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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

“I Hope to Enhance Sino-Korean Friendship and<br> Cultural Relations”

I was born in a poor village in the Henan Province of China. For my study, I left my hometown for Kaifeng city, an ancient capital of Chinese history. I enrolled in the Department of History of Henan University in 1984. During my college years, world history was my favorite subject, of which Korean history was so lacking that I didn’t pay much attention to it. I continued my graduate study at East China Normal University in 1988. Although my major was Asian-African Modern History, African history was my first priority, since my teacher was an expert in this field. Then, one day my teacher told me that he hoped I would conduct research on the Korean Provisional Government, which had engaged in the Korean Independence Movement from Shanghai. From that moment, Korean history and I were destined to come together.



During my three years of graduate courses, I read almost every book about Korean history that I could find. But Korean history books were so limited that I wondered if I could go to Korea for an opportunity to study the Korean language, so I could read as many Korean books as possible. But this seemed out of reach for a poor student. In any case, I worked hard on my research of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai with a dream buried in my heart. My thesis, entitled “The Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai,” was completed after three years of dedicated research. I received my master’s degree and secured a job at Shanghai Education College.
In addition to teaching, I continued my study of Korean history, searching for information at all types of libraries in Shanghai and writing Korean history papers. “History of the Korean Provisional Government in China,” which professor Mu Tao of East China Normal University and I wrote, was published by the Shanghai People Publisher. The year 1993 was a turning point, after I met Kim Jun-yop, a former president of Korea University, who gave me an application form of the Korea Foundation for language training. It was the first time for me to hear about the Korea Foundation. My application was approved quite quickly. I received an acceptance notice and necessary s for my visa from the Korea Foundation in December 1993. I left for Korea on April 3, 1994. My longtime dream was finally being realized.
In Korea, I attended a Korean language class at an institute of Korea University. Although I received a library card and was allowed to use the collections of Korea University, I was very depressed to see so many Korean books that I could not read. Thanks to the Korea Foundation, which prepared a variety of activities for students from abroad, we did experience much longing for home or loneliness. The Korea Foundation made us feel at “home” in Korea. Among the activities, a cultural tour of southern Korea greatly impressed me. It was my first time to visit local sites in Korea, and I was lucky to see the ancient relics and to experience the ancient history of Korea for myself during the tour. Even now, everything about that cultural tour remains fresh in my mind.
With the help of Professor Shin Seung-ha, an expert of Chinese history at Korea University, I was able to enroll in doctoral courses of Korean history at Korea University. Although the Korea Foundation offered me a one-year language fellowship, I still regarded it as my home during my study and would often visit to see the staff there. Finally, with the help of the Korea Foundation and Han Yang club, I completed my doctoral coursework and became the first Chinese mainland student to receive a doctorate degree in Korea literature.

After I returned to China, I was honored to be named an instructor for the History Department of Fudan University. There were no courses related to Korean history and no students were interested at the time. However, after several years of efforts, more and more students chose to study Korean history. Moreover, a number of postgraduate students also enrolled in the courses. Early on, I taught Korean history to six students. When these students graduate, they will go to other places of the country and teach Korean history to their students, who will eventually teach more students about Korea history. Then, there will be so many Chinese young people who know Korean history and know about Korea. In this way, a foundation for Sino-Korea friendly relations will be consolidated.
At first, I studied and did research work on the history of Korea’s independence movement. Then, I gradually focused my attention on the society of Koreans in modern-day China. My doctoral dissertation was on “The study of Korean society in Shanghai.” After graduation, I focused on the society of Koreans during China’s pre-modern period. In 2007, I applied to the Korea Foundation for a research project on “The study of Korean society in Tianjing.” With support from the Korea Foundation, the application was approved and I returned to Korea in March 2007, feeling like I returned “home.”
The main purpose of my stay was to gather information for “The study of Korean society in Tianjing” project. During the process of collecting materials, I received much help from the staff of the Korea Foundation in various aspects. I was deeply moved by their understanding and support for my work. With the help of the Korea Foundation and its enthusiastic staff, my work, which is to enhance young students’ understanding of Korea and strengthen Sino-Korean friendship, is certain to proceed smoothly.
The goal of the Korea Foundation is to support the development of Korea studies abroad, strengthen understanding about Korea worldwide, and promote the development of friendship between the Korean people and people from other countries. The reason why I teach and study Korean history is to deepen Chinese students’ understanding of Korea and Korean history, advance the friendship of Sino-Korean peoples, and reinforce the cultural communication between China and Korea. As a university teacher, my personal efforts are limited, but my students are also able to teach Korean history and culture to their students, and so on. The teaching process will continue, and ever more young students will know about Korea, learn about the history and culture of Korea, and enhance their understanding of Korea, which will lay a solid foundation for development of the Sino-Korea relationship.

China and Korea have been communicating for thousands of years, during which we have built a profound friendship. However, development of the Sino-Korea relationship is not always smooth. Recently, ill feelings between the two countries have been expressed, especially among young people. This situation has made me feel uneasy. The mutual understanding, respect, and trust among youth are the basis for further development of the friendly relations between our two countries. How can young people, growing up in circumstances in which mutual ill feeling are on the rise, realize a respectful understanding and trustful relationship? That is why I have been thinking about the recent problems between China and Korea while conducting my research on Korean society in China.
I have also written several articles about the recognition by modern Chinese of Korea’s independent movement. Maybe I can find a solution to the mutual understanding problems of young students through research on reciprocal recognition between China and Korea on history. Based on this view, I have called on my peers to pay more attention to this problem and to organize an academic seminar on a theme of “Sino-Korean mutual recognition – history and reality” for the participation of Chinese and Korean scholars. I hope that we can eliminate the ill feelings between the young people of our two countries, and a bright future for the development of Sino-Korean relations through the efforts of scholars from both countries.
Although an individual’s capability is limited, I still want to be a personal promoter through my small efforts to enhance Sino-Korean friendship and cultural communication. I’m sure that many more people will join in this significant initiative. I also believe that all kinds of programs of the Korea Foundation can help to cultivate even more promoters.

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