Ukrainian scholar promotes Chinese

history
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/
202311/09/
WS654c2a71a31090682a5ed364.html
By Zheng Caixiong in Guangzhou | China Daily | Updated: 2023-11-09 08:40

Yegor Grebnev reads a collection of bamboo slips in his office at the Beijing Normal University-
Hong Kong Baptist University United International College in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
[Photo provided to China Daily]
Professor encourages students to become 'ambassadors' of culture

Yegor Grebnev has enjoyed learning about Chinese culture and history.

Grebnev, an assistant professor at the Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist

University United International College in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, can now
interpret works from before the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and translate classical
Chinese into seven languages. A historian and Sinologist, he obtained a doctorate in
Oriental studies from Oxford University.

The Ukrainian scholar said Chinese civilization is an endless treasure that never
ceases to offer academia new findings, and foreign scholars have a unique advantage
in studying it. "As foreigners, we are curious about everything about China, which
prompts us to constantly ask questions, think, and find new research directions," he
said.

Grebnev, who has studied Chinese culture and history for nearly 20 years, speaks
fluent Chinese and is proficient in classical Chinese.

"Half of my life has been tied to China," he said.

Grebnev now teaches a Chinese culture and global communication course at UIC, and
he has published multiple papers and given many lectures on ancient Chinese history.

Furthermore, he has established a method that enables him to use artificial intelligence
to study the ancient Chinese classic Zuo Zhuan, or The Commentary of Zuo, a book
analyzing chronicles of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) written by
historian Zuo Qiuming in the 4th century.

With this method, Grebnev uses AI to distinguish content and categorize dynasties
based on the different writing features presented in Zuo Zhuan, which is the oldest
Chinese historical chronicle in existence.

In addition, he is familiar with classic ancient Chinese books and texts, including
Yizhoushu, a compilation of ancient historical documents, and the Bamboo Slips of
Guodian Chu Tombs, a collection of slips of bamboo containing ancient texts.
Yizhoushu in particular is a classical literary work from the pre-Qin Dynasty era that
is not only valuable from a historical and sociological perspective, but is also of great
linguistic significance, according to Grebnev.

Due to his fruitful discoveries in his research of ancient literature, Grebnev was
invited to join a team that is in the process of translating the Bamboo Slips of
Tsinghua. He is responsible for identifying the Chinese characters on the slips and
translating them into English.

The Bamboo Slips of Tsinghua is a collection of slips from the Warring States Period
(475-221 BC) collected by the prestigious Tsinghua University. The collection
showcases the original appearance of pre-Qin texts in various aspects and is
considered a major Chinese archaeological discovery.

To study the Bamboo Slips of Tsinghua, Grebnev spent a lot of time and energy
interpreting the ancient texts on the slips and regularly met with team members to
proofread each other's work to ensure the quality of the translations. "For me,
showcasing ancient Chinese civilization in a foreign language means a greater
responsibility and challenge," he said.

When studying ancient Chinese history, Grebnev tends to use comparative research
methods. He thinks boundaries of historical research should not be limited to a race or
country, but should start from the overall perspective of human development.

He regards historians as observers, recorders and disseminators of culture. As more

and more cultural relics are excavated, the workload of historians will also increase in
the future, he said.

Historians should not only have curiosity, but also perseverance, and they should
ensure that they have enough time and energy to solve problems, he added.
To better understand ancient Chinese research conducted by foreign scholars,
Grebnev studied Chinese, French, Japanese and German during his university years.
Having also learned Ukrainian, Russian and English at a young age, he is fluent in
seven languages.

Grebnev attended Peking University as part of a one-year exchange program during

his university years. When he first arrived in Beijing just after the 2008 Summer
Olympic Games, the atmosphere was lively, he said, adding that he also visited many
other cities in China.

When deciding to come to China for his career development, he chose the
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He said the GBA is a convenient
area for research cooperation, connecting academia on the mainland, in the Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region and overseas.

Before coming to UIC, he spent two years teaching at other universities in China. He
said his Chinese students at the time were more shy and less likely to express their
opinions, but at UIC, the students are braver, sharing their thoughts more freely and
interacting with teachers.

"I think this atmosphere would be more suitable for teachers with international
backgrounds like me," he said.

Grebnev very much enjoys his work at UIC, as the college's liberal education
integrates China and the West, connecting ancient and modern times. He said he is
committed to nurturing students so that they can become "ambassadors" to spread
excellent Chinese culture to the world.

Xie Yuchen, a UIC sophomore, said Grebnev is a great teacher.

"He is very knowledgeable … he can use some Western-style research methods to

explain the content of our courses in class, including using formal criticism to prove
the homology of Confucianism and Taoism, providing a richer research perspective
for the dissemination of Chinese culture," she said.

As a foreign teacher proficient in Chinese history and culture, he has many ancient
Chinese books in his office, almost all of which are classical Chinese versions, she
added.

Zhang Peici, another UIC student, said Grebnev has the ability to simplify topics and
make complex points easy to understand.
"He usually guides us to think and judge from the perspective of historical figures,
allowing us to learn to understand the historical events being taught from different
perspectives," she said.

"Meanwhile, he discovers our personal strengths and encourages us to bravely try,

which also stimulates our strong interest in in-depth research on history and culture."

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn