文/Asad Khalil、Rami Khalil 译/史聪一
Rasha Khalil是一名来自叙利亚的发明家、研究员、创意教育家与艺术家，她有一个地道的中国名字：王玲。她曾在中东、北非及多个欧洲国家工作、学习和生活，而今在中国已十余年。对王玲而言，在中国的生活不仅是一次鼓舞人心的经历，还为她的生活平添了独特的色彩，并以意想不到的方式开拓了自身视野。她意识到：中国已经深深地植根于她的潜意识中，并深刻地影响了她的生活，同时不断地塑造她的事业与兴趣。
中国充满魅力
2008年，王玲移居中国。自此之后，她便开始在重庆生活。重庆幅员辽阔，地处群山之中，并被长江和嘉陵江环绕。王玲发现，重庆令人叹为观止的地方在于：尽管这里经济高速发展，并在重工业、快速城市化以及科技进步的依托下发展出强大的制造业，但其自然之美丽与文化之魅力却保存完好。
从某种程度上讲，重庆反映了中国的精神，在这片广袤无垠、美不胜收的土地上，绵延着悠久的历史，蕴藏着无限的可能。
王玲表示，生活在中国，总能经历各种变化。服务业日益完善，基建不断加速、房地产更加蓬勃、农业日趋现代化、制造业更加庞大，人们日常生活的方方面面越来越依赖于高科技的发展，人们目睹着向未来的巨大跨越。
在王玲看来，在这里未来已经到来，中国也走在前列，并为他国的发展提供经验与借鉴。然而，每当漫步于传统的小巷之中，徘徊在长城之上，徜徉在故宫之中，思考并感知于颐和园的独特长廊中，又或是洞悉于令人叹为观止的大足石刻，与皇陵中为荣誉而进行决战的兵马俑并肩站立之时，她又能感受到仿佛回到了过去。这着实是一种珍贵的体验。
Rasha Khalil，叙利亚籍，四川外国语大学教授、发明家、研究员。曾获得世界知识产权组织（WIPO）发明奖章、英国肯特自然资源国际基金会奖，2020文明之光·中国文化交流年度人物。
王玲的油画作品
中国之所以充满魅力，二元性是一个重要的因素。人们在感受快速发展的同时，还能探索历史悠久的古代文明。
另一个因素，便是令人叹为观止的地貌与鬼斧神工般的自然景观。想要探索并享受其中，穷极一生仍不够。
尽管日程繁忙，但只要有机会，她便会抽出一些时间，来追寻那份对大自然的热忱。在中国的每一次旅行，都令王玲充满惊喜与好奇，都在她的生活中刻下了积极的烙印，并帮助她对周边的一切开启探寻。
2010年的阳朔之旅，是一次非凡的体验。王玲认为，阳朔拥有独特且引人注目的石灰岩喀斯特山丘，这些山丘如同休憩于河岸边的勇士，身形百态。然而，阳朔之所以在她心中占据重要位置，并非仅仅因为这些山丘，而是那些稻田、蜿蜒的河流、迷人的桥梁，甚至是暴雨后覆盖山谷的密云层。
第一次身处阳朔的群山之下，王玲拾起了久违的回忆，这种回忆令她忆苦思甜。此情此景，在短短数秒间，便让时光倒流25载。10岁那年，王玲观看了桂林山水的纪录片，当时的情景仍历历在目。桂林的壮美与宏大，令她惊叹不已。对于小时候的她来说，阳朔是一个远离家乡并充满异国情调的地方。她从未想象过自己能够身临其境，听着风声在群山间穿梭，并与树木相耳语。但如今，自己便乘着竹筏，随着船夫的民歌在这无尽的宁静世界中徜徉。
正是这段旅程，帮助王玲回想起被自己遗忘的一面。她发现暂时放下忧虑与复杂的想法，去单纯地体验这个世界将有助于了解自己的内心，去洞悉万物的自然平衡，以及生活在精神层面与身体层面上同自然和谐相处的必要性，尤其是在这个充满变化的世界。
王玲认为，中国的美丽及其所承载的主要辉煌，仍来自于人民。中华民族由56个民族组成，但人们普遍拥有共同的核心价值观与原则。
中国人兢兢业业、雄心壮志、不断拼搏。不仅如此，中国人还强调在工作上齐心协力的价值观。王玲说：“中国人最为显着的特点便是谦虚、富有同情心并克勤克俭，因为这些精神在中国文化中被视为美德。”
此外，中国文化强调家庭与社会的重要性，因为它们是国家发展的支柱。在中国，人们信奉人与人之间的和平共处，以及人与自然间的和谐相依。尽管当今科技日新月异，并且人们越来越多地居住在大城市中，但中国人内心深处仍镌刻着这些价值观，并对它们异常珍视。
为不同文化架起桥梁
在中国，王玲担任大学教授已十余年。在她看来，教育的理念要高于对事实的习得及内容的掌握，教育本身便是训练思考能力。她重视批判性思维、创新能力及创造力，这也一直是其教育理念中最重要且最具特色的元素。
