Kamil Zeidler

The article presents the activities of the Center for East Asian Studies, which was established at the University of Gdansk in 2007.

Professor Jan Rowiński died on 2 January 2023 in Piaseczno (near Warsaw). He was a member of the Academic Council of the Centre of East Asian Studies at the University of Gdańsk and of the scholarly bi-annual journal Gdańsk East Asian Studies.

Jan Rowiński was a professor of the University of Warsaw. As a scholar and a diplomat, he was concerned with China for most of his professional life. He wrote many scholarly articles and books on the politics, culture, and history of China, and his passion for these subjects inspired generations of undergraduates, doctoral students, and colleagues. Inter alia, he owed his knowledge of China and the Chinese to the experience of the many years he spent there first as a student and later as a diplomat.

He was born on 11 May 1936 in Kiełpiny. From 1954 to 1959, he studied at the University of Beijing and at the Institute of Diplomacy in Beijing. From the beginning of his studies in Beijing he devoted his entire professional life to the study of East Asia, especially China. He witnessed the transformations that took place in China, and observed the changes in the structures of power there. China had a considerable influence on his way of life. It is difficult to overestimate his contribution to research into that part of the world.

His professional life ran on two tracks: on one hand, in diplomacy; on the other, in the academic world. As an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he worked in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing. Between 1995 and 2001, he was counsellor-minister plenipotentiary and deputy ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the People’s Republic of China. From 1969, he was connected with the Polish Institute of International Affairs, where he held several academic posts, and after completing his habilitation in 1987 was appointed professor there. In 2002, he became professor at the Institute of International Relations of the University of Warsaw in the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science, where he worked until 2013. At the University of Warsaw, he conducted classes on the foreign policies of China and Japan, the history and civilization of East Asia, and international relations in the Asia-Pacific region. He supervised the work of many doctoral students and reviewed doctoral and post-doctoral dissertations.

For his achievements, Professor Rowiński was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Gold Cross of Merit.

In connection with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hachikō, this article recalls the dog’s story in the context of its cultural impact in Japan and around the world. Hachikō is an authentic and very unusual Akita Inu dog, known from film adaptations (Japanese, Hollywood, and Chinese), which belonged to Professor Hidesaburō Ueno, who worked at the Faculty of Agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University. Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, near Ōdate, a city in Akita Prefecture. The dog was very attached to his master and every day he accompanied the professor to Shibuya train station, where he left for work, and then came to the station and waited for his master so that they could return home together. When Professor Ueno died suddenly at work on May 21, 1925, Hachikō was waiting for him at the station. From that day on, he came and waited for his master in the afternoon outside Shibuya train station in Tokyo every day for nearly ten years until his death. He was found dead near the station on the morning of March 8, 1935.

Even during Hachikō’s lifetime, his story touched many people, including those in the media. Hachikō became a symbol of fidelity, devotion, attachment, and loyalty, values traditionally cultivated in Japan. Therefore, already in his lifetime, in 1934 a monument was erected to him and unveiled in his presence at Shibuya Station. Also at the University of Tokyo there is a statue of Hachikō showing him together with Professor Ueno. Hachikō’s body was preserved after his death, and his figure can be admired today in a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo.

The purpose of this brief text is not to collect a handful of facts and present the story of the faithful dog Hachikō, but it is to draw attention to the story’s importance from the point of view of traditional values that are deeply rooted in Japanese history and tradition, and are still important and fostered.

Under Polish law objects that are archaeological cultural heritage discovered, accidentally found, or acquired as a result of archaeological research, are the property of the state. This is the situation of the original acquisition of the monument. As a further consequence, archaeological monuments are excluded from trade (becoming res extra commercium). Besides trade, the export of archaeological cultural goods is also highly problematic. In the case of permanent export of a monument abroad, the law imposes the obligation to obtain a permit for such permanent export, issued by the minister responsible for culture and the protection of national heritage. The regulation in Polish law makes it almost impossible for any archaeological cultural goods to be legally exported. The restricted freedom on the market of works of art and monuments in relation to archaeological finds, together with the limited options of mainly temporary export, have created high activity in the black market, calling for a change of approach of the national law towards archaeological heritage. This leads to the question: Should we introduce some legal changes in the ownership rights of archaeological heritage to bring it closer to people?

