On February 18, 2021, the famous European sinologist Mr. Kristofer Schipper passed away at the age of 87.
Shi Zhouren. Born in Sweden in 1934, with Dutch roots, he is fluent in 8 languages and is one of the three Great Han scholars in Europe. In 1979, Shi Zhouren came to China to specialize in cultural research, which lasted for more than 20 years. In 2003, Shi Zhouren established the World Civilization Research Center of Fuzhou University at Fuzhou University. He is an academician of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, a special professor of the French Institute for Advanced Study, and a Taoist of the Chinese Taoist sect. He once said, "Chinese culture is too serious to be left to the Chinese alone." (Chinese culture is very serious and thick, and cannot be left only to Chinese to pass on.)
His fascination and mastery of Chinese culture, especially Taoist culture, is evident from his Chinese name. According to his own interpretation, the reason why he took such a name with a strong "Tao" flavor is because in the ancient Chinese Zhuzi Hundred Families, Lao Tzu was a "Zhou Dynasty person", and Zhuangzi's name was Zhuang Zhou, which had a "Zhou" character, so it was taken from the harmonic pronunciation "Zhouren", and at the same time contained the meaning of "Ferryman" as a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures.
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Become an Olympic torchbearer</h1>
In 2007, because of Mr. Shi Zhouren's outstanding contributions to the cultural exchange between China and the West, Shi Zhouren, who moved to Fuzhou, became the first Olympic torchbearer in Fujian to be nominated. "I love China and it is a great honor for me to be the torchbearer of the Beijing Olympic Games."
In May 2008, the Olympic flame was passed in Fujian. Among the 624 torchbearers, the high-nosed, white-haired Shi Zhouren ran through the Yanwu Wharf in Xiamen with a sacred flame in his hand.
Soon after, Shi Zhouren came to Beijing and presented his Olympic torch to the confucius institute headquarters. At the donation ceremony, Shi Zhouren said, "As a researcher of Chinese culture, I and the Confucius Institute headquarters have the same goal, that is, to be committed to spreading Chinese culture in the world. It makes sense to be able to present the Olympic torch to headquarters. I hope that Chinese culture can spread around the world like the Olympic torch. ”
Has Shi Zhou's wish come true?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Zhuangzi – the most romantic man in China</h1>
"In an instant, there are a million possibilities, it is time to move forward, or continue to wait..." The song "One Million Possibilities", which became popular through the short video platform, has become a familiar song in China, and its melody and lyrics can be hummed by many people. The original and original singer of the song is the American young singer Chrissy Welch, who officially won the title of "China Tourism Promotion Ambassador (USA)" last year.
Image from the web
Chrissy Ding, who has loved learning foreign languages since she was a child, became obsessed with Chinese characters in high school, so she chose Chinese as her major in college. After graduating from university in 2010, Christine came to Beijing to study at the University of Foreign Chinese. Today, Chrissy Is a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she continues her studies in Chinese Literature and Culture.
In her sophomore year of college, Chrissy took a course in Chinese literature, saw the English translation of Zhuangzi, and was influenced by the profound philosophical ideas in the book, she said: "This is another book that changed my life. In order to better understand Zhuangzi's colorful world of thought and literature, Chrissy Ding was determined to learn Chinese well. Later, she also adapted "One Million Possibilities" created in 2013 based on the classic story of "Zhuang Zhou Mengdi". "In the past, Zhuang Zhou dreamed of butterflies; dreamed of vivid butterflies; fluttering butterflies did not know Zhou Ye; awake then zhou ye; felt that Zhou and butterflies must be different; thinking of flying in the cold field..." The lyrics that combine modern and classical styles, the melody is beautiful and catchy, showing the charm of the author's imagination and traditional Chinese philosophy, and also singing people's expectations and imaginations for the future, so that Chrissy Ding can get more fans' love.
Chrissy Ding called Zhuang Zhou "the most romantic man in China" and chose to study Chinese which was also the "most romantic thing" she did. "The Chinese characters are beautiful, and when you speak Chinese, it feels like you're singing. I like to write lyrics in Chinese, a language that is delicate, beautiful and poetic. Chrissy Ding drew a lot of musical inspiration from classical Chinese culture, and the Chinese songs she wrote usually combine rock, pop, folk, Chinese style and other genres, and the elements of Chinese classical literature collide with modern Western female thought to create a different spark.
Since then, she has continued to compose many songs rich in Chinese culture.
A European sinologist in his 80s and a new generation of American college students majoring in Chinese have in common a deep love of Zhuangzi, Lao Tzu and Taoist culture. The torch of Chinese culture in the spread of shizhou people has been passed on to the hands of the new generation.
Foreign friends are still like this, and our people should enhance their cultural self-confidence and support excellent projects such as Confucius Institutes that promote educational exchanges and cultural mutual understanding between China and foreign countries. I believe that with the support of educational exchange programs such as the Confucius Institute, more foreigners will better understand and love Chinese culture. There are also a million possibilities for exchanges and mutual learning among the world's cultural civilizations, and only by letting go of prejudices and prejudices, drawing nourishment from the cultures of various countries with respect and humility, can we become stronger. This is precisely the reason why Chinese culture is broad and profound and attractive.