In Fuzi Temple, Nanjing, there is a Confucius School lying among
the classic buildings inside the temple. The founder of the school
is a British man, Sir Burry Jewett (sound translation).
On June 16, his story was disclosed by CCTV at an evening held
to celebrate the birthday of Nanjing city. More and more Chinese
people soon got to know about this British man and his stories, the
Nanjing Daily reported.
Sir Burry Jewett came to China 13 years ago. When he first
arrived in Beijing, he couldn't adapt to the new life and always
missed his home country. One day, he happened to pick up a book to
read and the book changed his life. The book, Kongfuzi's Life,
tells the life of the great ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius
and his great thoughts. By reading the book, Burry Jewett began to
learn some of the famous ideas contained in Confucianism, ideas
such as "do not do to others what you would not have them do to
you." He admired the peaceful life pursued by Confucianism and the
harmonious relations among different people in a traditional
Chinese family, as advocated by Confucianism. Later, Burry Jewett
married a Chinese woman.
As years went by, he realized that the longer he studied
traditional Chinese culture, the more he liked it.
"Chinese people's filial piety for the old, the sincerity they
show in dealing with people around them, their kindness and
bravery, all embody the essence of traditional Chinese culture,"
Burry Jewett said.
He wanted more foreigners to know about Chinese culture and he
also hoped that Chinese people could have a better understanding of
their own culture. Why not establish a Confucius School then, he
thought.
Three years ago, Burry Jewett visited the Fuzi Temple in
Nanjing. Inside the temple, he saw a scholar study room that could
hold more than 40,000 people to study together. In history, Nanjing
had been the capital city of six Chinese dynasties. Now, it is also
the capital city of Jiangsu.
"Thinking of this, I decided to set up my Confucius School
here," Burry Jewett said.
With the help of his friends, the Confucius School opened
earlier this year. The school aims at disseminating traditional
Chinese culture. Apart from teaching foreigners to speak and write
Chinese, the school has also prepared some books which will tell
the kids some rudimentary ideas contained in the book, The Analects
of Confucius.
In this school, foreigners can learn paper-cutting, making
Chinese lanterns and Chinese knots, do wooden carving and cruising
along the scenic Qinhuai River at night. From time to time,
Sinologists are invited to come to the school to offer lectures
about traditional Chinese music or the study on Chan Buddhism.
Although the school has only opened a short period of time ago, it
has become a very popular school among foreigners. Many people come
to the school regularly to learn something about China. Some
Chinese kids also come here to study English.
Burry Jewett spent a lot of money in order to set up his
Confucius School. However, he never thought that he would earn the
money back. To Burry, he has working hard to promote the Confucian
culture only because he loves it.
(Chinanews.cn July 11, 2007)