[Concurrent] Xiaford
My name is Xia Fude, I am from Vancouver, Canada, and I have been in Xi'an for more than ten years. I have spent some time in Qingdao, Beijing, and Shanghai. Now I am working in a software company.
[Explanation] Shafford, who grew up in Vancouver, Canada, has been in contact with many Chinese since he was a child. The sweet Mandarin made him have a good impression of this language. After going to university, he enrolled in Chinese elective courses, so he was "obsessed" by it.
Xiaford said frankly that it is precisely because of this "stranger" that Chinese is very attractive in his eyes.
Since high school, Xiaford has had a strong interest in philosophy. After learning Chinese, he naturally began an "exploratory journey" of Chinese philosophy.
[Concurrent] Xiaford
It feels like you want to learn about a nation, and you want to learn about a culture.
To get to the root, and then from the root, to find the skill factors and thoughts, and then the process of its evolution, I am not a scholar, I just look at these things if I am interested, so I think the current society An understanding of the Chinese ideology, etc., is also helpful to a certain extent. It is a kind of bridge. I can find the gene from some of their words or their thoughts. It is because of this possibility. A factor in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism will cause such a perspective, which may be different from mine, but this is what Confucius said, "The gentleman is not comparable to the week, and the villain is better than (not the week)." .
You can think about a problem from different angles and different dimensions more comprehensively.
[Explanation] Why "get acquainted" with Chinese based on the "obscure" philosophy?
Xiaford gave his own answer.
In his view, philosophy is the soul of a nation. It is Chinese philosophy that allows him to better understand Chinese people.
Chinese philosophical thinking helped him think about problems from more angles and dimensions.
[Concurrent] Xiaford
The one I am most familiar with is of course the Tao Te Ching, and the Tao Te Ching is particularly popular in the West. You may also be attracted to the ideas of Lao and Zhuang (Lao Zi, Zhuang Zi), so I learned the Tao Te Ching at that time. "I learn more about "Zhuangzi", but the most impressive thing is the beginning, "Tao can be Tao, very Tao; name can be famous, very famous".
Then immediately afterwards, I talked about the relationship between the two Taoisms and the name, which is very strange, so I think the "Tao De Jing" has a deep impression on me.
[Explanation] Chinese philosophy not only allowed Xiaford to better understand the Chinese people, but also "cracked" the "code" of happiness in life for him.
On campus, Xiaford met his wife, Liu Ying, a girl from Xi'an.
From mutual aid language learning to entering the palace of marriage, Xiaford has been a "Chinese son-in-law" for 14 years, and he firmly chose to return to Xi'an with his wife to settle down, happily integrating into a large Chinese family.
After traveling to China for the first time in 2000, Xiaford has been "wandering" in Chinese books, and has adhered to his reading habit for 21 years.
However, he was still shy and told reporters in fluent Chinese that his Chinese level was "very weak" and he should continue to study. The recent "Book of Rites" was a difficult issue.
[Concurrent] Xiaford
There will be reading every morning and evening, and then there are two types of reading that is challenging, and it is difficult to make you hit the wall and a headache.
Besides, this is usually the original text, and then this one will read slowly, then look up the dictionary, and then read it slowly, and then it may lose patience after an hour and a half, and I don’t want to read it anymore. Kind of.
The second type of books, this is relatively simple, it is relatively quick to start, so this amount will be relatively large, and then it will be relatively easy, so these two have been going on continuously until now.
Regardless of whether it is Chinese or English, I usually find one that is easy and one that is difficult.
Simple and difficult reading together at the same time, so I think a boost to people and that growth is helpful.
[Explanation] Nowadays, Xiaford is a Chinese legal person of a foreign-funded enterprise. He said that the company chose to "locate" in Xi'an because of the steady stream of high-tech talents here.
Xiaford's plan for the future is very clear. He will settle here with his wife to create a stable living environment for his children. After retirement, he will devote himself to his hobbies.
Xiaford said that he used to be impatient and obsessed with things. It was Chinese philosophy that taught him to "slow down" and experience life.
Reporter Mei Yitaki Alina Xi'an
Editor in charge: [Wu Qingcai]