Chinese Studies Program Fall 2013 Newsletter - Regent College

chinese studies fall 2013
Regent College’s Chinese Studies Program (CSP) has started the project for the Joint-Training of Mainland Chinese PhD Students in Christian/Religious Studies in July, 2013. It has been an eventful summer for the Chinese Studies Program. We have fifteen PhD students who came from twelve universities as well as Dr Sun Xiangchen, the Dean of Philosophy School of Fudan University, came as visiting scholars arriving Vancouver on July 2. The CSP hosted a welcoming luncheon for them.
The PhD students came from various universities in China: Tsinghua University, Renmin University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Fudan University, East China Normal University, Shanghai International Studies University, Tongji University, Wuhan University, Shandong University, Sichuan University, Zhejiang University and SunYat-sen University. The students’ major includes western philosophy, Christian philosophy, western political philosophy, literature
In May, 2013, Edwin Hui, Dean of the Chinese Studies Program, travelled with his wife to China. In Guangzhou, they had dinner with the Regent College alumni from Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Shenzhen University and Southern Medical University.
In Wuhan University, they had dinner with Regent College alumni teaching at Wuhan University and Wuhan University of Technology.
vancouver Meets china through regeNt College’s ChiNese studies Program (CsP)
theory, studies on religion & international relations, political theology, Taoist esthetics, comparative literature, etc. The visiting scholar, Dr Sun Xiangcheng was once the PhD student in this joint-training project fifteen years ago. Dr Chu Xiaobai of East China Normal University studied postdoctoral courses in the CSP between 2012 and 2013 and she came to the welcoming luncheon as well. Dr Chu served as Professor Hui’s TA in a course entitled “Christianity in Chinese Context” during the months of July and August. Dr. Chu has returned to China at the end of August to resume her post at East China Normal University in Shanghai as an Associate Professor of Literature.
The self-introduction of the fifteen PhD students are included in this newsletter.
Thinking carefully about it, I was admitted to law school in 2002. In 2006, I then entered the ethics field and began my postgraduate studies. After two years of completing the master’s degree, I entered a completely different academic field. Sometimes I joke that I am a restless rabbit, constantly bouncing. In fact, I know that the academic trajectory is a precise reflection of my heart’s journey. I initially selected the legal profession, because it was then very popular. However, after I was admitted to law school, I found that I was not much interested in this area. In four years of college life, my great gains came from my reading of some philosophical masterworks and another more important thing that I believed in Christ at the end of 2003.
It seems to me a reasonable but also completely unexpected thing if I tell you my whole story. For more than a decade before that, my life can be described as bleak. My mother was gone when I was only a child. My father had to manage a family on his own from then on. However, my family became increasingly decadent though father worked hard. During those days, my heart was gradually filled with melancholy. In October,
2003, I met a campus Christian fellowship by accident. All of these Christian students have joyful smiling faces, which made me envious! A month later, when I was alone in the bedroom, being about to call a close friend, a feeling of sadness suddenly broke into my heart. I couldn’t speak any more, bursting into tears. There were a few minutes or a quarter later, when a voice in my heart suddenly said “Why do not you believe.” Just in that moment, I responded with a YES, without any hesitation! Then, joy came into my heart.
I can’t forget the repentance experience so far. Just at that time, I knew that my life was destined to follow and serve Him in some style.
In 2007, when I began to study Ethics, my major direction was Western classical ethics. Three years later , when I graduated in 2010, my venerable mentor recommended that I study religious studies and continue my academic life. In fact , it was my dream even at the very first days of my belief that I wished to research religion, in order to know God and myself deeper and better. I got into religious study (Christianity orientation) field in 2012.
Today, I want to know the faith of the Church, understand the history of Christianity and its ups and downs, and at last, understand the valuable information it has given in history to the world, whether in the West or in China, both in its first days or today. I regard the Christian faith as not only concerning private things. Christian faith is all concerning a group of people who are blessed in their weakness. And, this is the Church who in her one and many is the witness of the everlasting Lord. What an ambition I have! However, I can only step forward from the very beginning. So moved by all my desires of heart, I pay attention to St. Augustine, the bishop of Hippo and maybe the most famous Christian theological giant who has appeared in history. It is perhaps because of that I am greatly surprised to find that I have so similar an experience to him, and he has explained that experience so profoundly! At the same time, his thoughts have had the most influence over the Church and Western culture up to today! But it’s quite pity that he, as a believer of God, is still unfamiliar to our Chinese in some yet, though some scholars have taken great efforts in introducing him.
Now I come to study in Canada. This is, in Augustinian expression, really a joyful grace for me. Studying at Regent College was once my dream also, for “Regent” is referred to
kou zhencheng reNmiN uNiVersitY of ChiNa
zhu LiJuan reNmiN uNiVersitY of ChiNa
quite often when I talked with some godly teachers and pastors in China.
So it’s really out of my joy that I am really already here today. Walking in the streets of Vancouver , wandering in bookstores and libraries at Regent, on the lawn round about the College , I am finding a lot of fun. I believe that during the short term life at Regent, I will get a harvest more than all my expectations.
