Feel the charm of Chinese culture and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations

Source: People's Daily

Chinese culture has a long history, and Chinese civilization is broad and profound. In recent years, more and more foreigners have fallen in love with Chinese culture and choose to work and live in China. They actively promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and spare no effort to let the world know more about Chinese culture.

Shi Hanwen, the first full-time foreign researcher of Dunhuang Academy——

Tell the story of Dunhuang to more people

Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, the poplars are towering, and the visitors are like weaving.

"In the thousand-year-old Mogao Grottoes, there is the 'Dunhuang of the world'." The United States who speaks fluent Chinese in front of him is Shi Hanwen, the first full-time foreign researcher at the Dunhuang Academy.

In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, becoming one of the first World Cultural Heritage Sites in China. This year, Shi Hanwen came to Dunhuang for the first time. For more than 30 years, he continued to understand and study Dunhuang.

Shi Hanwen believes that while maintaining its own characteristics, Dunhuang culture continues to learn from and absorb the excellent achievements of various civilizations, reflecting the broad-mindedness of traditional Chinese culture. "This kind of cultural self-confidence allows people to open their hearts and minds to cultural and artistic elements from far and wide."

Today, the Dunhuang Academy has ranked among the world's top in the protection of cultural relics, and has carried out extensive cooperation with relevant foreign institutions. For example, Shi Hanwen said that the Dunhuang Academy cooperated with the Getty Conservation Institute of the United States to protect the 85th Cave of Mogao Grottoes, explored scientific methods for the protection and restoration of murals, and promoted them to the whole country. In cooperation with foreign university teams, remarkable results have been achieved in the research on weathering on the surface of earthen sites.

In Shi Hanwen's view, the Dunhuang Academy is not only a leading institution in the field of cultural relics protection in China, but also cultivates professionals for the "Belt and Road" countries and promotes the exchange and development of cultural relics protection technology. "China's comprehensive cultural relics protection measures are allowing Dunhuang, a cultural treasure, to be permanently preserved and used." Shi Hanwen said.

Shi Hanwen likes to tell more people about the Dunhuang art he studied and the stories behind it. At present, he is compiling a comprehensive guide to the academic resources of Dunhuang Studies, which will be the first encyclopedia in the field of Dunhuang Studies. As an international discipline, the study of Dunhuang studies continues to heat up in the new era, and related research is steadily advancing.

"Dunhuang is a model of harmony and harmony between different civilizations and ideas." Shi Hanwen said that Dunhuang can help people understand the past, understand the present and the possibilities of a globalized future, "I hope that through my research and presentation, people from all over the world can better understand Dunhuang and its unparalleled wealth." ”

Joanna, a foreign teacher at Zhejiang Yuexiu Foreign Chinese College——

I was fascinated by the colorful Chinese culture

Joanna from New Zealand is a foreign teacher at Yuexiu Foreign Chinese College in Zhejiang Province, and her course "Comparison and Appreciation of Chinese and Foreign Landscape Poetry" is very popular with students.

"I've been interested in China since I was a child, whether it's ancient Chinese costumes, operas, or charming Chinese characters." In 2002, Joanna came to Xi'an, China, where she stayed for 5 years. Here, she not only learned Chinese, made many Chinese friends, but also began to study Chinese history and culture.

On the recommendation of a friend, Joanna read "The World Speaks New Words" for the first time. The anecdotes of celebrities from the Wei and Jin dynasties opened the door for her to gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese culture. "There are lofty mountains and mountains here, lush forests and bamboos; There is also a clear stream turbulent, reflecting the left and right. The beautiful scenery described in the "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface" fascinated her.

Because of her penchant for the demeanor of the Wei and Jin dynasties, Joanna's master's thesis "The Life and Poetry of Cao Zhi" and her doctoral dissertation "The Poetry of Wei and Jin Seclusion" are related to this theme. "Western landscape poetry is more straightforward, focusing on describing natural scenes, while Chinese landscape poetry is good at writing scenes and lyricism, so as to show profound thoughts." In Joanna's view, Wei and Jin poetry not only depicts landscapes, but also contains the expression of life attitudes.

In October 2015, Joanna went to Shaoxing, one of the important birthplaces of Wei and Jin culture. "Small bridges and flowing water, pink walls and tiles, bamboo forests and mountains, Shaoxing still retains the charm of ink painting in the Wei and Jin dynasties." Joanna found that the ease and self-appreciation that she had sketched in her heart for many years was scattered in every corner of the city.

