Kuala Lumpur, December 22 (ZXS) -- How do overseas Chinese departments play a role as a "cultural bridge"?
Visiting Dean of the Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences of the University of Malaya, Wong Zi Kin, and Head of the Department of Chinese, Pan Bihua.
China News Service reporter Chen Yue.
Founded in 1963, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaya recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. The Supreme Head of State of Malaysia, Abdullah, personally attended the ceremony and praised the contribution of the Department of Chinese to nurturing talents and promoting ethnic harmony in Malaysian society. In a recent interview with China News Agency's "East-West Question", Dean of the Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences of the University of Malaya, Wong Zi Kin, and Dean of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaya, Pan Bihua, said that the characteristics of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaya are that it plays a role as a "bridge" between ancient and modern, between different ethnic groups and between different cultures in combination with the conditions of the host country, thus playing a role in cultural inheritance, cultural integration and mutual learning between civilizations.
The transcript of the interview is summarized below
CNS: Could you please introduce the origin and main achievements of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaya?
Wong Zi Kin, Pan Bihua: The Senate of the University of Malaya passed a resolution to establish the Department of Chinese in 1961. After more than two years of preparation, in 1963, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia officially opened its classes, becoming the first Chinese Department in a Malaysian university. The establishment and growth of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has been supported by many well-known scholars. As early as the preparation period, Dr. Cheng Dekun, who was serving at the University of Cambridge at the time, was invited by Dr. Obenxin, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaysia, to participate in the planning of the establishment of the Department of Chinese. After the establishment of the Department of Chinese, Professor Wang Gungwu became the first head of the Department (** Mr. Qian Mu and Professor He Bingyu have taught in the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia.
At the beginning of its establishment, the Department of Chinese at the University of MA, like the Chinese departments overseas at that time, focused on the study of Sinology. Since then, combined with Malaysia's social and cultural characteristics, the Department of Chinese has greatly increased the proportion of teaching and research of traditional Chinese classics and Malaysian native Chinese literature. Since then, the Department of Chinese has expanded overseas Chinese culture into another research area.
In the past 60 years, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has cultivated generations of Chinese talents for the Malaysian society, who are widely distributed in the first department, cultural and educational fields, etc. Among them, the graduates trained for the first department and the field of culture and education have played a significant role in the inheritance and development of Chinese education in Malaysia. For example, there are currently 9 universities in Malaysia that have set up Chinese departments, and a large part of the teachers have been trained by the Chinese Department of the University of Malaysia over the years.
Malaysia's Supreme Head of State attended the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Department of Chinese. Courtesy of the Department of Chinese, University of Malaya.
The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has also set up research centers such as the Dream of the Red Chamber Research Center and the Malaysian Chinese Literature Research Center, which have produced a large number of research results. It is worth mentioning that the Department of Chinese has cooperated with other cultural institutions to complete the translation of the Malay version of "Dream of the Red Mansion".
The Department of Chinese has also made many achievements in the translation, research and promotion of Malaysian Chinese literature and Chinese culture, and has made its own contributions to the development of Malaysian Chinese literature and overseas Chinese cultural research.
CNS: With the development of the times and social changes, in your opinion, what is the current significance and role of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia?
Huang Zijian and Pan Bihua: First of all, Chinese education in the Department of Chinese is still of great significance in contemporary society. The poems and articles left by the ancient Chinese give us the edification of beauty and ideological lessons, which are of great significance for personal cultivation and growth. We have been exposed to Chinese classical poetry and ancient literature since childhood, and many people will look for more chapters to read after coming into contact with these poems and articles, which allows us to gain a space for understanding and imagination of Chinese culture and Chinese landscapes.
Over the years, many of the talents cultivated by the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia have entered the cultural and educational circles, guiding more young people to come into contact with Chinese classical poetry and articlesOr enter the paper ** as editors, they search for and compile beautiful Chinese articles based on the basic cultivation of literature and culture laid in the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia, and share them with readers. These Chinese students have influenced generations of Malaysian Chinese. It can be said that the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has always taken the inheritance and promotion of Chinese culture as an important mission, and played a bridge between ancient and modern cultural inheritance.
Secondly, Malaysia is a multicultural society in which Chinese and Chinese culture make up a significant proportion and coexist with various other ethnic groups. The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia plays a bridge role in spreading and promoting Chinese culture to other ethnic groups and promoting cultural integration.