在中国，作为教育工作者，王玲利用其25年职业生涯中多样化且涉猎甚广的专业经验，创造出具有积极性意义并能够起到陶冶与互动作用的学习环境，旨在培养学生的参与度和对学术能力的感知力。王玲指导她的学生们打破各个主题间的障碍，并鼓励交叉功能实践及知识迁移能力。她总是努力“武装”，并赋权和激励她的学生们，让学生们拥有主动权，发挥自主性，让他们有机会展示自身所学知识，付诸实践并解决问题。
同时，王玲希望她的学生们能不断加强教育，提升专业能力，充分发挥其自身潜力，并为在未来就业市场中面临的挑战做足准备。
王玲说，当这些奇妙的探险活动出现在年轻人富有探知欲的脑海中时，她发现自己正处在一个独特的位置上，而自己的角色也由老师转变为学生。她从中国学生那里学到了很多东西。在过去的10年里，王玲所教授过的每一位学生，都或多或少地让她明白了一些道理，而这一切都在不断帮助她成为一名更优秀的教育工作者，并不断完善其职业生涯。
更重要的是，她的学生使她能够拥抱并真正理解中国文化。他们每一个人都代表了他们的家庭，反映了他们所在社区的观念。因此，与学生的密切合作，使她能够以她从未想象过的方式探索中国文化的深度，并从学生们的角度去感知它。
王玲认为，作为中国与阿拉伯世界间的文化大使，她一直在努力提升人们对中国文化重要性及其优势的认知，并推动他们学习中国文化。
为此，她利用作为研究人员及教育工作者的能力，推动并不断深化中国同阿拉伯国家间大学的学术及文化交流，通过她的艺术作品介绍中国文化的辉煌，为不同文化架起桥梁。
让艺术为生命赋能
王玲还是一位艺术家。她热爱绘画和雕塑，对艺术作品所创造的世界深深着迷。
在艺术中，她喜欢捕捉一种美感：这种美感来源于那些平平无奇的物体与地点，不仅能给她带来平静，也让她有机会来反思这个世界的美，以及她活在其中所感受到的静谧。王玲认为，不同形式的艺术，是彰显艺术家内在能量的方式，因此她打算将同样的平静和风雅传达给他人，希望给他们深刻的归属感。王玲相信，如果有人能够驻足片刻，去欣赏并思考她的作品，那幺她的创作意义便达到了。
通过观察那些栩栩如生且丰富多彩的中国传统艺术作品，她发现中国艺术家们并不热衷于以临摹者的身份“忠实”地复刻自然，而是从自身出发努力地探寻自然界，并顺其自然。这不仅为王玲的艺术格局增添了新的维度和深度，也深刻地影响和改变了她的艺术创作，以及她对艺术本质和目的的看法。中国画鲜明的特点与独特的精神，均给她留下了深刻的印象。王玲发现，工笔与水墨给人的感觉与油画不同，它们均通过独特的方式来表达意境，前者用精细的笔触和丰富的色彩来创作极其精致的画作，而后者则通过粗犷而少许的笔触、细节及浅色调来传达画作中主题的本质。
王玲说：“在中国的画作中，比喻象征手法的应用引人入胜。山巅代表着长寿，竹子代表着谦逊与正直，花朵则能够象征孤独、骄傲或超脱。”她也惊喜地发现，中国的画家们以独特的方式表达着自己的精神，同时将绘画与诗歌相结合，并进一步突出这些比喻象征。
于她而言，艺术家的任务不仅仅是模仿事物的表面与外在，而是通过感受自身的一些精神，来呈现周围环境的本质，无论是山、树、河，还是动物或传统，然后让这一切通过画笔，自由流畅地出现在画布之上，或是体现在雕塑之中。
王玲的曼荼罗点画作品
王玲一直珍视人与自然间的这种联系，这为创造力带来了无限的机遇。王玲对艺术的不懈的探求，能够破译她对自身及其所生活世界的想法。她不会将自己局限于一种媒介、风格或概念之中，因为不同的艺术媒介才能够让她传达多样的想法。她创作的每一件作品，都是过去的延伸，既反映了她的现在又预示了她的将来。
她艺术背后的驱动力是她对文化多样性的兴趣。王玲认为，艺术能够为生活赋予能量，能够为社会增进福祉，各行各业的人们都应该有机会获得创造性的力量。
因此，她开展创意艺术项目，帮助那些在生活中面临挑战的年轻人，让他们有机会能够表达自我、培养技能、结识他人，并通过艺术培养幸福感。
此外，王玲还与中东地区不同的非政府组织合作举办了数场艺术工作坊。在这些艺术工坊中，艺术创作的力量赋予生活在农村地区的妇女以权力，提高人们接受土着的认知，并以此作为保护自然资源和实现可持续发展的重要方式。这些工作坊不仅可以让女性讨论成功与压力背后的故事并获取认同感，还能让她们拥有展示艺术创作项目的平台，例如在画布上绘画，以及对彩色玻璃窗进行设计和点画。
