Let more people understand and fall in love with Hunan Culture.——Peter Brian Ditmanson

Peter Brian Ditmanson，American
Chinese name: Dai Bide
Identity: Professor of the History Department at Yuelu Academy of Hunan University
Residency duration in Changsha: 7 years

In early winter in Changsha, the sky is clear and the clouds are ethereal. In a corner of Yuelu Academy by the Xiang River, Peter Ditmanson is having the weekly English Corner activity with his students. From academic issues to interesting things in life, the teacher and students talk freely without any reserve.
This is the sixth year that American Professor Peter Ditmanson has been teaching at Yuelu Academy of Hunan University. On September 30 this year, the awarding ceremony of the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award was grandly held in the Great Hall of the People, and Peter Ditmanson was one of the recipients.
On the day of the exclusive interview with the reporters, Peter Ditmanson was dressed in a white shirt. The ancient books behind him made him look even more refined and steady. "I'm deeply honored and touched to have won the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award. However, it also means a huge responsibility. There are still more things for me to do." he said.

A foreigner who teaches Chinese history
The Chinese Government Friendship Award is the highest award established by the Chinese government to recognize foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive and reform and opening-up undertakings.
Peter Ditmanson has become one of the 100 award-winning foreign experts due to his long-term commitment to the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture, as well as higher education practice, and his outstanding contributions to the "going global" of Chinese culture.
In fact, his connection with China began as early as the time of his grandparents.
In the early 20th century, Peter Ditmanson's grandparents came to China and participated in the disaster relief work in the five northern provinces. They received gifts from Zhao Erxun, who was the governor of Hubei and Hunan province at that time. From 1945 to 1948, his father worked in the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and chose to stay in Zhangjiakou, China to conduct field investigations, and obtained the handwritten permit from Ye Jianying to Nie Rongzhen.
"The experiences of my grandparents and parents sketched my initial impressions of China." Peter Ditmanson, who graduated successively from the University of Minnesota and Harvard University, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Master of Arts degree, and a Doctor of History degree. He once served as the Secretary-General of the North American Ming Dynasty Studies Society and a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford in the UK. His main research area is the history of the Ming Dynasty.
The natural sense of affinity for Chinese history and culture has forged an indissoluble bond between him and Changsha.
In May 2017, Peter Ditmanson was invited to give a speech at Yuelu Academy. The internationalization and diversification of the academy left a deep impression on him. In December 2018, he officially started working at Yuelu Academy of Hunan University.
"I'm Peter Ditmanson, an American who teaches Chinese history at Yuelu Academy." In front of the camera, Peter Ditmanson introduced himself fluently in Chinese.

Promote the influence of Hunan Culture worldwide
During the interview, Peter Ditmanson answered all the questions in Chinese. Whenever he got a bit "stuck", he would stop and continue after thinking clearly.
He is very popular among students as he can effortlessly switch between English and Chinese. "Professor Peter Ditmanson is amiable and humorous. He is a great teacher who 'holds nothing back and speaks his mind'," said his student Yu Chuming.
The courses he offers are rich in content and interesting in form. As a professor, his "mainline" work- teaching at Yuelu Academy is highly successful.
However, the "sideline" work is equally important for him.
"Hunan always exudes a power that breaks free from traditional constraints and pursues innovation." The unique cultural atmosphere of Hunan fascinates him deeply and makes him unable to stop thinking about "the spread of Hunan Culture overseas."
"What can I do?"
He actively promoted international academic exchanges and cooperation, and built a high-level dialogue platform;
contributed to the conference “Materiality of Knowledge in Chinese Thought: Past and Present” jointly organized by Yuelu Academy and the Bodleian Library of Oxford's Queen's College and other high-level seminars;
established the "Oral History of Yuelu Academy" research team and conducted interviews to collect over 200,000 words of oral testimonies from several faculty members, and vividly recreating the turbulent years of the modern revival of Yuelu Academy;
led his team in undertaking the translation of documents such as the Yuelu Academy's Code of Conduct and the Yuelu Chronicles, and opened up a new window for the world to understand China's excellent traditional culture;
and worked as a foreign language consultant to participate in the Hunan Provincial Government's English Official Website and contributed his professional wisdom and efforts to promoting the global expression of Hunan's voice.
……
His endeavors have enabled the Yuelu Academy, a thousand-year-old institution of learning, the ancient refined Hunan culture, and the enchanting Chinese civilization to shine on the international stage.

"With professional strength and sincere words, we can better spread specific and warm voices in the era trend." Peter Ditmanson hopes that he can contribute to the construction of bridges between China and other countries. "I will continue on this path for as long as possible."
There are also many companions with him on this path.
Zhan Bei Bei, director of the Overseas Academic Exchange Center of Yuelu Academy at Hunan University, introduced that the academy has established multi-level and multi-dimensional international cooperation relations to comprehensively enhance its academic competitiveness, social influence, and the internationalization level through academic exchanges and cooperation.
“In the past two years, Yuelu Academy has also actively implemented a visiting scholar program, inviting around 20 well-known scholars from both at home and abroad to visit Yuelu Academy each year, and using the ‘Yuelu Academy Lectures’ as an academic exchange platform to invite renowned scholars from around the world to give lectures,” Zhan said.

Feeling at home in Changsha
Following the footsteps of Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi and adopting the strengths of western culture, the Yuelu Academy Lectures has remained unchanged for over a thousand years, and it is still open today to welcome learned scholars from all over the world.
For Peter Ditmanson, who traveled thousands of miles, Yuelu Academy, Hunan University, and even Changsha City have shown full hospitality and support. This has given him a warm and welcoming feeling of belonging and allowed him to quickly adapt to life in Changsha.
Once, Peter Ditmanson accidentally fell and injured himself, and the teachers at Yuelu Academy rushed to help him. On the ward, he quickly became very close to his "roommate" and talked about everything. "We took medicine together, got treatment together, and helped each other. They forgot that I was a foreigner because at that time, we were all injured Changsha people," he laughed.
In his spare time, Peter Ditmanson likes to explore the streets and alleys of Changsha to feel the unique blend of history and modernity. He also enjoys running along the Xiangjiang River and taking in the city's distinct scenery, occasionally interacting with local residents and picking up a few interesting phrases of Changsha dialect. From Hunan cuisine classics like Stir-fried Pork with Chili Peppers and Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili, he has gone from "not eating spicy food" to "can’t live without spicy food."
Today, Peter Ditmanson has become a true local of Changsha.
“The communication with students, colleagues, and friends, the warm friendship of the Hunan people, and the inclusive Hunan culture have all left a deep impression on me,” said Peter Ditmanson. Entering this city, he has truly realized that "even though people from distant lands are far apart, we are all under the same sky."
In recent years, Changsha has gradually formed a pattern of attracting and applying talents that makes those who are nearby happy and those who are far away come. It conveys its sincerity in opening up a path for talents and injects more "source water" into high-quality development. More international talents like Peter Ditmanson are attracted by the powerful "Changsha magnetic field", turning their eyes to Changsha and establishing their careers in this city.

Source：Changsha Evening News