Peking University, Apr. 7, 2012: The 100th anniversary commemoration of Najib Mahaffudh took place at Peking University (PKU) on March 29, 2012. Professor Zheng Ruqing, vice director of PKU Office of International Relations, and Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Rezk Mohamed Rezk, attended the ceremony.
The commemoration was organized by PKU Department of Arabic Language and Culture and the Cultures, Education and Science Department of Egyptian Embassy. The representative students and professional teachers from ？？PKU and other universities came to the ceremony. More than 100 Arabic literature lovers also attended the memorial service.
Professor Zheng Ruqing said in his speech that the commemoration of Naguib Mahfouz designed to promote the Sino-Egyptian cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries. It could also establish a new bridge for the spread of Arabic literature and culture in China.
Ambassada Mohamed Rezk said that, it was very important to promote the Sino-Egyptian cultural cooperation with the field of education. The event was only a prelude, and there should be more education exchanges and cooperation in the field of humanities between the two countries, their respective universities and research institutions. At the same time, he expressed his thankfulness to the scholars who had made ？？outstanding contributions to research areas of Mahfouz. They not only spread the works and spirit of Mahfouz's, but also promoted the mutual understanding between the two countries.
The Cultural Office of Egyptian Embassy praised the Chinese academia in promoting the positive efforts and making outstanding contribution in the development of both Chinese and Arabic cultural exchanges. 27 scholars were awarded certificates and prizes.
After the ceremony, the Arabic literary scholars and enthusiasts expressed reverence and nostalgia to Mahfouz. They spoke highly of the historical and practical significance of the literary works of Mahfouz. In the three-day commemoration, the Egyptian Embassy Cultural Office, together with the Arabic Department, presented the films "Karnak Cafe", "Meida Ge alley"," thieves and dogs” at PKU. About 400 teachers and students, as well as Arabic culture lovers on and off the campus, watched the film.
Background Info:
Arabic literary giant Naguib Mahfouz was born on December 11, 1911. His masterpiece trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street) describes the changes in the first half of the 20th century in the Egyptian society. In 1988, Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in Literature, by virtue of the novels "of our neighborhood kids."
Chinese people are most familiar with Mahfouz among the contemporary Arabic writers. As a writer of political responsibility, he assumed a sense of historical mission of patriotic intellectuals and serious consideration of the motherland, He wrote his work with a strong consciousness of resistance the future and destiny of the nation. He continued to torture the spirit and soul of the nation. His art has not only opened up the path of development of the Egyptian novel, but also represents the peak of Egypt's novels. Many writers were strongly influenced by the work of Mahfouz’s era. The 100th Anniversary Commemoration of Najib Mahaffudh not only can commemorate himself and his work, but also spread his spirit, and promote mutual understanding and exchange of culture in the two countries.
The topics of Mahfouz are rooted in the local reality in Egypt. Mahfouz's literary works contains an Egyptian pharaoh of culture and Islamic tradition heritage. His courage to learn from the concepts and techniques of Western Modernism has brought the Egyptian culture to a new stage.
Written by: Feng Jiayang
Edited by: Arthars
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
