On October 18th, the founding ceremony of the “Fischer Theatre Fund” was held in the CFL. Roland Fischer, Professor of the University of St. Claude in the US, a former foreign teacher of the Department of English of the CFL at the NKU, Zou Yujie, Secretary of the Party Committee of the CFL, Yan Guodong, President of the CFL, Jiao Yanting, Vice President of the CFL, Xiang Yu, Deputy Secretary and vice president, attended the ceremony, representatives of foreign language alumni, undergraduate and graduate students attended the ceremony. Ma Hongqi, Vice President presided over it.
Ma Hongqi first gave a brief introduction to Mr. Fischer, whose Chinese name is Fei Nianhua. Back to 1982, Mr. and Mrs. Fischers stepped into the NKU and started their 5 years' teaching career in the Department of English, who offered a valuable asset for the drama development of the NKU. Owing to their efforts, Nankai now boasts a long history of drama. At that time in order to enable students to learn English in diversified forms, the Fischers encouraged students to perform Chinese drama in English. Supported by the school and the Fischers, Thunderstorm performed by the Nankai Student Troupe of Foreign Languags was put on at nine universities in Minnesota and Stanford University in 1986. This was the first drama that Chinese college students had performed in English at abroad. In 1987, Fischer led the same troupe embarked on their second journey abroad to have Camel Xiangzi performed at ten universities in the central United States. It was a great sucess. In 2009, Fischer received the “Haihe Friendship Award” from the Tianjin Municipal Government.
The Fischer Theatre Fund was initiated by Cai Benhong and other students of the troupe. At the ceremony, Yan Guodong and Fischer announced the fund. Afterwards, alumni representatives granted a donation cheque of 217,825 yuan to the college, and in return, Yan Guodong issued a donation certificate for the fund raisers. In his speech, Yan Guodong proposed that drama performing was an important extracurricular activity contributing to the foreign language teaching and disciplinary development. After Mr. Fisher's attempt, Nankai student troupe from the Department of Japanese and Russian made some performances at home and abroad. This is a major innovation for Chinese culture to “go global”. He also said that the establishment of the Fisher Theatre Fund is of great significance and hoped that the teachers and students of the CFL will work together to continue the Nankai's tradition of letting Chinese drama go global. He praised the alumni's care for the development of the college and their commitment to supporting the alma mater. Besides, he hoped that the students across generations would inherit the legacy of drama by its appeal, influence and cohesiveness.
Afterwards, Cui Guoliang, the former president of Nankai University Press, after donating a manuscript of the NK Drama Iconography, delivered a speech. He spoke highly of the student troupe guided by Mr. Fischer.
Fischer donated to the college Hu Yuqing’s (Mr. Lao She’s wife) inscription and the precious materials of some drama performances as Thunderstorm and Rickshaw Boy (Camel Xiangzi), and presented the members of the troupe with precious records of those performances. Fischer expressed his delight to return to the school for its centennial celebration and sincere thanks to the fund raisers for the important role in leading the Nankai drama in the world. Fischer developed an intimate relationship with students, for he took his Chinese student as his child, thus he won the name of good kind father.
At last, Cai Benhong and Wang Guowen, representatives of the members in that troupe said that the life was different when one looked it form the perspective of drama, and expressed their sincere thanks to the Fischers for his selfless dedication.
When the ceremony was over, students from the Nankai Foreign Drama Club gave a performance of Shakespeare's masterpiece The Merchant of Venice.
