文/Asad Khalil、Rami Khalil 譯/史聰一
Rasha Khalil是一名來(lái)自敘利亞的發(fā)明家、研究員、創(chuàng)意教育家與藝術(shù)家,她有一個(gè)地道的中國(guó)名字:王玲。她曾在中東、北非及多個(gè)歐洲國(guó)家工作、學(xué)習(xí)和生活,而今在中國(guó)已十余年。對(duì)王玲而言,在中國(guó)的生活不僅是一次鼓舞人心的經(jīng)歷,還為她的生活平添了獨(dú)特的色彩,并以意想不到的方式開(kāi)拓了自身視野。她意識(shí)到:中國(guó)已經(jīng)深深地植根于她的潛意識(shí)中,并深刻地影響了她的生活,同時(shí)不斷地塑造她的事業(yè)與興趣。
2008年,王玲移居中國(guó)。自此之后,她便開(kāi)始在重慶生活。重慶幅員遼闊,地處群山之中,并被長(zhǎng)江和嘉陵江環(huán)繞。王玲發(fā)現(xiàn),重慶令人嘆為觀止的地方在于:盡管這里經(jīng)濟(jì)高速發(fā)展,并在重工業(yè)、快速城市化以及科技進(jìn)步的依托下發(fā)展出強(qiáng)大的制造業(yè),但其自然之美麗與文化之魅力卻保存完好。
從某種程度上講,重慶反映了中國(guó)的精神,在這片廣袤無(wú)垠、美不勝收的土地上,綿延著悠久的歷史,蘊(yùn)藏著無(wú)限的可能。
王玲表示,生活在中國(guó),總能經(jīng)歷各種變化。服務(wù)業(yè)日益完善,基建不斷加速、房地產(chǎn)更加蓬勃、農(nóng)業(yè)日趨現(xiàn)代化、制造業(yè)更加龐大,人們?nèi)粘I畹姆椒矫婷嬖絹?lái)越依賴于高科技的發(fā)展,人們目睹著向未來(lái)的巨大跨越。
在王玲看來(lái),在這里未來(lái)已經(jīng)到來(lái),中國(guó)也走在前列,并為他國(guó)的發(fā)展提供經(jīng)驗(yàn)與借鑒。然而,每當(dāng)漫步于傳統(tǒng)的小巷之中,徘徊在長(zhǎng)城之上,徜徉在故宮之中,思考并感知于頤和園的獨(dú)特長(zhǎng)廊中,又或是洞悉于令人嘆為觀止的大足石刻,與皇陵中為榮譽(yù)而進(jìn)行決戰(zhàn)的兵馬俑并肩站立之時(shí),她又能感受到仿佛回到了過(guò)去。這著實(shí)是一種珍貴的體驗(yàn)。
Rasha Khalil,敘利亞籍,四川外國(guó)語(yǔ)大學(xué)教授、發(fā)明家、研究員。曾獲得世界知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)組織(WIPO)發(fā)明獎(jiǎng)?wù)?、英?guó)肯特自然資源國(guó)際基金會(huì)獎(jiǎng),2020文明之光·中國(guó)文化交流年度人物。
王玲的油畫作品
中國(guó)之所以充滿魅力,二元性是一個(gè)重要的因素。人們?cè)诟惺芸焖侔l(fā)展的同時(shí),還能探索歷史悠久的古代文明。
另一個(gè)因素,便是令人嘆為觀止的地貌與鬼斧神工般的自然景觀。想要探索并享受其中,窮極一生仍不夠。
盡管日程繁忙,但只要有機(jī)會(huì),她便會(huì)抽出一些時(shí)間,來(lái)追尋那份對(duì)大自然的熱忱。在中國(guó)的每一次旅行,都令王玲充滿驚喜與好奇,都在她的生活中刻下了積極的烙印,并幫助她對(duì)周邊的一切開(kāi)啟探尋。
2010年的陽(yáng)朔之旅,是一次非凡的體驗(yàn)。王玲認(rèn)為,陽(yáng)朔擁有獨(dú)特且引人注目的石灰?guī)r喀斯特山丘,這些山丘如同休憩于河岸邊的勇士,身形百態(tài)。然而,陽(yáng)朔之所以在她心中占據(jù)重要位置,并非僅僅因?yàn)檫@些山丘,而是那些稻田、蜿蜒的河流、迷人的橋梁,甚至是暴雨后覆蓋山谷的密云層。
第一次身處陽(yáng)朔的群山之下,王玲拾起了久違的回憶,這種回憶令她憶苦思甜。此情此景,在短短數(shù)秒間,便讓時(shí)光倒流25載。10歲那年,王玲觀看了桂林山水的紀(jì)錄片,當(dāng)時(shí)的情景仍歷歷在目。桂林的壯美與宏大,令她驚嘆不已。對(duì)于小時(shí)候的她來(lái)說(shuō),陽(yáng)朔是一個(gè)遠(yuǎn)離家鄉(xiāng)并充滿異國(guó)情調(diào)的地方。她從未想象過(guò)自己能夠身臨其境,聽(tīng)著風(fēng)聲在群山間穿梭,并與樹(shù)木相耳語(yǔ)。但如今,自己便乘著竹筏,隨著船夫的民歌在這無(wú)盡的寧?kù)o世界中徜徉。
