A passion for Chinese culture

Idema at the Dunhuang Research Academy.

"Back then, I knew little about China," says Idema, whose early influences include Dutch Sinologist and author Robert van Gulik.

Idema later studied Chinese culture at Leiden University. Finding opportunities to practice the language at the school was a huge challenge. "There were actually no Chinese-speaking teachers in our university at the time, and it was also impossible for us to study in China for political reasons," he explains.

"So when I graduated from college, I couldn't even speak a single sentence in Chinese, though I was able to read and write in it fluently."

Idema continued his academic pursuits in Japan, where he became familiar with the similarities between the Japanese and Chinese languages. Idema discovered his passion for traditional Chinese plays after a Japanese professor introduced him to some works from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). He soon began translating them into Western languages. Idema says it took him some time to really appreciate the poetic lyrics in the plays, which are closely associated with traditional Chinese poetry and have high aesthetic value.

Idema first visited China in 1978. As one of the few Westerners who understood Chinese language and culture, he was invited to work as a guide and interpreter for a tourist delegation.