Archives of Peking University News - PKU English - 北京大学

北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
It was also in the beginning of the Reform and Openness era when Professor Yuan‘s
academic thoughts and his personal charisma began to have impact internationally.
He guest-lectured at Tokyo University between 1982 and 1983 as the first PKU
professor who was invited to teach there. Merely six months elapsed before Tokyo
University asked him to extend his teaching for another year, praising Professor
Yuan‘s ―Extensive Knowledge and High Personal Characters.‖ In 1992 and 1993,
Professor Yuan taught at Singapore National University, again with great success.
When it was time for him to return to China, many students came to the airport for the
send off; some who live too far away even arranged lodging near the airport the night
before. Singapore‘s United Morning Post had detailed coverage on prominent pages
on Professor Yuan‘s lectures, as well as on his life. The newspaper praised the
scholar with much enthusiasm on his knowledge and character, with a catchy title
that revealed the deep affection for the Chinese traditional culture: ―The One Came
from the Capital City.‖ Even to this day, friends in the Singapore academic circle are
still reminiscing about Professor Yuan‘s teaching glamour.
Professor Yuan does have his own unique teaching style. He stresses that students
develop initiative and creativity, encouraging them to provide different views in his
classes. Cao Sheng-gao, a Ph.D candidate enrolled in 2002 of the Academy of
Chinese Traditional Culture said ―Professor Yuan possesses a great capacity of
grace and wisdom; even though he‘s a renowned scholar, he‘s always so humble,
listening with great ease to different views of his students.‖ If you ask any of his
students, or anyone who‘s been to his class, to describe the experience of listening
to his lecture, the first phrase that most likely comes up is that ―sprayed with spring
breeze.‖ ―You always wonder how quickly time has passed whenever you‘re in
Professor Yuan‘s class.‖ This does not mean that Professor Yuan lowers his
standard of his students. At each ceremony of every new school year, Professor
Yuan always makes clear his two requirements: that he demands of his students of
two thesis: one of academic and the other of moral characters, and he requests a
consistent blend of academic pursuit with ethics. He scrutinizes all aspects of
students‘ papers, from organizations of chapters, to choice of words and phrases,
and to punctuations. During the height of the 2003 SARS episode, a Ph.D. candidate
was working on his dissertation but was unable to meet with Professor Yuan
face-to-face as they normally would. Professor Yuan thus advised and edited the
student‘s dissertation via email; and by the time the dissertation was finalized, they
had accumulated a huge pile of emails. There was one busy day when Professor
Yuan edited and sent to his student three rounds of revisions. Some had remarked
that there were enough emails for a publication of a revision-in-progress of the
dissertation.
Professor‘s blackboard calligraphy is such an elegant sight that whenever he turned
his back and wrote on the board, there was always sound of bravos from the class.
He always writes vertically, from right to the left and column by column; by the end of
the class, the blackboard becomes a sight of calligraphic masterpiece. Many of his
758