正是這段旅程,幫助王玲回想起被自己遺忘的一面。她發(fā)現(xiàn)暫時(shí)放下憂慮與復(fù)雜的想法,去單純地體驗(yàn)這個(gè)世界將有助于了解自己的內(nèi)心,去洞悉萬(wàn)物的自然平衡,以及生活在精神層面與身體層面上同自然和諧相處的必要性,尤其是在這個(gè)充滿變化的世界。
王玲認(rèn)為,中國(guó)的美麗及其所承載的主要輝煌,仍來(lái)自于人民。中華民族由56個(gè)民族組成,但人們普遍擁有共同的核心價(jià)值觀與原則。
中國(guó)人兢兢業(yè)業(yè)、雄心壯志、不斷拼搏。不僅如此,中國(guó)人還強(qiáng)調(diào)在工作上齊心協(xié)力的價(jià)值觀。王玲說(shuō):“中國(guó)人最為顯著的特點(diǎn)便是謙虛、富有同情心并克勤克儉,因?yàn)檫@些精神在中國(guó)文化中被視為美德。”
此外,中國(guó)文化強(qiáng)調(diào)家庭與社會(huì)的重要性,因?yàn)樗鼈兪菄?guó)家發(fā)展的支柱。在中國(guó),人們信奉人與人之間的和平共處,以及人與自然間的和諧相依。盡管當(dāng)今科技日新月異,并且人們?cè)絹?lái)越多地居住在大城市中,但中國(guó)人內(nèi)心深處仍鐫刻著這些價(jià)值觀,并對(duì)它們異常珍視。
在中國(guó),王玲擔(dān)任大學(xué)教授已十余年。在她看來(lái),教育的理念要高于對(duì)事實(shí)的習(xí)得及內(nèi)容的掌握,教育本身便是訓(xùn)練思考能力。她重視批判性思維、創(chuàng)新能力及創(chuàng)造力,這也一直是其教育理念中最重要且最具特色的元素。
在中國(guó),作為教育工作者,王玲利用其25年職業(yè)生涯中多樣化且涉獵甚廣的專業(yè)經(jīng)驗(yàn),創(chuàng)造出具有積極性意義并能夠起到陶冶與互動(dòng)作用的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境,旨在培養(yǎng)學(xué)生的參與度和對(duì)學(xué)術(shù)能力的感知力。王玲指導(dǎo)她的學(xué)生們打破各個(gè)主題間的障礙,并鼓勵(lì)交叉功能實(shí)踐及知識(shí)遷移能力。她總是努力“武裝”,并賦權(quán)和激勵(lì)她的學(xué)生們,讓學(xué)生們擁有主動(dòng)權(quán),發(fā)揮自主性,讓他們有機(jī)會(huì)展示自身所學(xué)知識(shí),付諸實(shí)踐并解決問(wèn)題。
同時(shí),王玲希望她的學(xué)生們能不斷加強(qiáng)教育,提升專業(yè)能力,充分發(fā)揮其自身潛力,并為在未來(lái)就業(yè)市場(chǎng)中面臨的挑戰(zhàn)做足準(zhǔn)備。
王玲說(shuō),當(dāng)這些奇妙的探險(xiǎn)活動(dòng)出現(xiàn)在年輕人富有探知欲的腦海中時(shí),她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己正處在一個(gè)獨(dú)特的位置上,而自己的角色也由老師轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)閷W(xué)生。她從中國(guó)學(xué)生那里學(xué)到了很多東西。在過(guò)去的10年里,王玲所教授過(guò)的每一位學(xué)生,都或多或少地讓她明白了一些道理,而這一切都在不斷幫助她成為一名更優(yōu)秀的教育工作者,并不斷完善其職業(yè)生涯。
更重要的是,她的學(xué)生使她能夠擁抱并真正理解中國(guó)文化。他們每一個(gè)人都代表了他們的家庭,反映了他們所在社區(qū)的觀念。因此,與學(xué)生的密切合作,使她能夠以她從未想象過(guò)的方式探索中國(guó)文化的深度,并從學(xué)生們的角度去感知它。
王玲認(rèn)為,作為中國(guó)與阿拉伯世界間的文化大使,她一直在努力提升人們對(duì)中國(guó)文化重要性及其優(yōu)勢(shì)的認(rèn)知,并推動(dòng)他們學(xué)習(xí)中國(guó)文化。