You can call me L.J. or Joanna. I am a doctoral student from Renmin University of China, majored in Comparative literature and World literature. Before coming to RUC, I have worked for three years in the department of Liberal Art of Minzu Institution of Tibet, which is located in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province. Earlier, I attached my bachelor degree in Hunan in 2006 and Master degree in 2009, both majored in literature.
I was born in a family without any religious belief; my father is a person with an extreme atheism mind. I got to know Christianity by reading a lot of picture-story books from my neighbors. They are Christian believers. Unfortunately, she died of cancer without cure. She was the key person of the believers
student profiLe no.1
in our community. Her death induced a bad reaction to the Christian community since they thought God did not save her. The believer became less and less. After that, I went to school and was educated to be a person with atheism in the Chinese educational system for a long time. I have never thought about the connections between life and belief until I began to study western literature. The more books I read, the more Christian thought I gain. I was deeply influenced by a lot of works written by the authors like Victor Hugo, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Faulkner, and Hemingway and so on. Their strong belief of God and Christ moved me and induced me to think about the reality and his existence.
One thing impacted me most was happened during my time in Tibet. At that time I worked as a teacher by teaching World literature correspondence for Tibet student in Lhasa. Because of their belief, they tried every way to show their own loyalty to Buddha, even take the price of life. They pay tribute to their gods with their whole body and spirit. At that time, I felt the power of faith and belief, and I appreciated it.
After that, a new term began at my school, when I prepared to teach the Western literature, an interesting chapter from the book of Job caught my attention. I began to read the whole story of it in detail. I was shocked by the belief and spirit of Job. Then I proceeded to read “Bible” more and more. Gradually, I began to understand the faith and belief of God and the religious. The more books I read, the deeper I understood Christianity.
In the winter of 2012, I was so lucky to admit to the Joint-Training of PhD candidate program of Chinese Studies Department at Regent College. Here in Regent College, I appreciate Professor Hui’s wisdom and humor as well as Stella’s warm hearted; here in Regent College, students are all study hard and eager to learn; the professors are all knowledgeable and erudite. Pilate, the one who condemned Jesus to die was the character I am going to research. I believe I will take a good use of the library both of UBC and Regent College.
fan Bing shaNghai iNterNatioNal studies uNiVersitY
I would not be surprised if some people get confused when reading my CV. In my curriculum vitae, I have a various educational backgrounds like a four year undergraduate study in computer science and a three year postgraduate study in politics. It is difficult to connect these two majors in China. What happened to me? After my graduation with the computer science degree, I was employed by a famous electronic technology company and became an engineer. Programming day after day, I felt exhausted. Although the job gave me a decent position and appreciable salary, I felt bored with it. I could not find a way out to get relief. A rich material life could not satisfy my spiritual needs. I wanted to do something to change my surroundings and even the world. Thus I quit my job and went back to the campus again. This time I chose the subject of International Relations (IR) as my postgraduate major. Although I switched from my previous major, to some extent, I appreciated the experience of my study in the hard science. My ability of rational and logical thinking was developed
in my first major, which makes me quickly and logically integrate various types of information into my mind. It is useful for doing any research.
During my postgraduate study, I began to read various kinds of books of classic IR theories. After a period of studying, I found that most IR theories originate from the views on human nature which is an essential part in the field of theology and religions. On the basis of the view of human nature, scholars extend and develop the perspectives on power, conflict, and war, which are the principal concepts and issues in the field of International Relations. For instance, Reinhold Niebuhr is a famous Christian theologian and one representative of Christian Realism. His Christian Realism had a profound impact on the international political theories. He argues that people are not perfect and essentially good, and thus conflict or war for power is inevitable. This view has become the foundation of the realist theories in the field of International Relations. In my opinion, since the Protestant Reformation Movement headed by Martin Luther led to the birth of the first international system –Westphalia system, the Christianity gene has been rooted in the contemporary International Relations, whether it plays a dominant role or recessive role. However, Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations has stirred up lots of controversies since its publication. He once again reminds us of the importance of religion in the study of international politics. Like genes existing in the human bodies all the time, religions, as some sort of soul genes, matter much in world politics, whether you admit it or not. Therefore, the strong connections between Christianity and International Relations drive me to think about Christian Theology.
In my personal life, I have some friends and teachers who believe in Christianity or are interested in studying Christianity. Each time when I am communicating with them, I not only acquire much knowledge of the Christian culture and history, but also feel the humbleness and love from them. It is unbelievable that two years ago when my friend took me to a church, I felt so peaceful and strengthened at the moment when we were sitting there. Frankly speaking, my consciousness about God has appeared more clearly in recent years. I usually consider my journey to Tibet as the landmark of my faith life. When I was sitting by the
student profiLe no.3Zhu Lijuan’s profile continued...
divine lake whose altitude is 6000 kilometers, I feel the time stop and I integrate into the surroundings as a whole. I do not know how long I was there, but after I came back, I wondered about something I had never thought about; maybe it was something about God. Since then, I have been eager to seek my faith.
