Professor brasileiro Francisco Foot Hardman destaca receptividade e comprometimento dos estudantes chineses
Por Beatriz Cunha e Fátima Fu
O professor brasileiro Francisco 8️⃣ Foot Hardman, autor de "Meu Diário da China: a China real aos olhos de um brasileiro", recently visited Beijing for 8️⃣ university lectures and granted an exclusive interview to Diário do Povo Online.
Foot shared his first experience in China, when he 8️⃣ received an invitation to teach in 2024 at Peking University, with the option to stay for six months or a 8️⃣ year, he decided to stay for a year. He highlighted a significant difference between the first six months and the 8️⃣ remaining period, when the Covid-19 pandemic occurred.
During his stay in China, Francisco traveled to several other cities and provinces in 8️⃣ China. He noted that almost every student of his was from a different province, and all were very eager to 8️⃣ receive him in their homes. In addition to the exceptional hospitality, Foot highlighted the commitment of Chinese students to their 8️⃣ studies and was particularly impressed by their punctuality and completion of all assigned tasks.
This time, Professor Foot, who came for 8️⃣ some academic activities at Peking University for a period of only two months, was surprised by the concentration of people 8️⃣ in Beijing, a completely different view from the empty Beijing of 2024. He took the opportunity to make tourist visits 8️⃣ to the city and was impressed with the Beijing metro. Of the tourist spots he visited, his favorite was the 8️⃣ Museum of the Grand Canal.
The University of Peking itself has become a tourist attraction, with many people wanting to know 8️⃣ it, he observed, noting an increase in the number of people visiting the campus.
Foot told Diário do Povo Online that 8️⃣ his book "Meu Diário da China: a China real aos olhos de um brasileiro" emerged during the Covid-19 period, when 8️⃣ Folha de São Paulo invited him to write an article about the new reality of daily life in China. The 8️⃣ article was well received by other media, and was then published by the virtual newspaper of the Universidade Estadual de 8️⃣ Campinas (Unicamp). Other articles were produced by him for the Unicamp, and later the Editora da Universidade de Pequim became 8️⃣ interested in his articles, which were compiled resulting in the book.
The original title of his book was "Minha China Tropical", 8️⃣ but it was changed to "Meu Diário da China" due to translation issues, to better understand and accept the Chinese 8️⃣ public, explained the author. However, for the Brazilian version, which will be launched in Brazil, the original title was preserved.
"...my 8️⃣ tropical China is not that Brazil is China, it's southern China, especially," said Foot comparing Brazil to Yunnan, "starting with 8️⃣ the climate, the forests...I went to the Botanical Garden, it looked like a Brazilian landscape, very hot, very humid, and 8️⃣ the people very happy, very musical, I found it incredibly interesting," explained Foot indicating the similarity as the reason for 8️⃣ the original title of his work.
Foot perceives an advance in the movement of translation of lusophone literatures in China, which 8️⃣ he does not see in other countries. In addition, the establishment of various Confucius Institutes in Brazil shows the openness 8️⃣ of Brazilian educational authorities and the potential to expand exchanges between Brazilian and Chinese institutions, he said.
