Using language as a bridge, write a new chapter in the friendship between China and Belarus
2025-09-04
On the coast of Bohai Sea, a campus with language as a bridge is writing a new chapter of China Belarus friendship. In 2017, Tianjin Foreign Studies University pioneered the establishment of the first undergraduate program in Belarusian language in China, and published the first batch of textbooks for Belarusian language majors in China in 2020. Belarus is one of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. On the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit, Belarusian Foreign Minister Rairenkov led a delegation to visit Tianjin Foreign Studies University. In the VIP commemorative album, he wrote: "I deeply admire and admire the extensive work carried out by the Yakubu Kolas Center (Tianwai Belarus Research Center) in developing Belarusian language teaching, as well as the important contributions made to enhancing cultural understanding and integration between Belarus and China." Lei Renkov said that Belarus will launch special competitions and scholarship programs, welcoming students from Tianjin Foreign Studies University to further their studies in Belarus and "becoming inheritors of the all-weather friendship between Belarus and China. Language education is the core link that unites global civilization consensus. ”This is the belief that Belarusian teacher Olga Shahab has always held. In 2017, Shahab was invited to Tianjin to participate in the education forum under the framework of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, and became the first foreign teacher of Belarusian major in Tianjin Foreign Studies University. At that time, systematic teaching of Belarusian language was in urgent need of development in China. There is no mature curriculum system to draw on, no ready-made textbooks to use, and for Shahab and the team, every step means new exploration. The most important and urgent task is to prepare and write textbooks. ”Shahab recalled, "My Chinese teacher and I browsed through a large number of Belarusian language books and compiled the first five textbooks, paying special attention to the cultural and technological cooperation between China and Belarus in terms of content." Over the past eight years, the curriculum system of Belarusian language majors in China has become increasingly perfect, the teaching staff has continued to grow, and teaching resources have become increasingly abundant - this once newly cultivated land has become heavily populated. The Shahab team has collaborated with multiple parties to publish over 50 academic papers, promoting their research findings to international forums; Launch the first batch of research projects for Chinese and white students to break down cultural barriers through language practice; Building cultural bridges such as the "From Blue eyed Kingdom to Ancient Celestial Kingdom" knowledge competition, allowing Chinese youth to understand the historical pulse and contemporary narrative of Belarus through the echoes of language. Shahab firmly believes that classic literary works are an important bridge to overcome language barriers and promote mutual learning among civilizations. In 2019, the Yakub Kolas Center, named after Yakub Kolas, a Belarusian national poet and founder of new literature, was officially established at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. Over the past six years, the center has established deep cooperation with many universities and educational institutions at home and abroad, and through a series of brand activities, has helped young students perceive the pulse of civilization integration in cross-cultural practice. In 2024, with the support of the Belarusian Ministry of Culture, the first Chinese translation of Yakubu Kolas' short story selection 'Stories of Life' was successfully published in collaboration between Yakubu Kolas National Literary Memorial Museum and Tianjin Foreign Studies University. Wang Muyuan, a graduate of the school, said with great emotion, "Reading classic literary works not only improved my language ability, but also gave me a further understanding of the commonalities between Chinese and Belarusian civilizations." Through the window of language, the Belarusian people have increasingly seen a real, three-dimensional, and vivid China. I have collaborated with graduate students to complete the Belarusian translation of 'Terminology of Chinese Thought and Culture', as well as the translation of 5 short stories by famous Chinese writers, "Shahab introduced. Shahab's daughter, Luffy, started learning Chinese at the age of 6 and has a great love for Chinese culture. As a doctoral student at the Central Document Translation Research Base of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, she participated in the translation of the Belarusian translation of "Chinese Ideological and Cultural Terminology". Luo Feifei said, "These terms embody the wisdom of China's thousands of years of civilization, and understanding their connotations can help Belarusian readers better understand today's China." Recently, hundreds of volunteers from Tianjin Foreign Studies University were active at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit, providing various volunteer services such as translation, injecting youthful energy into the summit. Li Yingying, President of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, stated that the training goal of the Belarusian language major at the university is not only to train university teachers, translators, and professionals, but more importantly, to cultivate cross-cultural communication experts who can promote dialogue between China and Belarus, better tell the story of China, and promote mutual learning of civilizations among SCO countries. Inviting experts in the field of science, education, and culture from Belarus to give lectures, organizing more Belarusian cultural competitions, and continuously carrying out Sino Belarusian classical literature translation cooperation projects with multiple parties... Shahab and his team are making steady progress. This year, the "Belarusian Language Proficiency Test Question Bank (Levels 1-6)" they collaborated with the Belarusian Academy of Education will be published in China. Shahab said, "We still have many plans, and we are making every effort to move forward
Edit:He Chuanning Responsible editor:Su Suiyue
Source:Guang Ming Daily
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