Copy Reference Marco Antonio V. Lopez has remarked that if he were to write a memoir, three teaching experiences in China would be an integral part. He considers his work teaching Filipino language and culture in Chinese universities during three different stints some of the most special achievements in his life.
China left an indelible mark on the life of the renowned Filipino-language novelist, who has twice won the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, the longest-running literary contest in the Philippines, and has since served as a jury member for it. To Lopez, the word “China” means civilization, friendship and unforgettable memories across two decades.
Feeling China
“I first came to China out of sheer curiosity,” Lopez said. “It was like living in a movie”. In 1999, Lopez was dispatched by the Department of Filipino at Ateneo de Manila University to teach phonetics, grammar, and other subjects at Peking University’s School of Foreign Languages. It was his first time working abroad, and everything was new. He wandered around hutongs (narrow alleys typical in Beijing), climbed the Great Wall, visited the Forbidden City, and became completely immersed in the cityscapes of Beijing and the charm of Chinese culture.
“That experience gave me the idea of becoming a Filipino sinologist and translating classic Chinese novels into Filipino (Tagalog),” he recalled. “So, I began to learn Chinese. But Chinese is quite difficult, so I haven’t been able to get that far.” Although Lopez’s command of Chinese is not great yet, it did not affect his enthusiasm for Chinese culture. He studied Confucius and learned about the principle of yin and yang alongside reading English translations of Lu Xun’s and Lao She’s novels.
To him, “China” was no longer just a five-hour flight from Manila and the land ceased being an unreachable ancient country existing only in legend.
His pleasant memories from 1999 drove Lopez to return to China to teach in the spring of 2008. This timing enabled him to witness fulfillment of China’s Olympic dream in Beijing.
“The Olympic Games have a special place in my heart,” Lopez revealed. “When I was young, I watched the Olympic Games with my parents and extended family. In 2008, I was able to watch the games in person and felt lucky to witness Filipino athletes compete in China’s arenas—that feeling was great.” Lopez recalls the Chinese people showcasing a modern, prosperous China through the Olympics. Despite only nine years between the visits, Beijing was already very different from 1999.
Filipino Taking Root in China
In the summer of 2018, Lopez received yet another offer to teach in China, but at prestigious Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). He did not take much time making up his mind and agreed immediately. He was excited to return to China and continue his friendship with the Chinese people.
“It’s amazing to discover a former student has become a teacher of Filipino.” In 2017, BFSU launched its first undergraduate Filipino program. The same year, Yunnan Minzu University began enrolling students in its Filipino program, increasing the number of institutions of higher learning in China offering Filipino majors to three with Peking University included.
Huo Ran and Xu Hanyi both studied under Lopez in 2008. In 2018, they were hired to teach Filipino at the School of Asian and African Studies of BFSU. The teachers assigned in 2006 to manage the Filipino program at Peking University were Huang Yi and Shi Yang, who were taught by Lopez in 1999.
In Lopez’s view, his teaching heritage has helped Tagalog education and Philippine studies take root in China. “Tagalog and Philippine studies are starting to develop a relatively solid foundation in China,” Lopez opined. “It has been wonderful to witness the development of such a discipline like watching the gradual growth of a baby.”
Lopez’s impact on the development of Filipino language teaching in China has been enormous. He completed three terms of teaching in China over a period of 20 years. He brought valuable first-hand information on Filipino and participated in the compilation of textbooks.
Over the past 20 years, his teaching philosophy has evolved from drilling phonetics and grammar so Chinese students can learn to read and write in Filipino to introducing more information on Philippine society, history and culture to link language learning with social development. To improve the students’ Filipino skills and deepen their understanding of Philippine culture, he asked students to shoot a short film and compile a collection of their own essays in addition to regular written assignments.
“Across the entire process from writing a script to shooting the film, students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities improved,” Lopez reported. “Their collections of essays taught them immensely, but also serve as special books for me. They may not be found in libraries, but they are more precious than any other book to me.”
Over the years, Lopez has witnessed immense changes in Chinese society and urban construction and contributed to the development of Tagalog teaching in China. Lopez learned a lot about China while sharing everything he know about the Philippines.
As one of the most famous Tagalog novelists in the Philippines, Lopez has repeatedly injected Chinese place names and ideas about China into his novels, which he considers manifestations of his friendship with China.
Could a fourth stay in China be in the works? “Unfortunately, I am almost 60 years old now,” Lopez sighed. “If I were 20 years younger, why not? I would love to see China’s future development. If I get the chance, I would like to see the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in 2022. It is very unusual for a city to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games.”
Lopez serves on the jury of the prestigious Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the longest-running literary contest in the Philippines.
Lopez in a 2017 class photo with all the teachers and students of the Filipino program at Beijing Foreign Studies University.