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Dutch teacher has a "special bond" with Shaanxi

source:           editor:Zhang Wenni

Dutch foreign teacher Bastiaan Van Huizen usually takes his daughter to different Chinese cultural classes on weekends, such as the lute, Beijing Opera, and Chinese martial arts, which is a weekly task. A cross-cultural marriage gives him a deeper understanding of happiness.

Encounter a Shaanxi girl and settle down in Xi'an图片

Before meeting Shaanxi girl Liu Jian, Bastiaan, who had never been to China, did not feel that this faraway country was strange. Born in Nijmegen, Netherlands, he has one-eighth Chinese ancestry and his family has been deeply influenced by Chinese culture.

In 2007, while attending an art event in Japan, Bastiaan met the Shaanxi girl Liu Jian, and they became fast friends. According to Liu Jian's recollection, Bastiaan's family all showed great interest in Chinese culture. When she took him to her favorite Chinese restaurant, she was surprised to find that the Dutchman not only used chopsticks skillfully but also loved spicy food; when she went to the Netherlands with him for the first time and talked about China and Xi'an with his family, Bastiaan's father picked up a peanut by chopsticks just like a natural, showing her his "chopstick skills". 

This "connection" brought them closer, and they formed a happy cross-country family. Although they have lived abroad after they got married, the couple often returned to China to explore the beautiful scenery and experience the folk customs of Shaanxi Province.

In 2016, their daughter was born, and the couple decided to stay in Xi'an so that she could grow up surrounded by the fine Chinese culture. Thanks to his professional skills in image and media technology, Bastiaan became a teacher in the Animation Department of the New Media Art Institute at Xi'an Polytechnic University, and they have been settled in the city for nearly eight years now.

Bastiaan also enjoys many traditional Chinese arts, and under the influence of the family atmosphere, the little girl has already shown great interest in many traditional Chinese cultures.

Passionate about the animation industry and committed to cultural exchange

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As a teacher, Bastiaan continuously keeps up with the latest art trends abroad and helps his students broaden their horizons. "Chinese animation has its own unique features, and traditional culture can provide strong support for it". Bastiaan encourages his students to open up their minds and incorporate traditional Chinese cultural elements into their animation works. At his suggestion, the Classic of Mountains and Seas and Qinqiang Opera have become good sources of inspiration for his students' creations. Under his guidance, students' graduation projects have brought traditional Chinese music, myths, and kung fu to life through animation.

In his spare time, Bastiaan also assists his wife in cultural exchange work between China and Japan and between China and the Netherlands. They hope to build more "bridges" to promote cultural exchanges and introduce Chinese culture abroad.