為此,她利用作為研究人員及教育工作者的能力,推動(dòng)并不斷深化中國(guó)同阿拉伯國(guó)家間大學(xué)的學(xué)術(shù)及文化交流,通過(guò)她的藝術(shù)作品介紹中國(guó)文化的輝煌,為不同文化架起橋梁。
王玲還是一位藝術(shù)家。她熱愛(ài)繪畫和雕塑,對(duì)藝術(shù)作品所創(chuàng)造的世界深深著迷。
在藝術(shù)中,她喜歡捕捉一種美感:這種美感來(lái)源于那些平平無(wú)奇的物體與地點(diǎn),不僅能給她帶來(lái)平靜,也讓她有機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)反思這個(gè)世界的美,以及她活在其中所感受到的靜謐。王玲認(rèn)為,不同形式的藝術(shù),是彰顯藝術(shù)家內(nèi)在能量的方式,因此她打算將同樣的平靜和風(fēng)雅傳達(dá)給他人,希望給他們深刻的歸屬感。王玲相信,如果有人能夠駐足片刻,去欣賞并思考她的作品,那么她的創(chuàng)作意義便達(dá)到了。
通過(guò)觀察那些栩栩如生且豐富多彩的中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)作品,她發(fā)現(xiàn)中國(guó)藝術(shù)家們并不熱衷于以臨摹者的身份“忠實(shí)”地復(fù)刻自然,而是從自身出發(fā)努力地探尋自然界,并順其自然。這不僅為王玲的藝術(shù)格局增添了新的維度和深度,也深刻地影響和改變了她的藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作,以及她對(duì)藝術(shù)本質(zhì)和目的的看法。中國(guó)畫鮮明的特點(diǎn)與獨(dú)特的精神,均給她留下了深刻的印象。王玲發(fā)現(xiàn),工筆與水墨給人的感覺(jué)與油畫不同,它們均通過(guò)獨(dú)特的方式來(lái)表達(dá)意境,前者用精細(xì)的筆觸和豐富的色彩來(lái)創(chuàng)作極其精致的畫作,而后者則通過(guò)粗獷而少許的筆觸、細(xì)節(jié)及淺色調(diào)來(lái)傳達(dá)畫作中主題的本質(zhì)。
王玲說(shuō):“在中國(guó)的畫作中,比喻象征手法的應(yīng)用引人入勝。山巔代表著長(zhǎng)壽,竹子代表著謙遜與正直,花朵則能夠象征孤獨(dú)、驕傲或超脫?!彼搀@喜地發(fā)現(xiàn),中國(guó)的畫家們以獨(dú)特的方式表達(dá)著自己的精神,同時(shí)將繪畫與詩(shī)歌相結(jié)合,并進(jìn)一步突出這些比喻象征。
于她而言,藝術(shù)家的任務(wù)不僅僅是模仿事物的表面與外在,而是通過(guò)感受自身的一些精神,來(lái)呈現(xiàn)周圍環(huán)境的本質(zhì),無(wú)論是山、樹(shù)、河,還是動(dòng)物或傳統(tǒng),然后讓這一切通過(guò)畫筆,自由流暢地出現(xiàn)在畫布之上,或是體現(xiàn)在雕塑之中。
王玲的曼荼羅點(diǎn)畫作品
王玲一直珍視人與自然間的這種聯(lián)系,這為創(chuàng)造力帶來(lái)了無(wú)限的機(jī)遇。王玲對(duì)藝術(shù)的不懈的探求,能夠破譯她對(duì)自身及其所生活世界的想法。她不會(huì)將自己局限于一種媒介、風(fēng)格或概念之中,因?yàn)椴煌乃囆g(shù)媒介才能夠讓她傳達(dá)多樣的想法。她創(chuàng)作的每一件作品,都是過(guò)去的延伸,既反映了她的現(xiàn)在又預(yù)示了她的將來(lái)。
她藝術(shù)背后的驅(qū)動(dòng)力是她對(duì)文化多樣性的興趣。王玲認(rèn)為,藝術(shù)能夠?yàn)樯钯x予能量,能夠?yàn)樯鐣?huì)增進(jìn)福祉,各行各業(yè)的人們都應(yīng)該有機(jī)會(huì)獲得創(chuàng)造性的力量。
因此,她開(kāi)展創(chuàng)意藝術(shù)項(xiàng)目,幫助那些在生活中面臨挑戰(zhàn)的年輕人,讓他們有機(jī)會(huì)能夠表達(dá)自我、培養(yǎng)技能、結(jié)識(shí)他人,并通過(guò)藝術(shù)培養(yǎng)幸福感。
