Martin Albrau is nothing like an 80-year-old man.
I began to learn Chinese at the age of 79.
In international academic circles, Albrau's name is often equated with the concept of "globalization".
He was one of the first three scholars to put forward "globalization". In 1990s, he established a pioneering position in the field of globalization research with Global Times: A Country and Society Beyond Modernity.
He is the chairman of the British Social Society and the founder and former editor-in-chief of the authoritative journal International Sociology. After Rong retired, Albrau never stopped his academic research, still insisted on writing, and volunteered to work in the "Global China Institute" under the British Academy of Social Sciences.
In July this year, he went to China to attend an international academic conference. Next month, he will go to Germany for a meeting.
"Continuous learning can keep people active." In the interview, he repeatedly stressed to reporters.
Last year, at the age of 79, he began to learn Chinese and has been taking Chinese classes once a week for a year. There is a thick stack of Chinese tutorials in his study. Open a book with his class notes recorded in pencil.
Albrau said that he had an "inexplicable interest" in China since he was a child. /kloc-when I was 0/8 years old, I was still a high school student. After school, he wrote a long article with dozens of pages, entitled "History of China". However, interest belongs to interest, but he never thought of learning Chinese.
"There are too few classes once a week now. I can only say' My name is Martin and I am a professor' in Chinese, "he sighed. "I failed to learn Chinese earlier, which is a great regret in my life."
In Albrau's view, Chinese is a completely different language, representing another way of thinking and world outlook. "If I start studying at the age of 0/8, it will be a great asset in my life."
Come to China and learn about the characteristics of China.
After receiving a doctorate in sociology from Cambridge University, Albrau was hired to work at Reading University and Cardiff University.
I came to China for the first time from 65438 to 0987 at the invitation of the Chinese side while working in the Population Research Center of Cardiff University. During this trip, he aimed to make a sociological investigation on the family planning policy implemented in China at that time.
During his first trip to China, Albrau visited several villages in Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
At that time, some experiences with "China characteristics" made him realize the great differences between eastern and western cultures, but this did not prevent him from observing and understanding China fairly and objectively.
After this field investigation, Albrau realized that some people in the west had unfair views on China's family planning policy at that time.
In his report on his visit to China submitted to Cardiff University, he wrote: "China's birth policy stems from China's unique national conditions, which is the basis for understanding this policy ... It cannot be evaluated without the characteristics of China ...' Socialism with Chinese characteristics' is the most useful key to understanding this policy."
Albrau's understanding and friendship with China also reflected the principle of "practical universalism" advocated by him in academic research.
He believes that in the era of globalization, it is not enough for cultural subjects to understand each other only through language. The subjects of different value criteria systems should learn to seek common ground while reserving differences, respect each other and cooperate with each other.
Albrau believes that his own criterion is very consistent with the concept of "beauty of beauty, beauty of beauty, beauty and * * *, world harmony" advocated by Fei Xiaotong, a famous sociologist in China.
Since 1987, Albrau has visited China nearly 10 times.
Since 20 12, he has been teaching globalization courses at Beijing Foreign Studies University as a visiting professor every year. Every time he returns to England from China, he brings back some souvenirs.
In his home, there are pottery pots and flower-and-bird ink paintings in the Qing Dynasty. There are several layers of China's books on the bookshelf: Caigen Tan, Clouds in Jinghua and Urbanization in China. ...
Albrau apologized to the reporter: "I am not an expert on China, I am just a good friend of China."