Monsieur Hero:Cultural Envoy to China
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SEBASTIéN Roussillat, born in Rennes, France, 23 years ago, has been studying Chinese language in China for fi ve years. He is now doing an M.A. in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Shandong Normal University.
Tall with wavy brown hair, Sébastién’s amiable, unassuming manner belies the imposing Chinese name his local friends have given him of Ying Xiong, meaning hero.
Cartoon-Induced sinophilia
It was Chang, Chinese friend of comic book character Tintin in The Blue Lotus, that first kindled Hero’s interest in China and its people when he was just seven years old.
With encouragement from his mom, Hero began learning Chinese during his first year of senior high school. Born on the borders of France, Italy and Switzerland, Hero’s mom is open to different cultures. When he was 12 years old she described to him the wonders of the world beyond France, urging him to take every opportunity to live and work abroad. Her work as fashion designer had brought her into contact with fashion industry workers in Chinese cities such as Taipei, Hong Kong and Hangzhou. At that time there was a dearth of French-to-Chinese translators, and Hero’s mom saw learning Chinese as an opportunity for her son both to work and travel.
“There were around 1,000 students at my high school, but only one Chinese class. After the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the school added three more Chinese classes to the curriculum, but there are still too few Chinese teachers in France,” Hero said.
Three of Hero’s relatives are foreign language teachers. They all told him that mastering a foreign language entails far more than the linguistic skill necessary to translate it into one’s native tongue, and that its correct use requires an understanding of the local culture and social mores. Their advice prompted Hero’s decision to go to college in China after finishing high school.
Perseverance and tenacity
In 2007, at age 18, Hero came to China.
After completing a one-year language course he was accepted and enrolled at Shandong Normal University. There he joined a class with 58 Chinese students on teaching Chinese as a second language.
“I was one of two foreign students in our class. The teachers taught in Chinese and spoke really fast. I barely understood anything during the first few weeks,” Hero recalled.
His mom always told him that, when faced with a choice between a difficult or easy path to a goal he should choose the former. Even though it might be tiring and at times discouraging, he would learn more and gain broader experience that way. She was right. After three months, Hero’s teachers were impressed at his progress in Chinese.
Hero studied and lived in an all-Chinese environment. His limited vocabulary did not deter him from practicing his Chinese, aided by the thick French-Chinese dictionary that he carried with him at all times, with his classmates and local inhabitants. Hero’s classmates admired his pluck and perseverance. It was his valiant approach to learning their language that earned him his Chinese name.
Hero found pronunciation, specifically mastering the four tones, the most difficult aspect of learning Chinese. His nine years of learning piano and consequent familiarity with melody and rhythm, however, was of great help. It was not long before he discovered the flexibility of Chinese words and expressions and was able to discern the subtle differences among Chinese homonyms.
Hero now perceives that the contrasts in French and Chinese of modes of expression are due to differences in the native speakers’respective ways of thinking. He understands that Chinese people are comparatively reserved, and reluctant to express directly what they think, thus putting the onus on the person addressing them to figure out what they really mean. For example, if a Chinese feels blue, he or she might prefer not to talk about it, whereas a French person has no compunction about saying, “I don’t feel happy today.” He also finds that Chinese people generally say “maybe” and “probably” because this makes it easier, when necessary, to alter or correct what they have said. This contrasts with the French tendency simply to say “yes,” “sure” or “no way.” Hero has also noticed that, when making a decision, Chinese people consider the full ramifications of the matter, insofar as “if I do it this way, how will this sit with my peers?” while the French are guided solely by their needs and mood at that particular point in time.
Hero says he totally understands and accepts this alternative way of thinking, and feels able to adjust to it.
In 2009, Hero’s mom came over to see him and they both had a wonderful time traveling in south China. His mom was delighted at Hero’s fluent Chinese and how it enabled him to chat with locals and find out from them the best places to sightsee and dine.
In 2011, Hero participated and took first place in the Fourth Chinese Bridge Competition – the highest level Chinese proficiency contest in China. When she heard the good news Hero’s mom called to congratulate him, saying: “Before you were born, I hoped you would be a kind and clever kid. You’ve turned out even better than I expected.”“Well I wasn’t made to order Mom,” was Hero’s impish reply.
Living a Chinese Life
Liu Wei is Hero’s sworn brother in China. The two met through a mutual acquaintance. Liu Wei has since invited Hero to his hometown in Zibo City in Shandong Province every Spring Festival to spend the holiday with him and his family. Hero says he feels happy and at ease at Liu Wei’s parents’ home, and savors the traditional fare they serve, particularly green onion pancakes, dumplings and steamed stuffed bread.
“In my Chinese brother’s hometown, I awake each day to fresh air and birdsong. In the afternoon I take tea and chat with Liu’s father, and practice Chinese calligraphy with him. In the evening we all sit together and enjoy dinner as one big family,” Hero said.
Five years in China have made Hero an old China hand. He understands the local way of life and customs, and is also well versed in Chinese history and literature.
Hero started reading books on Chinese literature at middle school. The diary he keeps on his Chinese blog in the style of Chinese poetry displays his remarkable ability in use of rhyme and choice of characters. He particularly admires Song Dynasty poetry, and can recite much of the works of famous Song poets such as Su Shi, Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao. He feels he can empathize with the emotions they express.
“Song poetry combines sense and sensibility. For example, although Su Shi’s The Red Cliffs (Chibifu) depicts a desolate war scenario, it is also essentially romantic and inspiring. I admire the rational way in which the poet expresses sadness. Much Chinese poetry is about history and expresses poets’patriotism. This is rare in French poetry,” Hero said.
Shandong Province is hometown of Confucius, and Hero has his own standpoint on this ancient personification of Chinese culture. “Confucius is an ideal representation of Chinese wisdom, but if foreigners want a true understanding of Chinese culture they should also become acquainted with other philosophers, such as Laozi and Zhuangzi, and their works,”Hero said.
Besides reading books, Hero also studies comic dialogues and practices calligraphy. He recently did some editing work on materials for teaching Chinese classical literature. He thinks he might need them if he goes back to France to teach Chinese.
“Success can never be accomplished in one go. Hero’s achievements are inextricable from his passion for Chinese culture and his assiduous study,” is the agreed comment of his teachers.
French cultural envoy to china
In Hero’s room stands a piano, and opposite it a bookshelf. He says music and books are his life. When he has time, he plays a melody for his own pleasure every day. He enjoys a relaxed, quiet life.
Since his victory at the Chinese Bridge Competition, however, Hero has had little time to rest, having been invited to appear on TV programs and give talks. He is happy to take part in activities to do with cultural communication, but has no interest in appearing in entertainment programs.
“My father worries that it will be difficult for me to find a job with no skills other than the ability to speak another language, and I agree with him. Language is just a tool. I want to spend my youth in China on promoting cultural exchanges between it and France. When I get older, say in 20 years’ time, I’ll go back to France and become a Chinese teacher,” Hero said.
Last semester, Hero worked with his teacher on a program to invite French artists to Shandong University of Arts for cultural exchange. It seems to him a good way to start his career as a French cultural envoy to China.
China and France are two big countries emblematic of Eastern and Western cultures. Cultural exchanges between them have deepened in recent years. Owing to their different political systems, however, and the fact that few French writers have experienced life in modern China, many of the books and video materials about the country in France still depict the China of the 1970s and 1980s. Hero writes on his French blog of what he has seen, done and felt since 2007 when he first came to China, and a French publisher has shown great interest in his articles. Hero plans to compile his writings into a book that will reveal contemporary China to his countrymen.