此外,王玲還與中東地區(qū)不同的非政府組織合作舉辦了數(shù)場(chǎng)藝術(shù)工作坊。在這些藝術(shù)工坊中,藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作的力量賦予生活在農(nóng)村地區(qū)的婦女以權(quán)力,提高人們接受土著的認(rèn)知,并以此作為保護(hù)自然資源和實(shí)現(xiàn)可持續(xù)發(fā)展的重要方式。這些工作坊不僅可以讓女性討論成功與壓力背后的故事并獲取認(rèn)同感,還能讓她們擁有展示藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作項(xiàng)目的平臺(tái),例如在畫布上繪畫,以及對(duì)彩色玻璃窗進(jìn)行設(shè)計(jì)和點(diǎn)畫。
她將自己最好的藝術(shù)作品捐贈(zèng)給非營(yíng)利組織,或是進(jìn)行慈善拍賣,擴(kuò)大環(huán)境與社會(huì)問(wèn)題的重要性。她的藝術(shù)捐贈(zèng),也一直用于扶貧和自然資源保護(hù)。
王玲竭盡全力地為社會(huì)服務(wù),以表達(dá)對(duì)中國(guó)的深沉熱愛(ài)。她希望與不同的中國(guó)組織及藝術(shù)家們合作,幫助婦女、支持教育、扶助貧困地區(qū)。
2020年,王玲被授予“文明之光·中國(guó)文化交流年度人物”的稱號(hào),以表彰她長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)為加強(qiáng)中外文化交流所做的不懈努力。
王玲相信,她的貢獻(xiàn)便是每一位因她的工作而變得更加勇敢,并決定朝著更美好、更光明的未來(lái)前進(jìn)的人們,他們?cè)谏钪蟹e極作出改變——哪怕是很微小的改變。
Rasha Khalil is a Syrian inventor, researcher, creative educator,and artist who lived, studied and worked in multiple countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. She has Lived in China for over ten years. Living in China has been an inspiring experience, added unique colors to Rasha’s life, and enabled her to expand her horizon in unexpected ways. She realized that China is deeply rooted in her consciousness and has profoundly impacted her life and shaped her career and interests.
For Rasha, optimizing her education and boosting her profession was of the utmost importance. Therefore, she decided to move to China in 2008. Since then, she has been living in Chongqing. Chongqing is a sprawling municipality surrounded by several mountain ranges, the Yangtze, and the Jialing rivers.Rasha found that the most astonishing aspect of Chongqing is its ability to preserve its natural beauty and cultural appeal despite its fast economic development, colossal manufacturing capacity with a heavy industry background, rapid urbanization,and technological advances.
