Chinese professor launches book on Bulgarian nationalism

Copies of Lin Wenshuang's new book are displayed at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in China, during the book presentation on Oct 17, 2014. [Photo by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

After six years of hard work, Lin Wenshuang, associate professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, presented her new book on Bulgarian nationalism last week at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in China.

The book, Bulgarian Nation: Imagining and Reimagining, investigates the role of nationalism in the reconstruction of the Bulgarian state, and was highly recognized by scholars and the Bulgarian ambassador to China at the book launch.

"Professor Lin's book presents the readers a unique period in Bulgaria's history, a period which is unknown to many Chinese," said Bulgarian Ambassador to China Plamen Shukyurliev. "Her objective introduction on the subject impressed me. The year 2014 marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Bulgaria, and I am very glad to see such a book from a Chinese author."

Lin graduated as a Bulgarian language major from Beijing Foreign Studies University, before she pursued further education at the University of Sofia in Bulgaria, and earned a Ph.D degree in humanities from the University of Louisville in the US.

Despite her expertise on the subject, finishing a 100,000-word book in English about a foreign country is no easy job for the 39-year-old Lin, mother to a 4-year-old girl.

Her investigation involves multiple means, from political science, historiography, journalism, linguistics to literature. Her ability to be able to speak four languages also gave her access to documents in the study in Chinese, Bulgarian, Russia and English.

By examining a great number of primary documents, her book aims to clarify the significance and role of nationalism in the reconstruction of the Bulgarian state, and to examine to what extent the development of Bulgarian nationalism was influenced by Russia.

"Writing about Bulgaria's history is challenging for a non-Bulgarian," She said. "But as a foreigner, we can try to introduce the topic in an objective way, by reading and doing research in multiple languages, which can also be an advantage."

The book is published by St. Kliment Ohridski University Press in Bulgaria.