Master of language sees power of words

Sinologist believes the world can deal with modern issues by learning from traditional Chinese culture

Joel Bellassen has been a keen observer of China and Chinese culture over the years. A Sinologist, he was the first inspector-general of Chinese language teaching at the French Ministry of Education.

"My motive in learning Chinese was to discover a culture that was distant from its Western counterpart," he said, referring to the four decades he has spent studying Mandarin.