In a way, Chongqing reflects China’s spirit, the vast land of extraordinary beauty, mighty history, and unlimited possibilities.
Rasha says that living in China is a life-changing experience.Daily, people witness a great leap into the future through the advanced services sector, fast building construction, rapid real estate development, modern agriculture, massive manufacturing capacity, and reliance on high-tech advances in almost every aspect of daily life.
In her opinion, the future is already here, and China has paved the path for others to follow. Yet, Rasha feels she can travel back in time by simply strolling through the traditional alleys, taking a walk on the Great Wall, and wandering in the Forbidden City.She reflected on life while walking in the unique Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, perceiving a valuable sensation from the stunning rock carvings in Dazu Grottoes and standing side by side with thousands of terracotta warriors standing ready for the final battle to honor their emperor.
Simultaneously enjoying the brilliant development advances and exploring China’s ancient civilization with a long historyand deeply rooted culture is only one element of China’s majestic charm.
Another element of China’s exceptional beauty is having a vast,diverse array of extraordinary and breathtaking landscapes and spectacular natural treasures that one needs more than a lifetime to explore and enjoy.
Whenever she has the opportunity, Rasha takes time from her busy schedule to pursue her passion for nature. Rasha’s travels bring her joy and wonder. Each journey has left a positive mark on her life, helping her explore the universe.
Nevertheless, the ultimate and exceptional experience was visiting Yangshuo in 2010. Rasha says that the unique position that Yangshuo occupies in her heart is not because of its distinctive and dramatic limestone karst hills, which resemble warriors resting for a moment on the banks of the Li River. Instead, the magical caves, rice paddies, meandering rivers, enchanted bridges, or even the sea of dense clouds layer covers the valley after heavy rainfall.
Standing at the bottom of those mountains for the first time generated a sweet pain of retrieving long-lost memories. That scenery took her 25 years back in just a matter of seconds. She remembered how the 10-year-old Rasha felt when she watched a documentary on Guilin’s Mountains. She had the same fantastic sensation of that place’s glory and greatness. Yet, for that little girl, Yangshuo was an exotic place far from home. She never imagined that she would be able to visit it in person or listen to the wind whispering to the trees crawling on those hills. She never imagined herself taking a bamboo raft and drifting away into endless serenity with the boatman’s folk songs.
That journey helped Rasha to reconnect to the forgotten sides of herself. She learned that letting go of worries and experiencing the world helps us discover buried yet central parts of ourselves. She began to understand the natural balance in all things and the need for living in spiritual and physical harmony with nature, particularly in a world with severe waves of change.
Still, Rasha believes that people are the essence of China’s beauty and the main element of its glory. Even though the Chinese nation is composed of 56 ethnic groups, people widely share the same core values and principles.
Chinese people are diligent, ambitious, and strive to achieve success. Yet, they emphasize the value of collaborative work.Rasha asserts that the most striking features of Chinese people are modesty, compassion, and frugality, virtues in Chinese culture.
In addition, Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of the family and the community as the pillars of the nation’s development. Furthermore, Chinese people believe in harmonious and peaceful coexistence with nature and others. Chinese people have dearly carried these values, cherished and treasured them despite the technological advancement and living in modernmetropolitan cities.
Rasha has been working as a university professor in China for more than a decade. She believes that the concept of education goes beyond learning. She values critical thinking, innovation,and creativity, which have always been distinctive elements of her teaching philosophy.
In her career as an educator in China, Rasha has utilized twenty-five years of diverse and extensive professional experience to create a positive, nurturing, and interactive learning environment that fosters the students’ engagement and perception of academic competence. Rasha guides her students to break down the barriers between individual topics and encourages cross-functional application and transference of knowledge.She always strives to equip, empower, and energize her students. Therefore, she puts them in the driver’s seat and allows them to demonstrate their knowledge and apply it in problemsolving.
She wants her students to optimize their education, develop their expertise to reach their full potential, and be ready for the challenges they will face in the employment market.
Rasha says that during this fantastic adventure in these young and curious minds, she found herself in a unique position where the teacher has become the student. She has learned an incredible amount from her students. Every student she taught in the past ten years has had something to teach her and helped her become a better educator and perfect her career.
