Stroke by stroke: A French sinologist and the Chinese characters that write his life

by Xinhua Writers Shi Yifei and Wang Xiaopeng

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Wearing a traditional Tang jacket, complemented by a tie with exquisite Chinese calligraphy, Joel Bellassen doesn't just speak Chinese fluently -- he lives and breathes the language.

For decades, the Frenchman has spent his life learning, teaching, and promoting the Chinese language, making it part of his identity. All this began with his keen interest in the characters of the language, which he first encountered while passing by some Chinese restaurants.

"Chinese characters are not just a tool," he told Xinhua. "They are the DNA of Chinese culture."

Bellassen was France's first General Inspector of Chinese Language at the Ministry of National Education and led the development of the first-ever comprehensive Chinese language curriculum, which is currently in use across France.

Last week, Bellassen returned to Beijing for an academic tour organized by the World Sinology Center at Beijing Language and Culture University -- his alma mater, where he deepened his Chinese studies after completing his undergraduate degree in the Chinese language in Paris.

In 1969, the 19-year-old Bellassen chose to major in Chinese at Université Paris 8. This was an unusual choice in France at the time, given the limited career prospects associated with the language.

"It was a challenge," he recalled. "What fascinated me was that I was learning something no one else dared to do."

Before long, he was hooked. He began tracing characters and teaching his classmates as soon as he learned new words. They even nicknamed him "the Chinese."

For Bellassen, distance always meant opportunity.

"From the 1970s until now, I've visited China hundreds of times," he said. "Each visit has deepened my understanding of Chinese culture. The more I learn, the more I realize how inseparable Chinese characters are from China's cultural identity."

This understanding grew even deeper during his visit to the Yin Ruins in Anyang, central China's Henan Province, this April. There, he saw the oracle bone inscriptions, which retained evidence of the Chinese written language from 3,000 years ago.

First discovered in 1899, oracle bone inscriptions are among the world's four ancient characters and have been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

"It felt like a pilgrimage," Bellassen said, reflecting on the profound cultural roots of these ancient symbols.

"For me, Chinese characters are more than just words; they are cultural memories that help explain what seems impossible to translate."

In his view, Chinese characters even possess a poetic quality.

"I love ancient Chinese poetry and four-character idioms," Bellassen said. "They encapsulate profound philosophical ideas in just a few characters."

One of Bellassen's most treasured possessions is a tie patterned with the brushwork of 14th-century Chinese calligrapher Zhao Mengfu. A gift from a Chinese friend, it has accompanied him on countless academic journeys.

"The characters themselves have an aesthetic beauty," he said, adding that he has practiced writing his favorite Chinese character, "wo," meaning "I," for years.

Bellassen believes learning to write Chinese offers unique cognitive benefits, especially for young children.

"Writing characters helps develop motor coordination, spatial awareness, and a sense of organization," he explained. "Each stroke matters; each one has to find its place. It's a distinct way of training both the mind and the hand."

After returning to France in 1975 from a two-year exchange program in Beijing, Bellassen dedicated the next five decades to bringing Chinese language education to classrooms in France.

"A Key to Chinese Speech and Writing," compiled by him, has become one of the most widely used Chinese textbooks in France.

"China has undergone rapid modernization over the past half-century, but what's remarkable is how many cultural practices have endured," he said.

One artistic behavior stunned him: in a Shanghai park, he saw a man using a large brush, dipped in water, to write calligraphy on the ground -- known as "dishu" in Chinese. The characters usually disappear as the water dries.

"This is a uniquely Chinese cultural phenomenon," he said. "It reflects the deep cultural essence of China."

His love for Chinese culture extends far beyond language. He fell for Chinese food -- shrimp dumplings and chicken feet from Cantonese cuisine remain his favorites. "Both Chinese and French pay considerable attention to food," he observed.

Bellassen has long hoped that more people in his own country will get to know the Chinese culture, especially the beauty of Chinese characters.

In 2019, marking the 55th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, he helped launch the first Chinese Character Festival in Paris, which featured the art of "dishu."

"I hope the festival becomes an event where people can experience the beauty of Chinese characters firsthand," he said. "Without them, I wouldn't be who I am today." ■