the vast earth, who is the master of ups and downs' and the magnificent feelings of 'counting the romantic characters, but also looking at the present dynasty', open up a new realm of poetry." You Shandu believes that although he has studied modern Chinese history and is proficient in Chinese, it is difficult for him to fully understand Mao Zedong's poems, so "it is better to translate them, so that I can not only learn in the process of translation, but also test whether I really understand these poems." In the end, through consulting materials, discussing and exchanging with Chinese friends, and repeatedly discussing with Hungarian poets, you Shandu compiled and translated 21 works of Mao Zedong, which were published in Budapest in 1958 in the form of Chinese-Hungarian bilingual comparison with the title of "Twenty-one Poems of Mao Zedong". Out of respect for Mao Zedong, the Chinese part of the book was written by the best Chinese calligraphers in Hungary at that time, and printed in red, and the book cover was the most expensive silk cover of the time, which was very well printed. Despite the high price, the book, the first Hungarian work of Mao Zedong's poems, quickly sold 3,000 copies and was a huge hit in Hungary. In 1959, during Zhu De's visit to Hungary, the Hungarian leader gave Zhu De a copy of "Mao Zedong's Twenty-one Poems" and asked him to forward it to Mao Zedong, who personally signed the title page for Youshandu. Mao Zedong's signature, You Shandu, has always been treasured, and in his opinion, it is a special honor he has received as a sinologist.

You Shandu once said, "After I retired, I did not stop teaching Chinese and Chinese studies. As an adult, I've spent my whole life dealing with China." This is a summary of You Shandu, who has been engaged in Sinology research for 70 years, and also expresses his close interweaving and emotional connection with China's life.

(The author is the Director of the Center for World Sinology and Dean of the School of Sinology and Chinese Studies, Beijing Language and Culture University)