I feel so honored to have such an opportunity to be engaged in the Chinese Studies Program at Regent College. This also provides me with a precious opportunity to do further study on my doctoral dissertation entitled The Christian Factors in the International Peace and Conflicts (Tentative). I am eager to have contact with Christian scholars and get involved in the Western Christian culture comprehensively and thoroughly. I believe that direct personal experience is different from my indirect educational instruction in China. In a word, I have the impulse to learn more about the Christianity and wish to develop my faith. I hope my dream can be realized at Regent College.
Liu tiantian shaNdoNg uNiVersitY
zhou yaoqiang wuhaN uNiVersitY
I was born in an intellectual family, and when I was young, I learned calligraphy and read many books of Chinese and Western literature. I had great interest in Western literature and art.
My grandpa graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University in 1942, and he taught me in the way of Christian thoughts. When I was a little girl, there was a church near my home. At that time, I could not tell what church was but only feel solemn and respectful inside. The roof of the church is very high and the human being below is much smaller. From then on, I had a vague vision that there is a higher being than any human beings and I could not see or know it.
In 1999, I was admitted to Shandong University, Department of Foreign Languages for undergraduate studies. In Shandong University, I was infected by the academic atmosphere and steadfast working attitude, and that’s why I chose SDU to apply to for my doctoral degree. It was the first year of my doctoral study that I have learned much more about the Christian world. Also this year, I have this cherished opportunity to go to Regent College to study theology.
During my doctoral study period, I found I was interested in Anabaptist history. What really appeals to me is that during hundreds of years of misunderstanding and oppression, Anabaptists kept silent and did not speak a word for them. Even when they were falsely accused, they never argued with people in the court, because Jesus said that “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). Their silence also caused many cases of framing. People who were sure of their nonresistance will frame them. Since they insisted on pacifism, they would not resist when faced with false accusations and would rather go to jail than speak a word for themselves. They did not work for the government but for and only for God. They hoped they could put their effort into purifying churches on earth and reconstructing the apostolic church of that time. It was really a utopian ideal. In the 19 century, there were scholars who started to interpret Anabaptists in a positive way.
I love Regent College and enjoy the academic activities here and also am impressed by Professor Xu’s humor and demeanor. The John Richard Allison Library’s tranquility and Vancouver’s beauty leave me with the great impression that God’s love is everywhere. When we fall down, only God can support us and hold us with confidence.
I was born in a city named Xinxiang which is located on the north shore of the Yellow River and at the foot of the Tai Hang Mountains. Now, I am a PhD student in Religious Studies at Wuhan University. When I pursued my bachelor degree at Henan University from 2004 to 2008 as a student majoring in International Economics and Trade, religion seemed so far away from my life. The first time I really got in touch with Religion was through reading. I like reading, especially books about history and culture, including the history of religions and the culture of different kinds of religions. Therefore, I have a general impression about religion. Religion involves an ultimate concern about human being while Economics just concerns the earthly wealth of life. This has really inspired me to do some further studies of religion.
After the undergraduate study, I entered Wuhan University to pursue my master degree in Religious Studies and began a systematic study of religion. With the guiding of my supervisor, I took Christian Studies as my research area and I wrote something about Origen’s philosophical and theological thoughts as my MA thesis. During this period, I had an opportunity to study as a visiting student in the Divinity School of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, which deepened my
understanding of Christian Studies. Christian Studies contain not only academic theories, but also religious experiences in various ways. This kind of study helped me to build my foundation, and my curiosity and affinity for religion fuel my passion for further study, so I decided to pursue my PhD after graduation.
Last summer, Regent College and Wuhan University organized a seminar for the mainland students majoring in Christian studies, I was lucky to be a participant in this course, and help the professors from different countries to arrange the courses. I learned a lot from their lectures, but the time was really limited for me to communicate with the professors on the topic of my doctoral thesis. I am grateful for having this opportunity to study at Regent’s campus, and I will also cherish this chance to make some preparations for my doctoral research.
As for my doctoral study, I am concentrating my interest on Jewish Mysticism and some related Christian issues. There is a Chinese proverb saying: “Foreign stones may serve to polish domestic jade.” As we know, Jewish study and Christian study trace the same origin. I think it is necessary to learn more about Jewish culture before our Christian studies. But, it is also a challenge for me to develop Jewish studies since it is not a main research area in the religious studies of Mainland China. The crucial problem is that we do not have enough reference books and other materials to conduct this research. I hope I can gather some material for my thesis. Even more significant is that the Regent College is a graduate school of Christian studies with many renowned Christian scholars, so it will be wonderful for me to discuss my thesis with the professors and I think this opportunity is definitely beneficial for my dissertation.
As time passes, I have been here for one month, my first impression of Regent College is its friendly, warm, casual and enthusiastic atmosphere. Moreover, it offers me an inclusive methodology and critical thinking environment in which to conduct research. However, the more I learn, the more I discover my ignorance, so I should study hard to learn more in the next five months. In addition to my learning gains, I think it is also a pleasant experience to live together with my classmates and teachers.
