The celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Bulgarian language major at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) was held on Oct 22. 

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, speaks at the commemoration on Oct 22.

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, reviewed the great efforts of the older generation of scholars such as Professor Yang Yanjie, founder of the Bulgarian Language Teaching and Research Office, and affirmed their accomplishments in talent training, dictionary compiling and discipline construction, as well as their commitment to the dissemination and exchange of Chinese and Bulgarian culture. 

He said he hopes the faculty and staff will take the 60 years of the major’s establishment as a new starting point, further consolidate its subject foundation, broaden international exchanges, put innovation into practice, and make greater contributions to Sino-Bulgaria cooperation.

Fan Jianping, president of CRI and a BFSU alumnus from the 1988 class of the Bulgarian language major, congratulates the major on its 60th anniversary on Oct 22.

Fan Jianping, president of China Radio International (CRI) and a BFSU alumnus from the 1988 class of the Bulgarian language major, congratulated the major on its 60th anniversary. He spoke highly of the importance and professionalism of Bulgarian language scholars and shared his views on internet and Bulgarian language learning and internet and cross-language communication.

Liu Houguang, secretary of the CPC branch at the SELC, summarizes the achievements of the Bulgarian language major at the commemoration on Oct 22.

Liu Houguang, secretary of the CPC branch at the School of European Languages and Cultures (SELC), noted that the major has cultivated a large number of talents for friendly exchanges between China and Bulgaria, and explored a Bulgarian language teaching mode with Chinese characteristics over the past 60 years. The major has carried out all-around cooperation with universities overseas and will continue to promote communication between the two countries.

Professors and scholars deliver keynote speeches at the seminar in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Ivan Vazov on Oct 22.

Following the opening ceremony, experts and scholars from China and Bulgaria delivered keynote speeches. Liu Zhibai, a senior BFSU professor, reviewed the teaching situation during the preliminary stage of the Bulgarian office, and confirmed Bulgarian language scholars’ commitment to compiling Bulgarian-Chinese dictionaries, enriching teaching materials, and establishing inter-school contacts with universities in Bulgaria. She also spoke highly of the achievements made by the major and expressed her heartfelt wishes for its high-quality development in the years to come.

As part of the celebration, a seminar was held in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Ivan Vazov, a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright.

Mikhail Nedelchev (Михаил Неделчев), president of the Union of Bulgarian Writers and a professor from New Bulgarian University, delivered a speech on the topic of Vazov’s position as the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, illustrated the role he played in the development of European literature, summarized his literary style by analyzing and comparing his works, and explained his identity as a literary giant.

Professor Tsvetan Rakiovski (Цветан Ракьовски) from the South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, discussed the relationship between Vazov and the periodical Literaturna Misal (literary thought) by interpreting his poetry collection Songs of Macedonia.

Yu Zhi, a senior editor at the Xinhua News Agency, analyzed Vazov’s short novels and pointed out how his modernist style, irony and criticism made his works an important part of Bulgarian cultural heritage.

Ma Xipu, a research fellow at the Euro-Asian Social Development Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, shared his interpretation of the novel Under the Yoke. 

Professor Zhang Jianhua from the SELC at BFSU, analyzed the impact of the upsurge of Leo Tolstoy studies on Bulgaria’s culture, literature and social development from different perspectives.

Experts and scholars attend the seminar in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Ivan Vazov on Oct 22.

The forum brought together experts and scholars from the academic circles of China and Bulgaria. The sub-forums focused on themes of literary research on Ivan Vazov’s works and modern and contemporary Bulgarian literature as well as program construction and the development progress of the Bulgarian language major in China.