The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia held a Chinese poetry recitation activity, and Chinese and Malaysian artists performed Nanyin together. Courtesy of the Department of Chinese, University of Malaya.
One of the most important features of the Department of Chinese and Chinese University of Malaysia is that from the very beginning, we have divided the students into groups A and BThe first is to provide general sinology courses for students who have no foundation in Chinese. Moreover, in the curriculum of the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia, some of the content taught in Malay and English has always been retained. On the one hand, this setting is to cultivate many talents who can communicate and exchange with various ethnic groups in Malaysia, and have the ability to promote and disseminate Chinese culture and Chinese classics to other ethnic groupsOn the other hand, it has also cultivated a group of non-Chinese graduates who have a certain understanding of traditional Chinese classics and culture. The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has also been promoting Malaysian Chinese literature to other ethnic groups in Malaysia for many years and insisting on carrying out overseas Chinese studies. It can be said that through its own efforts, the University of Malaysia has contributed to the communication and understanding between various ethnic groups in Malaysia and the integration of various ethnic cultures.
Students from the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaya patiently explained to the students who came to visit. Courtesy of the Department of Chinese, University of Malaya.
Third, there are currently many universities in many countries that have Chinese departments. However, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia is rooted in Malaysia's unique and well-established Chinese education system outside of China. Most of the students enrolled in the Chinese Department of many countries are students who have not undergone complete Chinese training in primary and secondary schools, while most of the students in the Chinese Department of the University of Malaysia have undergone relatively complete Chinese education. This makes the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia go beyond the simple teaching of Chinese as a foreign language or the study of Sinology in both teaching and research.
In addition to the Department of Chinese, we have also set up the Institute of Chinese Studies and other institutions in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Malaysia, building a relatively complete and extensive China-related teaching and research system. This allows the Department of Chinese at UM to act as a "transit point" and "bridge" for other countries, especially other ASEAN countries, to learn Chinese culture and studies. On the other hand, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has also connected with many universities in China to carry out various forms of cooperation. For example, the current master's program in Chinese education offered by the Department of Chinese is very popular with Chinese students, and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of Malaysia has also cooperated with Xiamen University in China, which has opened a "Nanyang Workstation" in the college.
We believe that in the local social and cultural environment, the Department of Chinese has always had value and significance in the University of Malaya, as the highest university in Malaysia, and can always play an irreplaceable role.
Group photo of the 2023 MA graduates of the Department of Chinese and their younger siblings. Courtesy of the Department of Chinese, University of Malaya.
China News Service: How will the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia continue to give full play to its characteristics in the future?
Huang Zijian and Pan Bihua: As mentioned earlier, the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has a major feature that distinguishes it from the Chinese departments of universities in other countries, and this feature is also recognized by many universities in ASEAN countries. At present, the Chinese departments of universities in Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries are in contact with us, hoping to carry out teaching and research cooperation. They look forward to using the Department of Chinese at UM as a "transit station", so that their students can first study and train in the Department of Chinese at UM, and then go to China for further study, so that they can grow gradually.
The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia will continue to lay a foundation for Chinese education in Malaysia, and its graduates can help the continuous growth and improvement of Chinese education from all angles, whether they enter the political arena or enter the fields of Chinese education, Chinese language ** and other fields. On the other hand, the stable development of Chinese education can provide new strength to institutions such as the Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia.
The Department of Chinese at the University of Malaysia has done a lot of work in promoting Chinese culture to the Malaysian society and promoting the development of local Chinese culture, but it still needs to continue to work hard to achieve greater results. (ENDS).
Interviewee Profile:
Huang Zijian. Professor Wong Chee Kin is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Literature and Social Sciences at the University of Malaya, and has served as the Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies at the University of Malaya, the Director of the Centre for Global Programmes and Strategy at the University of Malaya, and the Director of the Centre for Malaysian Chinese Studies. His research interests include Malaysian Chinese Studies, China-Southeast Asian Relations, and Sabah History, and he has published a number of related books. He was also a visiting scholar at Maudeline College, University of Cambridge. He is also a Fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Sciences.
Pan Bihua. Dr. Pan Bihua is currently the Head of the Department of Chinese and Associate Professor at the University of Malaya. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese from the University of Malaya, a Master of Arts from the University of Malaya, and a PhD in Ancient Literature from Peking University.