她将自己最好的艺术作品捐赠给非营利组织，或是进行慈善拍卖，扩大环境与社会问题的重要性。她的艺术捐赠，也一直用于扶贫和自然资源保护。
王玲竭尽全力地为社会服务，以表达对中国的深沉热爱。她希望与不同的中国组织及艺术家们合作，帮助妇女、支持教育、扶助贫困地区。
2020年，王玲被授予“文明之光·中国文化交流年度人物”的称号，以表彰她长期以来为加强中外文化交流所做的不懈努力。
王玲相信，她的贡献便是每一位因她的工作而变得更加勇敢，并决定朝着更美好、更光明的未来前进的人们，他们在生活中积极作出改变——哪怕是很微小的改变。
Rasha Khalil is a Syrian inventor, researcher, creative educator,and artist who lived, studied and worked in multiple countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. She has Lived in China for over ten years. Living in China has been an inspiring experience, added unique colors to Rasha’s life, and enabled her to expand her horizon in unexpected ways. She realized that China is deeply rooted in her consciousness and has profoundly impacted her life and shaped her career and interests.
China is an attractive country
For Rasha, optimizing her education and boosting her profession was of the utmost importance. Therefore, she decided to move to China in 2008. Since then, she has been living in Chongqing. Chongqing is a sprawling municipality surrounded by several mountain ranges, the Yangtze, and the Jialing rivers.Rasha found that the most astonishing aspect of Chongqing is its ability to preserve its natural beauty and cultural appeal despite its fast economic development, colossal manufacturing capacity with a heavy industry background, rapid urbanization,and technological advances.
In a way, Chongqing reflects China’s spirit, the vast land of extraordinary beauty, mighty history, and unlimited possibilities.
Rasha says that living in China is a life-changing experience.Daily, people witness a great leap into the future through the advanced services sector, fast building construction, rapid real estate development, modern agriculture, massive manufacturing capacity, and reliance on high-tech advances in almost every aspect of daily life.
