The launch ceremony for Professor William N. Brown’s new book, Off the Wall – How We Fell for China, in conjunction with an anniversary ceremony expressing gratitude for his 30 years of service to Xiamen University, was held in the morning of December 22 on the third floor of the Keli Building, Xiamen University. The Chinese version of his book (《我不见外——老潘的中国来信》) was co-translated by MTS’s general manager, Frank Wei, and the MTS translation team.
MTS’s live broadcasting platform – Translation TV (TTV) – hosted an exclusive live stream of the whole ceremony.
Zhang Rong, president of Xiamen University and deputy secretary of the Party Committee, Lu Cairong, vice president of the China International Publishing Group, Hong Yongshi, former member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and former secretary of the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Guo Quliang, director of the Foreign (Overseas) Expert Bureau of Fujian Province, and Frank Wei, major translator of this book and president of the Xiamen Translation Association, participated in the ceremony together with more than 200 teachers, students and alumni of Xiamen University
Professor William N. Brown of Xiamen University’s MBA Center is the author of the book Off the Wall – How We Fell for China. The book is compiled of roughly 50 letters sent to family and friends in the United States detailing his 30-year life in Xiamen. Its Publication is of high historical value and importance since the letters detail, from a foreign perspective, how Xiamen Special Economic Zone and China have developed during the course of reform and opening up. It shapes the image of an open and inclusive Fujian and uses a humorous tone to portray a real and vivid China. Meanwhile, we get the chance to follow Xiamen University’s development.
Professor Brown has been teaching for 30 years in Xiamen University School of Business Administration and has thus grown to love China like a native Chinese; in fact he knows more about Xiamen than most Xiamen residents. He has written more than 10 books and hundreds of television programs that introduce Chinese cities, culture and history to English speakers. By scouring libraries around the world, he has managed to collect a large amount of precious historical data about Xiamen and a great number of old photographs of the city. In doing so he has helped sort through hundreds of years of Xiamen’s history and played a helping role in getting Xiamen named a “garden city” and winning the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honor Award.
With the help of MTS, Professor Brown created two English websites http://amoymagic.com/ and http://www.xiamenguide.com/ at his own expense. And in 1992 he became the first foreigner in Fujian Province to be granted permanent residence status, going on to receive the Friendship Award from Premier Li Peng in 1993.
Professor William N. Brown invited president of the Xiamen Translation Association and general manager of MTS, Frank Wei, to translate this book as, to his mind, Frank is the best translator.
As his best friend and work partner, president of Xiamen Translation Association and general manager of MTS, Frank Wei, shared “Professor Brown’s humor” in his speech during the ceremony.