Vancouver is a good city with its pleasant
climate, wide sea and blue sky. I cannot exactly express its charm in words. But, I believe the six months I spend here will be the most splendid time of my life.
qu Xuan suN Yat-seN uNiVersitY
Speaking of my hometown, Datong in Shanxi Province, North Central China, “a city of coal” is always the first impression that jumps into people’s minds, with the image of an ancient city with about 2300 years’ history left behind unconsciously, which has one of the World Cultural Heritage sites - the Yungang Grottoes, as well as the only domestic temple – the Hanging Temple, where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism unite religiously. Undoubtedly, the religious images presented in both the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple reflect deeply a Chinese style embodied in Buddhism after its introduction into China, while Christianity originates from the western civilization, so that it is not easy to really understand this important force, which affects the world civilization process.
It is really a great pleasure for me to have the chance to come to picturesque Vancouver, and enjoy the Christian culture to the utmost at Regent College, which can surely broaden my horizons and perfect my personality.
My experiences seem to be a little plain. Since childhood, I have been brought up in a family full of love. I never left home to live alone until my enrolling in university as an undergraduate. At that time, I decided to choose to be far from home and go to South China to study, so as to give myself space to grow up with independence more quickly. Then, up to studying for a Ph.D., school has, in fact, already become a new shelter for me. Fortunately, every step all the way along is moving forward, but the unfortunate point I have realized is that there are gradually some loses of passionate feelings and a weakening of self-confidence. Of course, I have experienced sufferings and emotional ups and downs during almost every entrance examination, which is every “turning point” I went through successfully. But, I prefer to think of them as some inner struggles from an emotional self. What’s more, along this one- fold life track there are some “exceptional” experiences such as carrying on a part-time job, participating in an internship, or being involved in a two-month program for aiding education voluntarily in the countryside, which for most people are just everyday experiences, but for me are of particular significance. So, this half-a-year living in Vancouver and studying at Regent College is more precious.
My major is Marxist Philosophy as a secondary subject under Philosophy as a first-level disciple, but with more doubts in Chinese academic research areas. My tutor, Professor Xu Changfu, does not deny the studying dilemma facing us; moreover, he emphasizes that because of the dilemma, there is more in need to follow the original intention of Sophia to search for the truth and face up to the memory of grieves in the national modern history, in order to care for everyone as a living individual at present. Based on this sense of reality inspired by my learning Marxism, I have begun to throw light on Feminism and the issue of “relationship” behind the gender perspective. Within the progress of studying at Regent College over the past few weeks, I can feel genuinely and vividly the practice of “mutually constitutive relationship”, not only in the chapel at the college or different churches, but also in
the classes of Professor Edwin Hui and TA Xiaobai Chu, as well as the lovely specific designs for the public convenience in daily life, and the getting along with our 14 companions from the Chinese Studies Program this year. I believe it will become a progression of knowing myself more on the road of “Sophia” in the foreign land, whether through the experience of living alone or together, reading or practicing, and always with rejoicing and gratefulness.
Li sifan wuhaN uNiVersitY
wang yongzhi BeiJiNg laNguage uNiVersitY
My name is Lily, which is a kind of white flower in China. That flower represents purity and simpleness which are my ideal lifestyle because I want to possess a simple and calm happiness. I come from Wuhan University of China, where I am a PH.D candidate of Christian studies in the Department of Religious Studies; Wuhan is located in the central district of China. Wuhan University is famous for its beautiful landscape and its history in a culture where our campus has become a popular tourist spot.
Even as a teenager, I was deeply interested in the issues of philosophy and religion.
However, I majored in Economics when I pursued my bachelor degree in Central China Normal University from 1996 to 2000. After graduation, I worked as a secretary at a company for 3 years, but I gradually realized that religion and philosophy were my favorite subjects, and they involved the ultimate concerns of human beings. So I returned to Central China Normal University as a postgraduate student in religious philosophy. During this period, I accumulated the necessary knowledge for the comparative study of Western and Eastern religions. The topic of my master degree thesis is a study on Augustine’s theory about human beings.
After graduation, I worked as a teacher in a college and entered Wuhan University as a PhD candidate in 2011. Currently, I have studied a range of courses on religion, philosophy, culture, and history at my home school. During the last summer vacation, Regent College and Wuhan University organized a summer school for mainland China Christian scholars, I was lucky to be a student volunteer to participate in this course, and had the chance to talk with Regent College professors. I learned a lot from them, but the time is really limited for me to make further communication with these professors who can help me for my current studies.
Regent College is a very famous graduate College of Christian studies and there are many renowned Christian scholars in its faculty, so I think that this joint-training of PhD candidates in Christian/Religious Studies program will help me to get new ideas and valuable reference books for my studies.
Vancouver is a very beautiful city, and the people here are very kind. All the pleasing natural scenery and harmonious relations between human and nature always remind me to give thanks for God’s miraculous creation. No matter what my future is going to be, the six-month course at Regent-College would be a precious possession in my whole life which will enrich my life and make it become splendid.
I got my MA at Foreign Affairs College in Beijing after finishing a program intended to train translators and interpreters for China’s Foreign Ministry. As I love the lifestyle and freedom of college teachers, I became an ESL teacher in Beijing International studies University after I got my MA in 2003. The years thereafter were filled with routine work and inspirations from my lovely students. But gradually, I found that both my career and spiritual life had come to a bottleneck situation; that was why I applied for a doctorate program in Beijing Language University and was luckily admitted in 2012.
