A renowned Sinologist from Kazakhstan reflects on her decades-long study of China's culture and history

On the eve of the 2014 Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, entering the Year of the Horse, People's Daily held an exclusive interview with Madam Clara Khafizova, a well-known Sinologist from Kazakhstan, at her home. In the interview, Khafizova told a reporter about her thoughts on China and expressed New Year's wishes to the Chinese people.

Talking about China's development, Khafizova said: "China has changed a lot over the years. In addition to more and more modern high-rise buildings, I can feel China's development and progress from the changes in common people's clothing, expressions and mannerisms. On my recent trip to China, I found that Chinese youth are not the same as before. Today they are proficient in computers, electronics and other new technology products, and are fluent in English. They also act independently and have their own distinct views on things. China's economic success is admirable, and it has gained an unprecedented prestige in the international arena. China's foreign policy on international issues is justified, proper and respectable. I think the Chinese Dream, put forth by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is not only a call for the Chinese people but also for overseas Chinese as well as foreign friends of the Chinese people."

Khafizova has been involved with Chinese Studies for over 40 years. She is currently the most senior Sinologist in Kazakhstan. She has taught in many colleges and universities and worked for the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan. She has cultivated many experts on Chinese studies for Kazakhstan since its independence. Her research field covers every aspect of Central Asia and China, and she has published papers in both China and Kazakhstan. Khafizova also published several academic monographs including a book about China's diplomacy in Central Asia from the 14th to 19th century. She loves China and is keen on Chinese culture. The People's Daily reporter was deeply impressed by her Chinese style house. A wall calendar featuring the Chinese Year of the Horse bearing Chinese characters is very conspicuous. Chinese paintings and books, a Confucius statue and other things relating to China light up her study room.

"I have always thought that I am very lucky. I was fortunate to study at Peking University, and about 30 years later, I went to Lanzhou University to teach Russian for two years. I have been to 19 universities in China. I am deeply grateful for China's reform and opening up policy. When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, I was a third-grader in primary school. I read about China's folk customs in Soviet Union children magazines and the Pionerskaya Pravda, and since then I was closely tied to China. In my college years, I chose Chinese as my major, and later in the 1960s I came to China and studied at Peking University. I cannot remember clearly how many times I have been to China. No matter in Beijing, Urumqi, Xi 'an, Luoyang or Taipei, every time I went to visit China or conducted academic exchanges, the organizers would organize rich cultural activities, which allowed me to experience firsthand abundance of Chinese culture.

"Last December, I went to Beijing for the Symposium on Sinologists and Sino-Foreign Cultural Exchange, hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. I went to visit cities like Quanzhou, known as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, and it left a deep impression on me. Although we Sinologists come from different countries, and have different ways of thinking, we do have something in common. That is, we all love China. My personal destiny is closely linked with China. I feel happy that I can carry on my research freely, and China has always supported me. It can be said that Chinese culture has enriched my life," said Khafizova.

Khafizova added: "Over the years, the international status of the Chinese language has improved significantly, and sparked all over the world the Mandarin fever. Kazakhstan is no exception. With the deepening of relations between China and Kazakhstan, the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries have been enhanced. Currently, there are four cities in Kazakhstan that have established a Confucius Institute. Last September, during his visit to Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that, in the next 10 years, China will provide 30,000 government scholarships to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, and China will also invite 10,000 teachers or students from Confucius Institutes to research or study in China. I was very happy on hearing the news, which will be conducive to better cultivate Sinologists and Chinese talents in all walks of life. Compared to my generation, the students in Kazakhstan now have much more precious opportunities to study Chinese."

This year is the Chinese lunar Year of the Horse. In Kazakhstan, horse is considered a sacred animal. It is a symbol of hard working and good characteristics such as punctiliousness and determination. There are many Kazakh proverbs and idioms about the horse, and some happen to hold the same view with Chinese culture, such as "immediate success upon the arrival of the horse." It is worth mentioning that in the ancient Silk Road the horse has played a special role in promoting exchanges between the East and the West. On the occasion of the Chinese traditional New Year–the Year of the Horse– Khafizova wished that the bilateral relationship between Kazakhstan and China will get better and better. She hopes that political mutual trust continues to strengthen, economic and trade exchanges become more frequent, and the two countries carry out closer cooperation in multilateral international arenas such as the SCO.

Khafizova said: "Cultural communication can increase mutual understanding and trust among different countries and peoples, making our world more tolerant. In the New Year, I wish for my colleagues to achieve greater success in the field of Chinese studies. I even heard some foreign scholars say that we have ushered in a golden age of Chinese studies. Indeed, the current situation for us is an invaluable opportunity. I also wish the Confucius Institute to become stronger, provide greater opportunities and help more foreigners learn Chinese whether they are young or old.

"People who don't know the history of China cannot understand modern China. I often told my students that Chinese culture is extensive and profound. I encouraged them to use more free time to study the Chinese language and cultivate interest in Chinese culture. Even collecting Chinese fans, going to museums to appreciate more painting of Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi, listening to Beijing Opera, or learning to do Chinese cooking can help you on your Chinese study, because all these things contain Chinese history and culture. I also passed my passion for Chinese culture to my daughter as well as my husband. My daughter settles in Moscow. She is now studying the essays of ancient Chinese writer Liu Zongyuan. There are now about 8,000 Kazakh students studying in China. I hope more young people will study Chinese and more Kazakh people will come to know about China," Khafizova concluded.