2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. On the occasion of this anniversary, the article uncharacteristically contains criticism of both UNESCO itself and doubts about the 1972 Convention. However, all these remarks flow from concern for the fate and future of this international organisation, whose activities and achievements in the protection of the world cultural heritage ultimately deserve recognition. The problems do not merely arise within UNESCO, but rather with other members of the international community, particularly some states and their actions toward the organisation. Problems also arise from the implementation of and compliance with international law. The allegations against UNESCO are organised and discussed here according to three criteria: formalism, time and costs. On the other hand, the 1972 UNESCO Convention itself is presented from two perspectives – first, in the normative layer as an international legal act, which serves as a sui generis constitution of the world’s protection of cultural and natural heritage; and second, in the empirical layer. In the latter context, attention was paid to the role of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Regardless of the criticisms, as well as the weaknesses and problems highlighted, it is clear from the article that it emphasises the value of both the 1972 UNESCO Convention, one of whose main advantages is that it has resisted the passage of time, and the great role of UNESCO itself, as an important international organisation with considerable achievements and merits.

This article presents the activities of the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS), which was established at the University of Gdańsk in 2007. Since its creation, CEAS – first headed by Professor Ewa Oziewicz (2007–2011), then Professor Kamil Zeidler (since October 2011) – has conducted scientific, publishing and cultural activities devoted to East Asian countries. The aim of the CEAS is to coordinate the tasks associated with these countries at Gdańsk University. The Centre maintains contact with educational and research centres in East Asia, and promotes the countries of this region in Poland. Its activities are undertaken independently or in cooperation with other institutions from Poland and abroad, mainly universities, embassies and government organisations, publishing houses and business enterprises related to East Asian countries. The article also presents the wide extent of the field for cooperation the Centre provides not only for scientists and students, but also diplomats, journalists, artists and people working in culture, both in East Asia and in Poland.

In the article, the author presents reflections on the importance of the idea of the road and perfection in Chinese philosophy on the basis of Chinese aphorisms. In Chinese philosophy, the central concept is tao 道, or “road,” understood as the path that a person walks through life in search and pursuit of wisdom and perfection. The wisdom of Chinese sages, such as Confucius, Lao-cy, Lie-cy, Mo Ti, and others, cited in the article, show what the pursuit of perfection is in terms of Chinese philosophy, and also contain recommendations on how to act in order to live well, in order to follow the path of virtue. This does not apply only to Taoism, because all the recommendations of Chinese sages concern how to proceed in order to experience our life as best as possible – both in ethical and praxeological dimensions. Most of the recommendations are united by the idea of self-improvement, based on the imperative of striving for excellence. This idea permeates the culture of the Far East – China, Japan, and Korea. In these countries, the ordinary activities of daily life have become “art.” Even if it is known that perfection can only be approached and never attained, it is still to be pursued, putting into it your daily effort in the thought of what Confucius preached: “the path is more important than the goal.”

In the communique the Author described the idea of the establishment by the UNESCO, in 1992, Memory of the World Register, sometimes called the UNESCO Memory of the World, and detailed the objects from East Asia, which have been entered into the register. The essence of the register is to protect the so-called documentary heritage of mankind, i.e. the most valuable documents that illustrate important events in the history of mankind. In the case of objects inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, the most important is their intangible asset – their historical, scientific, sometimes artistic value. So far, in the Register, from East Asian countries, there are objects from China (10), Japan (3), South Korea (11) and Mongolia (3).