In her opinion, the future is already here, and China has paved the path for others to follow. Yet, Rasha feels she can travel back in time by simply strolling through the traditional alleys, taking a walk on the Great Wall, and wandering in the Forbidden City.She reflected on life while walking in the unique Long Corridor of the Summer Palace, perceiving a valuable sensation from the stunning rock carvings in Dazu Grottoes and standing side by side with thousands of terracotta warriors standing ready for the final battle to honor their emperor.
Simultaneously enjoying the brilliant development advances and exploring China’s ancient civilization with a long historyand deeply rooted culture is only one element of China’s majestic charm.
Another element of China’s exceptional beauty is having a vast,diverse array of extraordinary and breathtaking landscapes and spectacular natural treasures that one needs more than a lifetime to explore and enjoy.
Whenever she has the opportunity, Rasha takes time from her busy schedule to pursue her passion for nature. Rasha’s travels bring her joy and wonder. Each journey has left a positive mark on her life, helping her explore the universe.
Nevertheless, the ultimate and exceptional experience was visiting Yangshuo in 2010. Rasha says that the unique position that Yangshuo occupies in her heart is not because of its distinctive and dramatic limestone karst hills, which resemble warriors resting for a moment on the banks of the Li River. Instead, the magical caves, rice paddies, meandering rivers, enchanted bridges, or even the sea of dense clouds layer covers the valley after heavy rainfall.
Standing at the bottom of those mountains for the first time generated a sweet pain of retrieving long-lost memories. That scenery took her 25 years back in just a matter of seconds. She remembered how the 10-year-old Rasha felt when she watched a documentary on Guilin’s Mountains. She had the same fantastic sensation of that place’s glory and greatness. Yet, for that little girl, Yangshuo was an exotic place far from home. She never imagined that she would be able to visit it in person or listen to the wind whispering to the trees crawling on those hills. She never imagined herself taking a bamboo raft and drifting away into endless serenity with the boatman’s folk songs.
That journey helped Rasha to reconnect to the forgotten sides of herself. She learned that letting go of worries and experiencing the world helps us discover buried yet central parts of ourselves. She began to understand the natural balance in all things and the need for living in spiritual and physical harmony with nature, particularly in a world with severe waves of change.
Still, Rasha believes that people are the essence of China’s beauty and the main element of its glory. Even though the Chinese nation is composed of 56 ethnic groups, people widely share the same core values and principles.
Chinese people are diligent, ambitious, and strive to achieve success. Yet, they emphasize the value of collaborative work.Rasha asserts that the most striking features of Chinese people are modesty, compassion, and frugality, virtues in Chinese culture.
In addition, Chinese culture emphasizes the importance of the family and the community as the pillars of the nation’s development. Furthermore, Chinese people believe in harmonious and peaceful coexistence with nature and others. Chinese people have dearly carried these values, cherished and treasured them despite the technological advancement and living in modernmetropolitan cities.
Build bridge between different cultures
Rasha has been working as a university professor in China for more than a decade. She believes that the concept of education goes beyond learning. She values critical thinking, innovation,and creativity, which have always been distinctive elements of her teaching philosophy.
In her career as an educator in China, Rasha has utilized twenty-five years of diverse and extensive professional experience to create a positive, nurturing, and interactive learning environment that fosters the students’ engagement and perception of academic competence. Rasha guides her students to break down the barriers between individual topics and encourages cross-functional application and transference of knowledge.She always strives to equip, empower, and energize her students. Therefore, she puts them in the driver’s seat and allows them to demonstrate their knowledge and apply it in problemsolving.
She wants her students to optimize their education, develop their expertise to reach their full potential, and be ready for the challenges they will face in the employment market.
Rasha says that during this fantastic adventure in these young and curious minds, she found herself in a unique position where the teacher has become the student. She has learned an incredible amount from her students. Every student she taught in the past ten years has had something to teach her and helped her become a better educator and perfect her career.
More substantially, her students enabled her to embrace and genuinely comprehend the Chinese culture. Every one of them has represented their family and reflected the core values of their community. Thus, working closely with her students has enabled her to explore the depth of Chinese culture in a way she has never imagined.