As a student of Comparative Literature and World Literature, it is an indispensible part of our lives and studies to experience Western culture in person. To understand and do research on literature, it is essential to put it against the backdrop of its original culture. As Paul Tillich has pointed out “Religion is the substance of culture, culture the form of religion.” It is unimaginable to do literary studies without the dimension of religion. Since Regent College is a “place of
minds” which boasts of its top professors in Christian studies and theology, it is no doubt the perfect place for me to get a better understanding of Christianity and its far- reaching influence on Western literature.
Fortunately, in the last two or three decades, religious studies in China is gaining momentum; I feel especially lucky to devote myself to the trans-disciplinary work of studying literature from the perspective of religion. Although, currently, such a field of study still finds itself in a marginal position in China’s academia and is yet to be expanded, I firmly believe in its significance and I am more than happy to be part of it. During my stay at UBC, I expect to work out a detailed plan for my doctorate dissertation and start to work on it.
When I set my feet on UBC’s campus, I felt incredibly at home as if Canada is by no means a foreign country to me. What are welcoming are not only the brilliant sunshine but also the helpful and hospitable teachers and residents. They all did their best to make our lives easier especially when we were trying to settle down. We are so lucky that when we arrived the Summer School was underway, so it provided us with a wonderful opportunity to make friends with students from all over the world. It is absolutely true that “in Regent you don’t have to go out to see the world; the world comes to you.” We had a very good time doing various things together: chatting, going on a picnic, going hiking, watching Shakespeare plays, watching fireworks and listening to outdoor concerts—all these constitute an international experience which will certainly be the one of the best parts of my memories of my Regent time in the future.
At UBC there are rows upon rows of books for me to explore for my research. It has wonderful libraries with modern facilities and technical support. There are also endless gardens, museums, art galleries and so on and so forth for me to make new discoveries. So I expect a lot of walking as well as a lot of reading. Wow, what a wonderful lifestyle, it will be healthy both mentally and physically. I believe that it pays to work hard and that my stay at Regent College, UBC will be memorable and rewarding.
shen XiaoLong ZheJiaNg uNiVersitY
zhang zuLiao fudaN uNiVersitY

I come from an orange village of Quzhou city (five hours by train from Shanghai) in East China and currently study Western philosophies as a doctoral candidate in Zhejiang University, which is located in Hangzhou, a city you may never have heard of but it is a beautiful place bearing witnesses to my eight years there. Political theology is my research area. I will try to clarify the internal evolution of political theology and its influence on modernity. In order to be more familiar with the history and thought of Christianity, I devote myself to academic research and hope to find the sense and sensibility of my faith through this study. Yes, I am a Christian. After many years’fruitless seeking for the classic ideal of truth and happiness and with the fruitful experience of the blessings and love of God, I got the affirmation that God has selected me to be his child and then I converted to Jesus Christ. I like politics, the game of Go and meditation. Cooking and writing are also my hobbies. Unconstraintedly reading and the care for other between human beings always bring me happiness. Although I am not a creature
who is good at social communication, it would be really lucky if I could have more bosom friends who share political faith with me. Whoever has the common goal to change people’s hearts and this world is my friend and brother. It is incredible for me to lead an academic life with self-entertainment external to actions. Often puzzled by some questions like:
“Do you need a reason to love a person?”
“Is it the maximum love if you would like to go to hell for someone?”
“Does justice triumph over love?”
…Hope someone can come to discuss all these things with me and enlighten me.
I am a Ph. D candidate of Fudan University and am doing my doctoral dissertation of John Rawls’ political philosophy. You may feel strange that why I chose to join this program because it seems that Rawls’ political philosophy is too far and different to the spirit of Christianity. The formal one is a secular one while the later one is a holy one, on the other side, the formal one strives for speculation and reasoning, while the later one demands emotion and faith. But in my opinion, there are many connections between secular philosophy and holy religion. And, besides the
study of philosophy, there is a basic concern in my life that is what true faith is. With these purposes, I have the honor to john this exchange program and come to the beautiful city---Vancouver, to learn and feel Christianity in Regent College.
I began to get in touch with Christianity is in the first years of my undergraduate course. I have spent four years to learn English in a small city in Shandong Province. It was not a long time since I entered university when I got acquainted with my first foreign teacher. She is a pious catholic, so, it is a duty for her to go to the church every weekend. Unfortunately, she does not speak Chinese, and she asked me to be her interpreter in the church every weekend. With this opportunity, I stayed in church for a whole year. But, to be honest, after my graduation from university, I was still a layman about what is real faith and real Christianity. Although things is like this, I can say proudly that the seed of faith have been planted in my heat, and ,after that time, “what is real faith like” has become a big question occupied my minds. On the aspect of academic research, I have not chosen Christianity as my research field, but decided to choose the topic of political philosophy as my doctoral dissertation. But, as I said, the Christian background has been part of my important thinking dimension. In the reading and researching to the works of political philosophy in recent years, I have the deep feeling that political philosophy is not as secular as we usually understand, but almost always have its transcendental points. No doubt, many categories of political philosophy, such as freedom, equality, justice, community, have the point to the secular life directly, but meanwhile, the usage of these categories never neglected another aspect, that is the existence of God. So, in greater degree, the existence of these political ideas is to guarantee the secular world to have more goods and virtues.
