My story of studying in University of Tehran

My name is Huang Jingyi, I am a PhD. Student at School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China. My major is Religious studies. My research interest is about Iranian and Islamic culture, so I always want to visit University of Tehran. Fortunately, with the help of MOU between University of Tehran and Renmin University of China. I had the great chance to visit University of Tehran from Sep.26^th ,2022 to 11.28^th, 2022.

Thanks to Mr. Eskandari’s help, [Director General, Office of International  Relations ] I could live at the Nishapur dormitory, where is very close to the central area of UT. I could study, cook and take for a rest at my dormitory.

Before I went to Tehran, Prof. Ali Shahidi signed an invitation letter to me, so that I could attend courses at the Faculty of Literature and Humanities as the same as other Iranian students. I took part in Prof. Shahidi’s course given by his master students at Iranian Studies Program, Ancient Iranian Cultures and Ancient Persian languages. He was a knowledgeable scholar and his classes were always full of fun and inspiration. I clearly remember that in one class he used plasticene to teach us how to carve out the wedge-shaped characters as Iranian people used to do at Achaemenid Period!

Each of us spelt our name by Pahlavi Letter. Prof. Shahidi gave me a lot of useful advice on my future academic career, and I really learnt a lot from him. Apart from that, I also listened to courses from the Department of History, and the Department of Philosophy. I spent most of my time communicating with students and professors at the Department of Philosophy. I was so happy to see that there was so many Iranian scholars and students are interested in Chinese classic culture! Not only about Confucius, but also about Dao De Jing and Chinese Zen Buddhism. Chatting with Iranian friends on the playground in front of Ferdowsi and at every corridor of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities was the most unforgettable moment for me.

I think the Faculty of Literature and Humanities is just like my ideal Athens Academy where people gather together for the pursuit of knowledge. We listen to teacher’s saying at the classroom and continue to exchange ideas with them even the class is over. Every day I could see professors and students standing in the corridor and discussing academic issues for a long time till all the classrooms were closed. How meaningful time is here.

My life at University of Tehran was very simple but full. Every day I woke up at 9 am. and then I walked to the central campus. After class, I would have an omelet and a cup of tea for lunch at buffet, and went to the Central Library for studying. After class, every day I wandered around the Enghlab (Revolution) Street to visit different bookstores. Before I came back to China, I had bought two suitcase of books in Persian language! I went to many museums and landscapes at Tehran every weekend, which made me fall in love with this city.

I believe two-month stay at University of Tehran would be the most important experience at my future academic career. I have communicated with Iranian professors here, which helped me to deepen my understanding of Sufism culture in Iranian society. After I came back to China, I would study hard to transfer what I have learnt into my doctoral dissertation. Studying at the University of Tehran also gave me an unexpected time to reflect on myself in a foreign country. What I have learnt from Iranian people is that studying is a lifelong time, no matter how old your age are. I think most professors at UT are very good at teaching and have their own insights of complicated academic issues, and Iranian students very dare to put forward their own views. By contrast, we Chinese are shyer and have more sense of anxiety about age. How to make life artistic and how to express ourselves are two things that we should learn for Iranians.

In the future, I wish the cooperation between the two universities can be strengthened to benefit more students at both sides, and I hope we could introduce wonderful lectures by UT’s professors to Chinese readers.