Rasha considers herself a cultural ambassador between China and the Arab world. She has been striving to raise awareness about Chinese culture’s significance and strength, urging others to learn from it.
To do that, she has utilized her capacity as a researcher and educator to develop and deepen academic and cultural exchanges between Chinese and Arab universities. In addition, she used her art as a communication channel to reflect the magnificence and glory of Chinese culture and build a bridge between different cultures.
Art Empowers Lives
As an artist, Rasha loves painting and sculpting. She has alwaysbeen fascinated by images and how artists represent the world through expressive and visionary work.
In her art, she likes to capture the beauty in ordinary objects and places which not only brings her peace but also offers her a chance to reflect on the beauty in the world. Rasha believes that art in its different forms is a way to channel the artist’s inner energy. Thus she intends to convey the same peace and grace to others, hoping to offer them a moment of deep belonging. She believes that if someone stops for a moment to view and reflect on a piece she has created, she has succeeded in her work.
Observing the vivid and rich traditional Chinese artwork, in which artists strive to find nature within themselves and surrender to its calls rather than attempting to reproduce character as faithful copyists, has not only added new dimension and depth to her art but also profoundly impacted and altered her perception of the nature and the purpose of art. The distinctive characteristics and unique spirit of Chinese painting have impressed her a lot. She finds that the sensation Gongbi and Shuimo give differs from that of oil painting. Both of them have a unique way of reaching consciousness. While the former uses fine strokes and rich colors to produce highly detailed paintings, the latter uses rough and few brush strokes and details and light colors to convey the subject’s essence.
She found the analogies in Chinese painting striking. Mountain peaks represent longevity, bamboos represent humbleness and integrity, while flowers symbolize loneliness, pride, or breaking free. Rasha was amazed to see that Chinese painters express their spirit in a distinctive approach by combining painting and poetry to highlight these analogies further.
To her, the artist’s task exceeds imitating the external surface of things, to present the essence of the surroundings, whether it is a mountain, a tree, a river, an animal, or traditions, by feeling some of this spirit in themselves, and then letting it flows out freely and smoothly through the brush onto canvas or embodying it in sculptures.
Rasha has always cherished this connection between people and nature, opening up immeasurable opportunities and limitless portals to creativity. Her art is a constant search for the ultimate way to decipher her ideas about herself and the world. Therefore,she does not limit herself to one medium, style, or concept because different art mediums allow her to convey diverse ideas.Each piece she creates is simultaneously an extension of the past,a reflection of her present, and a preview of the future.
The Driving Force Behind Her Art. Rasha believes that art empowers lives and enhances society’s well-being. It also affects people from all walks of life who should have access to the power of creativity.
Therefore, she runs creative arts projects to help young people face challenges in their lives and give them a chance to express themselves, build skills, meet other people and nurture their well-being through art.
In addition, Rasha organized several art workshops in collaboration with different NGOs in the Middle East. In these workshops, the power of art-making was employed to empower women living in rural areas and raise awareness of the importance of embracing indigenous knowledge and utilizing it as a means to preserve natural resources and achieve sustainable development. Furthermore, those workshops were platforms for women to discuss their stories of success and stress, shared affirmations, and featured art-making projects such as painting on canvas, stained glass window design and dot painting.
She donated her best artwork to charitable auctions and nonprofit organizations to amplify the significance of environmental and social issues. Her art donation went to poverty alleviation and natural resource conservation.
She strives to extend her effort and do everything she can to serve society and express her deep appreciation and love of China. And she hopes to collaborate with different Chinese organizations and artists to rally support for vulnerable women,education, and fight poverty in rural areas.
In 2020, Rasha was awarded the title of “Light of Civilization -Chinese Cultural Exchange Person of the Year” in recognition of her long-term and constant efforts to strengthen Sino-foreign cultural exchanges.
Rasha believes that her legacy is for every single person. She wants everyone to be inspired by her work. She wants them to be more courageous and decide to take a further step toward a better and brighter future. She wants to make a positive change in the lives of others, no matter how big or small.