In Regent College, I think I have two tasks. The first one is to be more familiar with the knowledge of Christianity, and put myself into the environment of true Christian faith; and the second one is to finish the first draft of my doctorial dissertation as soon as possible. In my view, the idea of political liberalism has many elements of Christianity originally, and, it attempts to accomplish the task of emplacing the Christian faith into a modern civil society. For me, my task is not only deal
with the things of theoretical carding or academic arguing, but also for going deep into the belief itself, to feel, and realize the holy and pure aspect of human life of belief.
wang JiaJun east ChiNa Normal uNiVersitY
You can call me George, an English name whose pronunciation is similar to my Chinese name. I was born in Yunnan province, which in the southwest part of China, famous for its fair weather, beautiful scenery and ethnic minorities. There are 52 ethnic minorities who live there (China has 56 ethnic minorities). The environment of my hometown gave me a happy and free childhood and its diversity of ethnic minorities made me accept other cultures easily. Perhaps due to it, I am also able to adapt myself to different circumstances. When I was 18 years old, I came to Zhejiang University, which is located in Hangzhou---maybe the most beautiful city in China. The culture between Yunnan and Zhejiang province is very different, which made me a little bit confused but I enjoyed it as well. At that time, my major was education, but gradually I found I was not that into it, and I found what I really loved was literature, so I read plenty of poems and novels. At that time, Rainer Maria Rilke and Francis Jammes were my favorite poets. They are very different. Rilke is full of passion and Jammes is famous for writing about his humble
country life, but I love them both. Maybe from their poems, I began to get exposed Christianity (even if Rilke was maybe not really a Christian). I also liked novelists, such as Proust, Salinger and Nabokov. At that time, I supported what is called “art for art’s sake”, and I investigated literature only from an aesthetics perspective. After graduation from university, I changed my major to literature for my master’s degree as I wished. However, I entered another university, East China Normal University, which is located in Shanghai. The Studies in Literature department was beyond my expectations. Especially for my subject, literary theories, they talked about philosophy, politics or history more than literature itself. At first, I couldn’t adapt to this situation. With the help of my instructor and classmates, I have gradually become an investigator instead of a literature fan. That doesn’t mean I deny the value of the original happiness of reading literature or I agree with the idea which just uses theory as a scalpel to operate on literature. From my point of view, the purpose and value of literary criticism and theory is reconnecting it with the public life and the world, and recovering its meaning or giving it some meaning, which is also one of the pleasures we can get from literature. Hence, the study of literary theory gives me more possibilities with which to think and experience literature. Furthermore, it expands my horizons, because from literary theory, I can connect easily with philosophy, aesthetics, history, politics, ethics and theology. Therefore, I have chosen an aesthetic problem as the theme of my master thesis, whose title is On Schopenhauer’s Sublime Theory. After my graduation, I stayed at university to work in an academic journal as an editor; the name of the journal is Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art (TSLA), which is one of the most highly ranked academic journals in China that is dedicated to publishing original research articles in Arts and Humanities. Fortunately, the work gives me a chance to further study my subject even if sometimes it also makes me extremely busy. Maybe three years ago, I began to read the Jewish philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas’ works. His profound thoughts fascinated me and hugely changed my ideas about literature and art. But what influenced me most is that he leads me to be close to Judaism and Christianity. That is why I came to the Chinese Studies Program. Recently, I have been planning to write something about the relationship
between Judaism and Christianity’s thoughts about Idolatry, modern art and literature and phenomenological aesthetics, it will also be related to Kant and Schopenhauer’s thought about the sublime and so on. I am eager for any suggestions about that. Although I have just come to Vancouver four weeks ago, I really love this city, whose weather is similar to my hometown, and the people in here are polite and hospitable. What is more, I enjoy the life with my classmates. We all come from different universities and cities in China, but after a short time, we have built a community of friendship and love.
zhang yunkai fuNdaN uNiVersitY
Born in Henan, a central province of China, in order to pursue my intellectual satisfaction, I had to leave my hometown for eight years. I studied at Fudan University, where I obtained my master degree as a student majoring in philosophy. Currently, I am a first year student on the doctorate program of philosophy at Fudan University.
In my previous three years studying at Fudan, I attended several seminars in English for graduates, such as a seminar on Nietzsche (under the guidance of Kathleen Wright), Plato’s Republic (Allan Silverman),
and German Idealism (Terry Pinkard). Attending those seminars has promoted my ability in reading and writing in English, besides, Pinkard’s courses on Hegel had an intense influence on me and ignited my interest in German Idealism. My master’s dissertation is about desire(Begierde) in the chapter of self-consciousness, Hegel’s Phänomenologie der Geist. In that paper I try to elaborate on Hegel’s assertion that “self-consciousness is desire itself”, and the interconnection between the concepts of desire, self-consciousness and life. Based on the illustration of the starting point of self-consciousness as desire, I drew several conclusions concerning Hegel’s distinctive interpretation of self-consciousness. My current research interest is in German Idealism, especially Hegel’s philosophy of religion, the meaning and the assessment of the aftermath of its influence on some German Hegelians in the 19th century.
