China News Service, Beijing, March 21: Title: Hungarian sinologist Yossanto: The uniqueness of Hungarian culture comes from its Eastern roots

　　China News Service reporter Ge Lulu

　　One day in November 1950, four graduates of Eötvös Lorand University who had received Hungarian state scholarships set out from Budapest to study in China. Among them was Yossanto, a graduate of the Hungarian history major who later became a famous sinologist and translator. Józsa Sándor).

　　After taking a train for 15 days, the four international students arrived in Beijing in December of that year. “Looking at those houses, my first impression was that this was probably the largest rural city in the world. But in this country that is full of waste and waiting for development, people are full of energy and full of confidence in the future. I think this is because New China had just been established at that time."

Coming to China is a turning point of fate

　　Hungary was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the four people Hungary sent to study in China were also the first batch of foreign students accepted by the People's Republic of China after the founding of the People's Republic of China. "When I was studying at Tsinghua University, it was during China's War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. China at that time was in great need of international support, and we students from Eastern Europe came to China through official organizations at this time. This was very important to both parties. The meaning." For the young Yosanto, this was also a turning point in fate. From then on, his life was closely linked to distant China.

In 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers went to North Korea to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and people marched to see them off. Photo by Luo Fei

　　Now 95 years old, Yusandou recalled his study experience in China, "The most difficult thing was learning Chinese." This Hungarian student left a deep impression on the Chinese teachers, and he overcame the problem of pronunciation. After mastering Chinese proficiently, Yosanto made some Chinese friends. The famous Chinese composer Liu Chi was whom he met on the bus.

　　After finishing his studies in China, Yusandou returned to Hungary. Since then, he has been engaged in China-related work from the Hungarian Institute of Chinese Science and History to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He once served as counselor of the Hungarian Embassy in China and served as an interpreter for many senior leaders of China and Hungary, which gave him the opportunity to meet Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, He Long and others.

In the 1950s, Yusanto (middle) translated for Zhou Enlai (right). Photo provided by interviewee

　　"The most unforgettable thing is of course the translation for Zhou Enlai in Budapest in 1957. Zhou Enlai was a respectable leader and exuded impressive personal charisma." Yosanto also served as an interpreter for He Long, then Vice Premier of the State Council of China. Over translation. He Long was very interested in the population of Hungary. "10 million," Yossanto replied. "He obviously didn't expect the number to be so small, but he immediately replied humorously, 'That's good too. Everyone knows each other, it's easy to communicate, and things are easy to get done'. This is probably what the Chinese proverb calls 'the boat' It's a good thing to turn around'. But China is clearly not a small boat."

Scenery along the Danube River in Budapest. Photo by Tong Guoqiang

Why is the East particularly attractive to Hungary?

　　Yousanto's translated works include "21 Poems of Mao Zedong" and the autobiography of the last emperor of China, Puyi, "The First Half of My Life". Speaking of translating Mao Zedong’s poems, Yoshand recalled, “At that time, the publishing house found me and asked me to translate Mao Zedong’s poems. The book was titled “21 Poems of Mao Zedong” and asked me to write annotations and postscripts.” Because it was a poetry work, it was published. Shang also commissioned several Hungarian poets to change the original translation into verse. In order to help these poets understand China better, Yossanto personally visited them. “We had a long chat, and I told them the history of China’s revolution and my real experiences there, my thoughts and feelings.” The famous Hungarian poet Volesh Shan After listening to my explanation, Weöres Sándor translated a poem on the spot, wrote it on paper with passion, and gave it to me as a gift." This hardcover set of "21 Poems of Mao Zedong" was published in Hungary in 1958 , 3,200 printed copies were decorated with ribbons, "which is a very large print volume among verse and poetry publications," said Yosanto.

Yousanto's translated work "21 Poems of Mao Zedong". Photos provided by interviewees (video footage)

　　When Yousanto studied at Renmin University of China, he studied under the famous historians He Ganzhi and Dai Yi, so he was very interested in modern Chinese history. It was also under his promotion that a Hungarian publishing house published the autobiography of Puyi, the last emperor of China, and Yossanto was responsible for the translation of the book. The Hungarian version of the book was translated as "I am the Last Emperor of China" and was printed three times. Yousandu also specially visited Puyi's younger brother Pujie with the manuscript. Pujie left calligraphy for this purpose: "My first half of life" and "Pun Hui learns from the past". This calligraphy was included in the third printing of Hungary. Chinese version of Puyi's Autobiography.

Pujie's calligraphy: "Punishment serves as a lesson to the past." Photo provided by interviewee

　　In addition to diplomacy and translation work, Youshando has also been engaged in Chinese teaching and research for a long time. After the Hungarian government sent the first batch of international students to China, their experience inspired more young Hungarians to become enthusiastic about learning Chinese. However, the biggest problem at that time was that there were no Chinese teaching materials that could meet the needs of local teaching. To this end, Yusandou collaborated with Endre Galla, who was studying abroad in the same batch, to compile a four-volume Hungarian Chinese textbook. “This set of textbooks has opened the door for countless Hungarian students to learn about China.”

　　Yusanto introduced that there are now many channels for learning Chinese in Hungary. As more and more people master Chinese, the relationship between the two countries has become closer, ushering in the "heyday" of exchanges between the two countries. "Not only young people, but the whole society can feel that China, which used to be distant and mysterious to us, is now getting closer and closer."

　　In recent years, Yusandou has devoted himself to the study of the history of China and Hungary. "The uniqueness of Hungarian culture comes from its Eastern roots." Yusandou explained that the Hungarians migrated from the east to the west and settled in the Carpathian Basin of Central and Eastern Europe in 896 AD. This is why the east is particularly attractive to the Hungarians. “Hungarian traditional dance and music still retain elements of the East.”

　　Yusandou's book "China and the Austro-Hungarian Empire" is a history of Sino-Hungarian relations based on his profound understanding of the history and reality of China and Hungary. "In the long history of our history, we have been fighting for survival and freedom. In modern times, China has suffered from semi-colonial rule and fought against it." Yosanto believes that this has allowed the two countries to have better mutual understanding. The basis for understanding.

　　From the first batch of foreign students accepted by the People's Republic of China to the well-known sinologist who has been associated with China throughout his life, Yusandou himself is a witness to China-Hungary relations. He also knows how important exchanges between different cultures are. “The most important thing in cultural exchanges is mutual recognition and understanding, and accepting each other’s differences,” he concluded.

About the Author:

　　Józsa Sándor is a famous Hungarian sinologist, translator, honorary associate professor of the Chinese Department of Eötvös Eötvös University in Hungary, and former counselor of the Hungarian Embassy in China. Yousanto has lived in China for more than ten years and has long been engaged in the research and dissemination of Chinese language, culture, and history. Created and published four volumes of "Chinese Language". His translated works include "21 Poems of Mao Zedong", "My First Half of Life", etc. His representative works include "China and the Austro-Hungarian Empire" and "From Railway Post to the Great Wall". On June 14, 2023, he won the 16th China Book Special Contribution Award.