In this article, the Authors present the life and achievements of Edward Kajdański as a diplomat, journalist, writer, and painter. Edward Kajdański was born in Harbin, in north Manchuria (China), at November 26, 1925. Place of birth determined his later life, designated spheres of interests, gave a solid education and brought a very rich experience. His father Edward Kajdański was an engineer, and mother Helena was half Italian, half Russian. Edward Kajdański received thorough education in the Henryk Sienkiewicz Polish Gymnasium in Harbin, and after graduation began his studies at the Faculty of Electromechanics at North Manchurian University, which in August 1945, after the entry of the Red Army, changed the name into University of Harbin. Edward Kajdański also studied at the Faculty of Architecture. In 1950 he graduated from the University of Harbin and because of the outbreak of the Korean War left Harbin. In 1951, he arrived in Gdynia and started working in Gdańsk. His extensive knowledge, knowledge of Chinese, English and Russian caused that Mr. Kajdański never complained about the lack of employment. He worked in commercial enterprises, but very quickly he was noticed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who directed him to work in the Office of the Commercial Counsellor in Beijing (1963–1967, 1971–1975). In the years 1979–1982 he was the general consul and the head of the Consulate General in Guangzhou. He returned permanently to Poland in 1982, and settled down in Gdańsk.
In addition to the professional activity Edward Kajdański also worked as a scientist, disseminating knowledge about China in Poland, which resulted in hundreds of articles, as well as scientific and popular science books on China. The most attention he devoted to the achievements of Polish Jesuit missionary Michael Boym. In the work of Edward Kajdański, as important as the writing, is painting, which is multi-dimensional and thematically diversified. Among his works there are both reconstructions of Michael Boym’s maps and herbs, the works dating back to the old Chinese painting, reconstructions of frescoes and copies of paintings on silk, as well as illustrations he created for his books. His extremely rich national activities has been valued on many national and international exhibitions. He left hundreds of books, articles and paintings – it is his legacy.
For his merits for the Polish-Chinese relations, especially in the field of mutual knowledge of cultures and historical research contacts, Mr. Kajdański was awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland with the honor distinction ‘Bene Merito’.

Edward Kajdański died in Gdańsk, September 10, 2020.

In this article, the Authors present the life and achievements of Edward Kajdański as a diplomat, journalist, writer, and painter. Edward Kajdański was born in Harbin, in north Manchuria, November 26, 1925. Place of birth determined his later life, designated spheres of interests, gave a solid education and brought a very rich experience.

His father was an engineer Edward Kajdański, who died in 1936, and mother – Helena (maiden name Biełow) – half Italian, half Russian. Edward Kajdański received thorough education in the Henryk Sienkiewicz Polish Gymnasium in Harbin, and after graduation, first he worked in a sugar factory ‘Aszyche’ from January 1944, and began his studies at the Faculty of Electromechanics at North Manchurian University, which in August 1945, after the entry of the Red Army, changed the name into University of Harbin. After this change, Edward Kajdański studied at the Faculty of Architecture. In addition, for two years he attended evening pharmacy classes at the Red Cross Medical Technical School in Harbin. In 1950 he graduated from the University of Harbin and because of the outbreak of the Korean War left Harbin. In 1951, he arrived in Gdynia and started working in Gdansk Brewery. His extensive knowledge, knowledge of Chinese, English and Russian caused that Mr. Kajdański never complained about the lack of employment. He worked in commercial enterprises, but very quickly he was noticed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who directed him to work in the Office of the Commercial Counsellor in Beijing (1963–1967). In the years 1979–1982 he was the consul and the head of the Consulate General in Guangzhou. He returned permanently to Poland in 1982, and settled down in Gdansk.

In addition to the professional activity Edward Kajdański also worked as a scientist, disseminating knowledge about the Middle Kingdom in Poland, which resulted in hundreds of articles, as well as scientific and popular science books on China. The most attention he devoted to the achievements of Polish Jesuit missionary Michael Boym. In the work of Edward Kajdański, as important as the writing, is painting, which is multi-dimensional and thematically diversified. Among his works there are both reconstructions of Michael Boym’s maps and herbs, the works dating back to the old Chinese painting, reconstructions of frescoes and copies of paintings on silk, as well as illustrations he created for his books. The important part of the paintings is referring to the style zhongcai, or ‘painting of heavy, intense colors’. His extremely rich national activities has been valued on many national and international exhibitions.For his merits for the Polish-Chinese relations, especially in the field of mutual knowledge of cultures and historical research contacts, Mr. Kajdański was awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the honor distinction ‘Bene Merito’.

The Activities of the Centre for East Asian Studies UG in 2012 (Kamil Zeidler)

1. Research project “Wierszyna 2018: Polish enclave in Siberia. Between myth and reality”, Wierszyna, 4–27 September 2018 (Patrycja Laskowska)

2. The Asia-Pacific Moot Court competition, Singapore, 1–3 March 2019 (Karolína Menšíková)

3.  The Japanese Day at the Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, 5 June 2019 (Kamil Zeidler)