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True love knows no boundaries
March 1, 2012, Thursday
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THE love story of Leslie de Vries and Wang Zhenghong crosses continents and cultures. Xu Wenwen speaks to them about how their interest in each other's roots has helped them better understand one another and create a deeper bond.
Opposites do attract. Belgian Leslie de Vries has done PhD research on late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) medicine. His wife, Wang Zhenghong, is interested in the Western concept of ornament art design.
The couple lives in Hangzhou, and Wang says she thinks their respective interests in Chinese and Western culture have helped them form a stronger bond.
"I studied modern art, and I am fond of Western culture," Wang says. "My husband studied Chinese and is fond of Oriental culture, I think that's why we can be together."
Currently, the couple runs L&W studio, selling jewelry made by Wang.
Before 2003, when they first met, neither anticipated that their lives would be altered by each other.
De Vries studied Mandarin and taught the language in university. Soon, he will finish his PhD dissertation at Ghent University in Belgium, majoring in Chinese language and culture.
De Vries says his interest in Chinese goes back a long way.
"My first connection to the East started during my teenage years, when I was a boy with a martial arts dream," says de Vries, who speaks Dutch, Mandarin, English, French and Japanese.
In 1993, when the boy who fancied Bruce Lee and learned Japanese martial arts was to enter university, he chose to study Asian language and culture.
During this period, de Vries learned that most Oriental philosophies originated in China, which ignited his interest in focusing his studies on its culture and language. In his doctoral thesis, de Vries studied a traditional Chinese medical book written in the late Ming Dynasty by Zhao Xianke.
In the paper, he sheds light on how religious and philosophical thoughts influenced the doctrine of the physician Zhao, who made a controversial claim by stating that the heart is not the ruler of the human body. He said the mingmen, literally the gate of life and a thing between two kidneys, was more important than the heart. To justify his claim, Zhang referred to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
De Vries says he spent a lot of time with his Chinese friends when he was at Zhejiang University in 2003 as an exchange student.
At one party he met his future wife.
"She was wearing a cool hat, so at first sight, I thought she was different from other Chinese girls," de Vries says. "We started talking and I found she had visited my country before and then we fell in love."
Wang was already a famous sculpture artist at that time. Today, her sculptures can be seen at West Lake and in parks. Her works include Chess Play at No. 1 Park and Ancient Figures, which is along Zhongshan Road.
Wang says she was excited to go to Antwerp to get married.
"As an artist who studies modern culture, it is a must to study in the West," Wang says.
Opportunities can only be seized by those who are prepared. When Wang shuts one door, another appears. While in Antwerp, Wang visited many galleries, and she was attracted to the jewelry industry in the city, the center of the diamond industry.
"In China, many value jewelry by how much gold or silver it has, but I found international standards judge the creation," she says.
She was determined to learn contemporary jewelry, initially from a folk artist, and then at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
She says she learned fast because she thinks jewelry is like a "mini sculpture that can be worn on the body."
In 2008, Wang who has been invited to a bunch of jewelry exhibitions in Italy, Belgium and other countries, was employed by China Academy of Art as a teacher in ornament design. It was about this time that the couple decided to return to Hangzhou.
De Vries shuttled between China and Belgium while completing his PhD. This inspired him to facilitate cultural exchanges in both countries.
De Vries was born in a musical family. His grandfather, a Jewish musician, was one of the first to play jazz in Europe. His father was active as a concert promoter and music manager.
The Belgian plays guitar and has written 12 songs; some in Chinese and some in English.
He hopes to bring European musicians to perform in China, and his first step is to invite Boogie Boy, a celebrated Belgium musician and his father's friend, to Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.
Opposites do attract. Belgian Leslie de Vries has done PhD research on late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) medicine. His wife, Wang Zhenghong, is interested in the Western concept of ornament art design.
The couple lives in Hangzhou, and Wang says she thinks their respective interests in Chinese and Western culture have helped them form a stronger bond.
"I studied modern art, and I am fond of Western culture," Wang says. "My husband studied Chinese and is fond of Oriental culture, I think that's why we can be together."
Currently, the couple runs L&W studio, selling jewelry made by Wang.
Before 2003, when they first met, neither anticipated that their lives would be altered by each other.
De Vries studied Mandarin and taught the language in university. Soon, he will finish his PhD dissertation at Ghent University in Belgium, majoring in Chinese language and culture.
De Vries says his interest in Chinese goes back a long way.
"My first connection to the East started during my teenage years, when I was a boy with a martial arts dream," says de Vries, who speaks Dutch, Mandarin, English, French and Japanese.
In 1993, when the boy who fancied Bruce Lee and learned Japanese martial arts was to enter university, he chose to study Asian language and culture.
During this period, de Vries learned that most Oriental philosophies originated in China, which ignited his interest in focusing his studies on its culture and language. In his doctoral thesis, de Vries studied a traditional Chinese medical book written in the late Ming Dynasty by Zhao Xianke.
In the paper, he sheds light on how religious and philosophical thoughts influenced the doctrine of the physician Zhao, who made a controversial claim by stating that the heart is not the ruler of the human body. He said the mingmen, literally the gate of life and a thing between two kidneys, was more important than the heart. To justify his claim, Zhang referred to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
De Vries says he spent a lot of time with his Chinese friends when he was at Zhejiang University in 2003 as an exchange student.
At one party he met his future wife.
"She was wearing a cool hat, so at first sight, I thought she was different from other Chinese girls," de Vries says. "We started talking and I found she had visited my country before and then we fell in love."
Wang was already a famous sculpture artist at that time. Today, her sculptures can be seen at West Lake and in parks. Her works include Chess Play at No. 1 Park and Ancient Figures, which is along Zhongshan Road.
Wang says she was excited to go to Antwerp to get married.
"As an artist who studies modern culture, it is a must to study in the West," Wang says.
Opportunities can only be seized by those who are prepared. When Wang shuts one door, another appears. While in Antwerp, Wang visited many galleries, and she was attracted to the jewelry industry in the city, the center of the diamond industry.
"In China, many value jewelry by how much gold or silver it has, but I found international standards judge the creation," she says.
She was determined to learn contemporary jewelry, initially from a folk artist, and then at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
She says she learned fast because she thinks jewelry is like a "mini sculpture that can be worn on the body."
In 2008, Wang who has been invited to a bunch of jewelry exhibitions in Italy, Belgium and other countries, was employed by China Academy of Art as a teacher in ornament design. It was about this time that the couple decided to return to Hangzhou.
De Vries shuttled between China and Belgium while completing his PhD. This inspired him to facilitate cultural exchanges in both countries.
De Vries was born in a musical family. His grandfather, a Jewish musician, was one of the first to play jazz in Europe. His father was active as a concert promoter and music manager.
The Belgian plays guitar and has written 12 songs; some in Chinese and some in English.
He hopes to bring European musicians to perform in China, and his first step is to invite Boogie Boy, a celebrated Belgium musician and his father's friend, to Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.
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