Advocate of Cultural Integration

By staff reporter XU XIAOYAN

Jan Walls performing clapper talk.

Canadian Jan Walls, known as Wang Jian in China, speaks Chinese that is fluent to the extent that he can articulate tongue twisters, xiehouyu (two-part allegorical sayings), occasionally coining his own, and also perform kuaiban’r – story telling to the up-tempo of bamboo clappers.

Jan began his academic career teaching Chinese and East Asian culture at the university of British Columbia (1970-78) and University of Victoria (1978-85). As his resume shows, all Jan’s work experience relates to China and other East Asian countries. From 1981 to 1983 he was first secretary for cultural and scientific affairs at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, and from 1985 to 1987, senior vice president of the newly established Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

In September 1987, Jan joined Simon Fraser University, where he founded and now directs the David Lam Center for International Communication. He is concurrently a member of the Board of Directors of the David Lam Institute for East-West Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, of the Canadian Society for Asian Art and of the Tzu Chi Education Foundation.

My interview of Dr. Jan Walls began with reference to his translation into English of the works of ancient Chinese literary giants Wang Anshi and Liu Zongyuan. Both Wang and Liu believed that a ruler’s top priority is his people’s livelihood, and that education is the means to true enlightenment. These two thinkers have had great influence on Jan and his desire to encourage peoples of various cultures to integrate.

I was curious as to what interested Jan in Chinese in the first place. He told me, “In my sophomore year I failed algebra, so I had to reassess my academic future.” Jan was actually born in the mid-west USA. Having been fascinated with the Oriental civilization and Chinese culture since childhood, after careful deliberation, he decided to take up Chinese and Asian studies. He majored in Chinese language, literature and folklore, in which he obtained his BA, MA and PhD, and minored in Japanese language and literature.

Jan reached a good standard of Chinese while at university in the US, but it was during the two years he worked at the Canadian embassy in Beijing that his Chinese reached a more specialized level. His studies of kuaiban’r and other folk performance arts opened up to him the vast field of Chinese colloquialism and profound folk culture. The more he learned about the language and culture, the deeper his fascination for it became. “So-called ‘Chinese culture’ encompasses so many aspects of life, language and traditions that a lifetime would be insufficient to cover and understand it all,” Jan says.

After years of comparative studies of Oriental and Western cultures, Jan has now reached the conclusion that “All roads lead to Rome” -- an epigram he uses to express his belief and confidence in ultimate world cultural integration. “Historical, geographical and environmental differences between various ethnic groups generate different cultures. Knowledge and understanding of those other than one’s own exert a powerful attraction, consolidated by mutual understanding and common knowledge. This is what leads to the ultimate state of cultural convergence and integration,” reasons Jan Walls.

Dr. Jan Walls nonetheless believes that throughout the pursuit of cultural integration, cultural differences should be preserved. How? Jan suggests that cultural pluralists spend a set number of hours of each day, or week in the mainstream of other than their own societies in order to understand them on various levels. Members of such mainstream societies should, conversely, participate in pluralistic activities that teach them “eccentric cultural values, ways of thinking and arts” and other cultural phenomena that will help them to be truly “cross-cultural.”

Dr. Jan Walls has done a lot to promote cultural understanding and exchanges. He is joint sponsor, along with the David Lam Center, of an annual spoken Chinese contest held in British Columbia, whose distinctive logo is composed of three red Chinese lanterns. Jan designed a computer animation that explains its meaning: the three oval lanterns are a variation on the character meaning “Chinese,” and their globe-like shape implies the Chinese language “fever” that is sweeping the world.

In October 2004, Dr. Jan Walls gave a speech on “the technique and art of cross-cultural translation” at the Communication University of China, with whom he signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of Simon Fraser University.

The cultural exchange event that Jan recalls with the greatest pride is the conferment on Soong Ching Ling (Mme. Sun Yat-sen) of an honorary doctorate by the University of Victoria in May 1981, at which he was present. Jan also takes every opportunity to perform kuaiban’r, Huangmei Opera and other folk Chinese performing arts at various gatherings.

Over the years, he has translated and compiled a long list of Chinese works, such as West Lake: A Collection of Folktales and 100 Allegorical Tales from Traditional China, both published by the Joint Publishing Co., in Hong Kong.

Jan Walls writes a column in the Ming Pao (a Canadian edition published by the Hong Kong-based Ming Pao Group). In it he tells anecdotes about and gives accounts of discussions on cultural differences between the East and West. When asked why he started this column, Jan explains: “In the past decade or two, Canada has become more internationalized and has received an increasing number of immigrants from areas other than the United States, Britain, France and other European countries. For example, there are now a large number of Chinese-speaking islanders from areas south of the South China Sea living in Canada. When different cultures meet, there are often misunderstandings and misconceptions. My column relates instances from real life explaining ad analyzing cultural differences. Readers of it gain a deeper comprehension of fellow citizens from more exotic backgrounds.”

Jan himself is a citizen of the world who does not confine himself to a particular culture or place. As he says, “A person’s destination is decided by contemporary economics and where their talents can best be used.”