By Zhang Qingnan

Ivan Cardillo, a 34-year-old Italian teacher, has been in China for four years. From the very first moment he was exposed to Chinese martial arts at the age of eight, he was hooked, most especially on Tai Chi. Ivan loved it so much that he left for London in 2008 immediately after he found out that there was a Chinese Tai Chi master there.

“I went to visit him at his training school and he asked me to do some Tai Chi exercises. At that time, I was very young and burly, so I could punch quickly.But I was really shocked when I saw him, a man over 60 years old,punch even more quickly than I did. So, without a moment’s hesitation, I decided to become his disciple and learn Tai Chi from him.”

伊萬(wàn)和妻子娜佳 Ivan and his wife Nadya

Ivan’s love for Tai Chi has never wavered. He believes that Tai Chi plays a big role in building his character, moral fiber and abilities, and it enables him to have a clearer idea about himself and overcome his own shortcomings. “Moreover, what I have learned from Tai Chi is that it takes a long time to achieve success, so I require myself to do Tai Chi exercises and read every day, and I try to always be kind.”In his eyes, “kind” means to be ready to help others, be fond of peace, yearn for love and focus on health.

Ivan’s father gave full support to his son in learning Tai Chi, and after his father passed away, Ivan continued to do the exercises in remembrance of his father.

伊萬(wàn)放風(fēng)箏 Ivan flying a kite

風(fēng)箏中悟道

文/張清南

34歲的意大利籍教師伊萬(wàn)在中國(guó)已經(jīng)生活了四年。從8歲接觸中國(guó)武術(shù)，他就著了迷。他尤其喜歡太極拳。2008年，伊萬(wàn)得知倫敦有個(gè)中國(guó)人太極拳特別厲害，立馬去了倫敦。

“我找到他之后，他叫我打一拳看看。當(dāng)時(shí)我還很年輕，肌肉、骨頭很結(jié)實(shí)，出拳很快，但他比我還快，我覺(jué)得不可思議，因?yàn)樗?0多歲了。我毫不猶豫，立刻拜他為師?！?/p>

這么多年來(lái)，伊萬(wàn)從未放棄過(guò)。他覺(jué)得太極拳培養(yǎng)了他的性格、道德觀念和能力，讓他能克服自身的障礙，認(rèn)清自己的問(wèn)題。“同時(shí)我也明白了成功需要很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的磨練。我要求自己要天天練拳、天天看書(shū)，做一個(gè)好人。”伊萬(wàn)所理解的好人就是樂(lè)于助人、愛(ài)好和平、向往愛(ài)情、關(guān)注健康的人。

父親很支持他學(xué)習(xí)太極拳，父親去世后，他依舊堅(jiān)持練習(xí)，以寄托對(duì)父親的懷念。

伊萬(wàn)是家里的長(zhǎng)子，當(dāng)他提出要到中國(guó)發(fā)展時(shí)，母親的弟妹們都舍不得他離開(kāi)，但他們知道伊萬(wàn)打小喜歡中國(guó)，最終還是支持了他的決定。

20歲時(shí)，伊萬(wàn)第一次到中國(guó)，跟著意大利的一個(gè)中國(guó)留學(xué)生去了山東青島老家。他覺(jué)得那兒特別有意思，“我們?nèi)ズ永锵丛?，他奶奶在小院里做飯，特別有農(nóng)村生活氣息?！庇忠淮?，伊萬(wàn)到北京大學(xué)做博士交流。他每天上午去北京語(yǔ)言大學(xué)學(xué)漢語(yǔ)，下午就到北大看書(shū)學(xué)習(xí)，漢語(yǔ)水平得到了很大提高。

Ivan is the eldest son in his family. When he told his family that he wanted to go to China, his mother and younger siblings were loath to part with him. Yet they all knew his deep love for China ever since his childhood. At last they supported his decision.

Ivan went to China for the first time at the age of 20. He was then invited by a Chinese student studying in Italy to his hometown in Qingdao, Shandong Province,where Ivan had an exceptional experience. “We had a bath in the river and his grandmother cooked in the courtyard, all of which are a portrayal of typical rural life.”Later, Ivan came to China again for an academic exchange as a doctoral candidate in Peking University.During those days, he learned Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University every morning and attended classes or read in the library in Peking University every afternoon, which enabled him to make unbelievable progress in Chinese.

Then in 2014, Ivan came to Wuhan in Hubei Province, and Law School was employed as a teacher by the Law School of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.He is not only a law teacher but also a learner of Chinese law. “Law is the most important part of a culture and it embodies a society’s values,” he remarked.

As the president of the Association of Italian Scholars in China, Ivan often attends various cultural exchange events held by the university and the Chinese and Italian governments. During the 19th CPC National Congress,his website and translated essays concerning this congress drew attention from both the Chinese and Italian governments and were reported in the media. “The reason why I did so was that I want more Italians and Westerners to learn about Chinese law and traditional Chinese culture,” Ivan said.

Recently, Ivan has been practicing flying a Beijing eagleshaped kite. He figured out, “The key to flying a kite successfully is the speed. If it’s too quick or too slow, then it won’t work. Just like practicing Tai Chi, you need to use the strength properly and freely,which is a principle also applicable to other things.”

Now, Ivan has married a Russian wife in Wuhan and he regards China as his second home. As always, he still likes doing Tai Chi exercises and flying a kite after work. He sometimes goes shopping and enjoys the local cuisine with his wife. (Translation: Zhou Xianxian)

2014年伊萬(wàn)來(lái)到中國(guó)武漢，當(dāng)上了中南財(cái)經(jīng)政法大學(xué)法學(xué)院教師。他邊教書(shū)邊研究中國(guó)法律，他說(shuō)：“法律是文化中最重要的部分，體現(xiàn)著一個(gè)社會(huì)的價(jià)值觀念?！?/p>

伊萬(wàn)還是中意學(xué)者協(xié)會(huì)的主席，經(jīng)常參加學(xué)校以及中意政府舉辦的文化交流活動(dòng)。中共十九大期間，他建立的網(wǎng)站和翻譯的十九大文章，引起了中意政府的關(guān)注，媒體競(jìng)相報(bào)道。“我要讓更多的意大利人和西方人了解中國(guó)的法律和傳統(tǒng)文化。”伊萬(wàn)說(shuō)。

伊萬(wàn)最近在練習(xí)放北京的盤(pán)鷹風(fēng)箏。他領(lǐng)會(huì)到，“放風(fēng)箏既不能放得太快，也不能放得太慢，力氣要合適，就像打太極拳，要收放自如。放風(fēng)箏和做事是一樣的道理?！?/p>

伊萬(wàn)在武漢娶了俄羅斯妻子，他把中國(guó)當(dāng)成第二個(gè)家。還是那樣，每天工作之余，他就會(huì)練太極拳、放風(fēng)箏，有時(shí)候帶著妻子嘗嘗武漢美食，逛街購(gòu)物。