More substantially, her students enabled her to embrace and genuinely comprehend the Chinese culture. Every one of them has represented their family and reflected the core values of their community. Thus, working closely with her students has enabled her to explore the depth of Chinese culture in a way she has never imagined.
Rasha considers herself a cultural ambassador between China and the Arab world. She has been striving to raise awareness about Chinese culture’s significance and strength, urging others to learn from it.
To do that, she has utilized her capacity as a researcher and educator to develop and deepen academic and cultural exchanges between Chinese and Arab universities. In addition, she used her art as a communication channel to reflect the magnificence and glory of Chinese culture and build a bridge between different cultures.
As an artist, Rasha loves painting and sculpting. She has alwaysbeen fascinated by images and how artists represent the world through expressive and visionary work.
In her art, she likes to capture the beauty in ordinary objects and places which not only brings her peace but also offers her a chance to reflect on the beauty in the world. Rasha believes that art in its different forms is a way to channel the artist’s inner energy. Thus she intends to convey the same peace and grace to others, hoping to offer them a moment of deep belonging. She believes that if someone stops for a moment to view and reflect on a piece she has created, she has succeeded in her work.
Observing the vivid and rich traditional Chinese artwork, in which artists strive to find nature within themselves and surrender to its calls rather than attempting to reproduce character as faithful copyists, has not only added new dimension and depth to her art but also profoundly impacted and altered her perception of the nature and the purpose of art. The distinctive characteristics and unique spirit of Chinese painting have impressed her a lot. She finds that the sensation Gongbi and Shuimo give differs from that of oil painting. Both of them have a unique way of reaching consciousness. While the former uses fine strokes and rich colors to produce highly detailed paintings, the latter uses rough and few brush strokes and details and light colors to convey the subject’s essence.
She found the analogies in Chinese painting striking. Mountain peaks represent longevity, bamboos represent humbleness and integrity, while flowers symbolize loneliness, pride, or breaking free. Rasha was amazed to see that Chinese painters express their spirit in a distinctive approach by combining painting and poetry to highlight these analogies further.
To her, the artist’s task exceeds imitating the external surface of things, to present the essence of the surroundings, whether it is a mountain, a tree, a river, an animal, or traditions, by feeling some of this spirit in themselves, and then letting it flows out freely and smoothly through the brush onto canvas or embodying it in sculptures.
Rasha has always cherished this connection between people and nature, opening up immeasurable opportunities and limitless portals to creativity. Her art is a constant search for the ultimate way to decipher her ideas about herself and the world. Therefore,she does not limit herself to one medium, style, or concept because different art mediums allow her to convey diverse ideas.Each piece she creates is simultaneously an extension of the past,a reflection of her present, and a preview of the future.
The Driving Force Behind Her Art. Rasha believes that art empowers lives and enhances society’s well-being. It also affects people from all walks of life who should have access to the power of creativity.
Therefore, she runs creative arts projects to help young people face challenges in their lives and give them a chance to express themselves, build skills, meet other people and nurture their well-being through art.
In addition, Rasha organized several art workshops in collaboration with different NGOs in the Middle East. In these workshops, the power of art-making was employed to empower women living in rural areas and raise awareness of the importance of embracing indigenous knowledge and utilizing it as a means to preserve natural resources and achieve sustainable development. Furthermore, those workshops were platforms for women to discuss their stories of success and stress, shared affirmations, and featured art-making projects such as painting on canvas, stained glass window design and dot painting.
She donated her best artwork to charitable auctions and nonprofit organizations to amplify the significance of environmental and social issues. Her art donation went to poverty alleviation and natural resource conservation.
She strives to extend her effort and do everything she can to serve society and express her deep appreciation and love of China. And she hopes to collaborate with different Chinese organizations and artists to rally support for vulnerable women,education, and fight poverty in rural areas.
In 2020, Rasha was awarded the title of “Light of Civilization -Chinese Cultural Exchange Person of the Year” in recognition of her long-term and constant efforts to strengthen Sino-foreign cultural exchanges.
Rasha believes that her legacy is for every single person. She wants everyone to be inspired by her work. She wants them to be more courageous and decide to take a further step toward a better and brighter future. She wants to make a positive change in the lives of others, no matter how big or small.