Dutch Sinologist commemorated with book and documentary

THE HAGUE — A book about a Dutch boy meeting Dutch diplomat and Sinologist Robert van Gulik (1910-67) who introduced Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty to the West, and a documentary on this versatile all-rounder, were presented on last Tuesday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing away of the legendary scholar. A limited edition of The Hall Where Clarity is

Revered — first published in Dutch in the 1990s, now translated into Chinese and printed on silk-screen and assembled by hand — was presented at the commemoration event held at the Chinese Cultural Center in The Hague.

In the story, Arthur Japin, now 61 years old, describes his childhood encounters with Van Gulik, a family friend. Before meeting him for the first time at the age of 5, Japin’s attention had already been drawn by the exotic stamps on the mail his parents received from Kuala Lumpur, where Van Gulik was the Dutch ambassador from 1959 to 1962.

“He made a big, lasting impression on me. Meeting him set parts of my imagination on fire. He opened my mind, I realized that this is what people do, and that I could go and live somewhere far away too,” says Japin.

Van Gulik is best known for translating into English the 18thcentury Chinese detective novel

Dee Goong An, or Stories of Detective Dee, patterned after Tang Dynasty (618-907) magistrate Di Renjie, and using it as a source of inspiration for his own novels about Judge Dee.

Written in the 1950s and 1960s, his novels were translated into 29 languages, published in 38 countries, and popularized into comics, television series and movies.

Throughout his life characterized by wide-ranging interests, Van Gulik also extensively shared his knowledge about aspects of Chinese culture. He wrote numerous nonfiction works about Chinese pictorial arts, the Chinese lute, jurisprudence and animal culture.

“Van Gulik is not just a historical figure, he actually combined traditions and innovations. As 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Dutch diplomatic relations, it is a good moment to use this opportunity to commemorate him and look back at our history and forward to our future,” says Yang Xiaolong, head of cultural affairs of the Chinese Embassy in The Netherlands.

“He was a world-citizen. He was multitalented. He had working and living experiences in many countries, including China ... He promoted the understanding of various cultures and peoples. It was not just about making Western people understand Chinese culture. Through him, we also in a way understood Western culture,” says Yang. The documentary, On the track of

Robert van Gulik by Dutch filmmaker Rob Rombout, portrays the Sinologist’s legacy through the stories of contemporaries and devotees who were inspired by Van Gulik and his Judge Dee stories.

Rombout traveled through the Netherlands, Indonesia, Japan, the United States and China for years, to meet people whose lives have also changed after entering the Dutchman’s universe.

“I am fascinated by the unpredictable life of Van Gulik, moving from one place to another. He was a global man in a period of time when everybody stuck to his own place. My documentary shows that he has left something behind everywhere, in many different places around the world,” says Rombout.

Peter Potman, director of Department for Asia and Oceania at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reminded the audience that apart from being a scholar and an author, Van Gulik was also a career diplomat.

“His fascination with culture, and China in particular, competed with his official duties, but this did not stop him from steadily moving up the ranks,” says Potman.

“Chongqing was Van Gulik’s only posting in China, but he took China with him when he left. His broad collection of Chinese artifacts and experiences would fuel a lifelong fascination with the country, and he still continues to enrich our understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture. As such, his contribution to Sino-Dutch relations has far outlasted his brief posting in Chongqing from 1943 to 1946,” he says.

The book and the movie presented last Tuesday show that Van Gulik continues to inspire people around the world to explore and practice Chinese culture.

This would have suited Van Gulik well, as “he believed that culture is not something that is dead, but something that should be practiced”, says Marie-Anne Souloumiac, granddaughter of Robert van Gulik.

As 2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Dutch diplomatic relations, it is a good moment to use this opportunity to commemorate him and look back at our history and forward to our future.” Yang Xiaolong, head of cultural affairs of the Chinese Embassy in The Netherlands