The reasons that I chose this exchange program fall into two areas: Firstly, due to the cultural environment within which I had grown up, I had barely any contact with Christianity and people who had religious belief before my study at Fudan. The encounter with several Christian friends in Shanghai had in large measure changed my viewpoints toward religion. As an atheist, I started to understand religion and really respect those people who had belief. The relationships with those friends enabled me to understand that as atheist, one should try to understand religious belief and see its merits. This is the first motive that I had for this exchange program.
Secondly, to study theology and the history of Christianity are also the requirements of my research interests. For example, two years ago, I enrolled in a seminar on the history of science which consists of studying the relationship between Christianity and development of early modern science. I was interested in the late medieval theological- natural philosophers. This study also helped a lot to illuminate my reading of Hegel’s Phänomenologie. I think that if one wants to obtain an objective and a comprehensive understanding of Hegel’s philosophy, the religious dimension of Hegel should not be ignored; whereas in China, the studies of Hegel had mostly been centered on the secularized part of Hegel, such as his theories in Philosophie des Rechts and Phänomenologie . Nevertheless, it seemed that we had neglected the fact that Hegel had
been interested in theology ever since he was in Tübingen Seminary, and he had always been wishing to lecture on religion since then . The religious facet of Hegel-how he interpreted religion and his understanding of God, was nearly untouched among our Chinese scholars. If we say Hegel tried to reconcile between reason and religion belief, self-conscious humans and God, then how his “synthesis” finally relapsed in a rupture in the theories of his students is also an interesting issue. To figure out the intellectual relationship between Hegel and his disciples, the religious part of Hegel must be treated seriously.
Regent College is one of the most renowned institutions for Christian Studies among Chinese scholars. Lots of Chinese scholars with high achievements on the field of religion and philosophy have been to the program at Regent, which includes my instructor, who advised me to come here to further my studies in theology and philosophy at Regent. One of my classmates, who had been to Regent also recommended that it is a perfect place to study, and this program enabled him to develop close friendships with his peers during the six months. Besides, Regent located in Vancouver, whose famous beautiful natural scenery also attracts me.
Summing up my reasons to come here are: Firstly, I want to have a basic understanding of Christology and the German theological background in 18-19th century under the guidance of Regent’s professors; secondly, to collect the materials on Hegel’s philosophy of religion and the German Hegelians’ discussions on the theme of Christianity in the 19th century. Based on that, I would try to develop my understanding of Hegel’s interpretation of God. If we say Hegel’s interpretation is unorthodox, we should answer the further question as to whether his interpretation served well the grand reconciling project in his theoretical framework. These are difficult tasks, and I hope that during this exchange program I can obtain the preliminary answers to these questions.
I was born in Sichuan, grew up in Sichuan, and studied in Sichuan and worked in Sichuan, the place in which I was raised is and will be the homeland of my spirit. That is why I have never lived for a long time in other places before. However, I have travelled so far this July and come to Vancouver, which makes this the farthest journey in the past thirty years. Because it is really worth a visit; Vancouver has so many similarities both in natural scenery and humanistic spirit to my hometown. Nevertheless, what really matters is the attractive Regent College of UBC. Looking back, this “farthest journey” seems to be predestined.
I entered Sichuan University (SCU) in 2001 and got my Bachelor’s degree in 2005 from the Philosophy Department of SCU. The same year, I was recommended to the Psychology Department of SCU owing to my excellent performance and got my Master’s degree in 2008. After that, I began to work as a teacher in Chengdu University. At the same time, I took a part-time job as a psychological consultant. In the autumn of 2012, I came to pursue my PhD study in Aesthetics in the Institute of Taoism and Religious Studies of Sichuan University.
As a student, I keep on doing philosophical thinking under the guidance of teachers. And, I find that most of the issues of human beings can be summed up in the questions of finite and infinity, of impermanence and permanence, and ultimately, in death. As a teacher, when placating students who are still in the deep sorrow of losing relatives and friends in the “5·12” earthquake, I always have to end the conversation with words such as “They are living a better life in another place.” However, the uncertainty of “another place” makes this “last hope” so hopeless. As a psychological consultant, after exploring deep into the heart of clients several times, I often find that the key to all the issues still lies in the question of “being” itself. All negative feelings such as anxiety, depression, agony, fear, basically come from the doubt of meaning and value of their own existence, from their ignorance of death which is the unity of opposites in life. They even commit suicide because of escaping from reality.
Thus, as a common member of the limited human beings, I am aware that death is an ultimate question one has to ponder earnestly. As Seneca mentioned in “Letters to Lucilius”, “One should consistently think of death.” For all the living, death does not stay far away, but stays around animatedly. In other words, all lives are lived towards death. Thoughts of death always keep hovering in my mind. My thesis for my Master’s degree is on the death attitudes of college students. What on earth is death? Is death the end of everything? What does the “end” mean? Do all people view death in the same way and fear death? If not, how does Christianity view death?
