欧美文化:Interview: Chinese classics gain popularity in Türkiye as cultural exchange flourishes: sinolog

ANKARA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Giray Fidan, a Turkish expert in Chinese language and history based at Ankara's Haci Bayram Veli University, is dedicated to introducing the Chinese culture of peace to an increasingly expanding Turkish audience eager to grasp the Chinese way of thinking.

Thanks to Fidan's expertise, the Chinese book on military strategy, "The Art of War," written by Sun Tzu over 25 centuries ago, has become a bestseller in Türkiye. Since Fidan and his colleagues translated the famous book from classical Chinese in 2014, it has undergone 25 reprints. Previous publications were reliant on translations from English or French.

In Türkiye, where the sale of over 100,000 copies of a book is widely considered a remarkable success, "The Art of War" has sold over 400,000 copies in nine years.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Fidan attributed the success of "The Art of War" in Türkiye to the enduring relevance of China's philosophy of peace, asserting that it remains a valid human ideal in both contemporary and ancient times.

"The Art of War reflects Chinese wisdom. It says conflict is unnecessary if it is not inevitable. The world is vast enough for everyone, and we can have a peaceful way," said Fidan.

"The name (of the book) is 'The Art of War' but the main argument is avoiding the war. A successful strategist or a general should avoid the war when it is possible," he said.

"The Chinese classics are precious and a shared heritage of humankind," the sinologist said, highlighting the significant interest among Turkish readers eager to understand the Chinese way of thinking and philosophy.

The sinologist said he has translated a wide range of Chinese works since "The Art of War," and the latest is "Zhen Guan Zheng Yao" ("The Essentials of Governance") published in December 2023, pointing to the growing interest in Chinese culture among Turks.

China's economic success in the past decades and its opening up have offered great opportunities to people across the globe, including from Türkiye, to learn the Chinese language and culture, according to Fidan.

"Not only in Türkiye, but there is a large interest in China from all over the world, from Europe to the United States," he said, indicating that many more people are learning Chinese to boost their general knowledge.

In his view, it is "because they think it is an important investment for their future."

With the establishment of the China-Türkiye strategic cooperative relationship in 2010, economic and cultural cooperation between the two nations has flourished. China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has also become a medium of extensive multilateral cooperation between the two sides.

Fidan's university has responded to the Turkish youths' growing interest in Chinese culture by admitting undergraduate students of the Chinese language for the first time this year.

The class is "100 percent full," said the sinologist excitedly. "This shows how much interest there is in Türkiye towards learning Chinese and discovering its history and culture," the scholar added.