In Shaoxing, Joanna tutored English for the children of local migrant workers free of charge, actively helped international students and foreign teachers in China to solve difficulties in life and study, and took the initiative to undertake the translation and proofreading work of local foreign-related institutions. In March 2018, she was elected as an "Honorary Citizen of Shaoxing City".

Joanna, who loves Chinese culture, always actively introduces Chinese culture, aesthetics and values when teaching overseas students, which makes many students interested in Chinese culture. She has also translated and published some interesting facts about Shaoxing in publications, and has given many lectures on Chinese culture. In October 2016, Joanna was awarded the "West Lake Friendship Award" in Zhejiang.

"I am willing to devote more energy to research, share the splendid and colorful Chinese culture with friends from all over the world, and play a bridge role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries." Joanna said.

Ian · Hamlington, an architect from South Africa –

Let more people feel the beauty of ancient Chinese houses

In Yangshuo County, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, several staff members are repairing an old house. Ian · Hamlington, an architect from South Africa, is busy with his sleeves rolled up. "A lot of people think I have experience in repairing old houses, so they ask me to help." Hamrington laughed.

"When I was in college, I saw Chinese courtyard houses in books, and since then I have developed a strong interest in traditional Chinese houses." In 2002, Hamrington encountered an ancient Chinese dwelling in the old county village of Baisha Town, Yangshuo County, and he was fascinated by the beauty of the architecture of the unity of nature and man. "I believe that living here will inspire me to create a steady stream of inspiration." "I hope to rent a traditional house here," he said. In 2010, Hamrington returned to the old county village of Baisha Town and rented the old house as he wished.

"These ancient dwellings are built on the edge of mountains and rivers, and contain the concept of harmony between man and nature. The brick and wood structure is warm in winter and cool in summer, and it is very down-to-earth. Marveling at the wisdom of ancient Chinese architecture, Hamrington insisted on "repairing the old as the old" and preserving the "character" of each house. The damaged mud walls were also repaired with mud, the damaged wooden structures were repaired with ancient wood, and the windows were expanded in equal proportions to improve lighting...... During the restoration, Hamrington sought to strike a balance between preserving traditional architectural styles and meeting the needs of modern living.

From 2010 to the present, Hamlington has rented six old houses one after another, and has spent almost all of his savings. In the quaint brick and wood mixed building, several wrought-iron carved partitions add a sense of style. Tables and chairs are neatly placed on the platform built according to the topography, and tourists enjoy flowers and tea under parasols. Throughout the building, tradition and modernity are blended with ingenuity. With the wish of "hoping that more people will be healed by ancient Chinese houses", the "Secret Garden" B&B renovated by Hamrington was opened to the public in 2011. Many tourists bring their families here for leisure experience and feel the vitality of the old house.

In 2012, Jiuxian Village was included in the list of traditional Chinese villages. Led by Hamrington, more and more locals have joined the team for the protection and utilization of ancient houses, and many villagers have also benefited from it, and villager Ah Mao is one of them. In 2013, seeing the growing popularity of tourism in his hometown, Ah Mao, who was engaged in wedding work in the county, decided to return to his hometown. With Hamlington's encouragement and help, he converted his old home into a homestay. "Hamrington helped us design and renovate for free, which was very professional, and the old house after the renovation not only retains the memories of my childhood, but also makes it more comfortable to live in." Mao said happily.

In the process of implementing the transformation of the rural landscape in the old county village, the rural landscape and living environment have been significantly improved, the rural elements have been restored, and the local flavor has been maintained, so that tourists can "see the mountains, see the water, and remember the nostalgia". The old county village has also become an Internet celebrity check-in place on the bank of the Yulong River.

Today, Hamrington's circle of friends is getting wider and wider, and his work to preserve ancient homes is getting bigger and bigger. In 2022, for his outstanding contributions to Guangxi's economic construction and social development, Hamrington was awarded the Guangxi "Golden Hydrangea Friendship Award". Hamrington said emotionally: "I have only done a small thing, and I thank the Chinese government and people for affirming me." If I could, I would like to continue to shine on this land for the rest of my life. ”

(People's Daily reporters Wang Jintao, Liu Junguo, Zhu Jiaqi, Li Yan)

People's Daily (2024-09-19 03 edition)