Bringing these questions, I arrived in Vancouver, owing to the great “Program for the Joint-Training of Mainland Chinese PhD Students in Christian/Religious Studies” of Regent College. I appreciate all the care and help from Professor Edwin Hui and Ms Stella Lai. Immersed in the vigorous and joyful atmosphere of Regent, I am looking forward to meeting more professors and friends. I am sure that every day in the following months will become a precious memory.
zhang Min siChuaN uNiVersitY
Li chao tsiNghua uNiVersitY
My name is Chad; I was born in 1985 in Liuzhou, a beautiful modern city with hills and waters. I went to Guangxi University to study philosophy when I was 19 . Though Guangxi University is not an elite school, and there are not many top teachers either, I accumulated the initial professional knowledge, and obtained a solid academic background in philosophy there.
In 2009, I was enrolled in Department of philosophy, Tsinghua University. For three years afterward, I concentrated not only on professional knowledge, but also on the research skills and critical thinking, as a preparation for advanced research in the future. During this period of time, I also spent more time to study Christian thoughts, to read Augustine, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Schleiermacher, and Tillich and so on. I attended the courses in religion especially in Christianity as many as possible, such as the courses about religious ethics, about phenomenology of Religion, and about Christian philosophy. As a fruits of my work, my master thesis, which is about Tillich’s theory of “the courage to be”, won the excellent master thesis of Tsinghua University in 2012.
student profiLe no.13 student profiLe no.14
Now as a doctoral student in Department of philosophy of Tsinghua University, my interest in philosophy of religion does not decrease at all. But my tutor wants me to do research more philosophically, so I turn my attention to Kant. Most researchers focus on his philosophy of consciousness and philosophy of morality more than his philosophy of religion. But for me, his theory of religion is more attractive. As a result, my Ph.D. thesis will be an effort on exploring Kant’s idea of religion.
I have studied in Tsinghua University for 4 years, and it’s time for me to get some fresh air as well as to broaden my horizon. As a researcher growing up in another culture, I should go to Christian countries, to experience it personally. So it is valuable and necessary to experience Christian culture if I really want to do research about it. Luckily, an opportunity for me was provided by Regent. Besides abundant academic information resource in UBC, the blueness of the sky, the beauty of the natural scenery, the friendliness of the people, etc., are great attractions. My days in Regent will be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
qu daiping toNgJi uNiVersitY
I was born in a small village in Yichang, Hubei province. My mother is a diligent and kind- hearted farmer. My father is a famous builder in my hometown.
Under the care of my parents, I grew up, and now I am a PhD Candidate in Tongji University. The city of Yichang is my hometown. There are many beautiful tourist spots, such as Three Gorges Dam and Three Gorges. I have lived and studied here from primary school to high school. Then I completed my studied at Hubei University as a bachelor, and was accepted as a master of Western Philosophy. Over the past 20 years of school life, I have come to recognize that the more I learn the less I know about the world, because the world is not the small world that I recognized before. However, luckily, I am an optimistic person. I feel that to be addicted to study is a happy thing, which is just what Aristotle said.
From the 1st of September 2003 to the 1st of July 2007 I learned the public management at the law School of Hubei University. In four years, I read some academic books, such as the books of Immanul Kant and Sigmund Freud. Although I didn’t really know what they said, I knew that my world had changed. In the second semester, I met an important person. He is a Christian theology teacher. He taught me "the Introduction to Christianity", and from him I learned some theories about Christianity. He is a pious Christian, and I admire him. In the meantime, my grandma became a Christian; from her I knew the situation about Christianity in mainland China. All of this makes me think about a question: what is the character of a real Christian like? When I graduated from law school, I came to the school of philosophy of Hubei University to study Western Philosophy.
While I was at philosophy school, the teacher that I admired went to a Red Cross Society. It disappoints me because I can’t learn more from him. In the philosophy school, I was interested in Socrates and Plato. I read the full texts of Plato which made me very excited and happy. During this period, I came to experience the pleasure of philosophy, philosophy needs us to suspect, think and reflect on the theory, and then to make us think more deeply. I took pleasure in that process, but forgot the real world. On the eve of my departure from the school of philosophy, my grandma became very ill, and when I went home, she had left this world; I wasn't able to see her at the last moment. The pain of my grandma in the world was heavy and it made my parents start to doubt the existence of God. I was nervous at that time because of my ignorance about God, and so I couldn’t persuade my parents to go back to their faith. I took the
perplexing question to work in my hometown for two years, and for this period, I totally appreciated the complexity of society, the world’s misery and the people who have lonely and homeless souls. I knew that I could find the answer in another place, so I went to Tongji University and hoped that I could make a warm house for people’s spirits just like my father often built houses for my family. I felt lucky to have a chance to study at the world- famous Regent College, and I believe that I can meet a lot of good friends here, and find the answer here.
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Chinese Studies Program Fall 2013 Newsletter - Regent College

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Transcript of Chinese Studies Program Fall 2013 Newsletter - Regent College