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AGNiESZKAJASińSKA
fromPolishliterature.7Devoidofanystudyaids,hewasabletoreadPolishbooks
onlythankstohisimmenseresolve.Hisefortsborefruitinthepublicationofhis
translationsofPolishliterature.
IcancategoricallystatethatImyselfhavewitnessedcertainbreakthroughs
inthehistoryofPolishstudiesinChina.IarrivedtoBeijingforthefirsttime
twoyearsbeforetakingupajobthere.IstudiedChineseatBeijingUniversityof
LanguageandCulture.TatearlyexposuretoChinagreatlyafectedmyfuture
life.8TefactthatIamworkingnowadaysintheCPolonicum’CentreofPolish
LanguageandCultureforForeignersattheUniversityofWarsawis,inaway,
theoutcomeofmyfirstencounterwithPolishlinguistsinChinain1998,when
theycelebratedthe200thanniversaryofthebirthofAdamMickiewiczinBeijing.
TiswasorganisedbythePolishEmbassytogetherwithBeijingForeignStudies
University.TeveryfirsttranslationofPanTadeusz,freshofthepress,waspre-
sentedduringthatevent.
IshouldemphasizethatthebeginningsofmyChineseadventurewerein
timeswhenhardlyanybodyinPolanddemonstratedanyinterestinthatpartof
theworld.Wewerefocusedonourefortsandassociatedpreparationsforacces-
siontotheEuropeanUnion.MyideatoworkinChinawasseenaspeculiar,and
myfamilyweresimplyworried.HardlyanybodytravelledbehindtheGreatWall,
itwasimpossibletofindanyguidebookaboutChinainourbookshops,notto
mentionanytravelaccountoralbumwithpicturesofChina.Itisverydiferent
nowandtherangeofsuchworksavailableinbookshopsisquitefabulous.Te
GreatWallisnolongeranironcurtainforordinaryenthusiastsofremotetourist
destinations.
IspentfiveyearsatBeijingForeignStudiesUniversity,andwitnessedthegrad-
uationoftwogenerationsofstudents.Atthattime,myfellowteachersofPolish
universallybelievedthatonlythebestofourgraduates,andultimatelyonlyfewof
them,wouldbeabletogetjobswiththePolishlanguage.Itwasactuallythecase
ofstudentswhograduatedin2002.However,nobodycouldpredictthatChina’s
interestinPoland(indirectproportiontoPoles’interestinChina)wouldchange
in2004,followingouraccessiontotheEuropeanUnion.Asaresult,almostallof
mystudentswhograduatedin2004,eventhelessbrilliant,securedjobsrequiring
theirfluencyinthePolishlanguage.
7SeeRasińska2013,p.81.
8IcametoChinaforthefirsttimein1998.Iwasawardedaone-yearlinguisticscholarshipby
theChineseEmbassyinWarsawinrecognitionofmyefortstoorganise(andoverseefortwoyears)
theChineselanguageclubattheKingWładysławIVHighSchoolinWarsaw,whereIwasemployed
astheLatinteacher.IhadthebrainwavetobecomecertifiedtoteachPolishasaforeignlanguage
whilestayinginBeijing.
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