中美文化中心学生艾尚恩唁函

My first class with Professor Ren Donglai was at 8:00am on a Tuesday during shopping week. The class, The American Supreme Court, seemed like a strange choice to take in Chinese, but I was curious and it worked with my schedule and I’m something of a morning person. There was a total of 5 bleary-eyed students in the classroom and at the time I was pretty unsure of my Chinese. Within minutes of Professor Ren Donglai beginning his lecture, I was certain that signing up for the course was anything but a mistake. His enthusiasm, passion, and understanding of not only the Supreme Court, but every related thread were palpable. His insistence on making every class member speak and answer his questions did more for my Chinese and my confidence in it than all the hours I had spent with my copy of the New Practical Chinese Reader. In short, Professor Ren Donglai changed my experience at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in remarkable ways. Without having taken his class, I would have said that my time at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center was great. Having had the privilege of taking two of his courses, I can say that my time at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center was nothing short of extraordinary. Classmates and I still remark about Professor Ren Donglai’s optimism, wit, and excitement for just about everything. It was such an honor to have had him agree to serve as my thesis advisor, and though his illness made our contact briefer than I would have liked and electronic rather than allowing me to appear in his office in person, his sage advice, worthy criticism, and undiluted warmth shaped my thesis into something of which I could be proud.

The Hopkins-Nanjing Center has lost a pillar and the world has lost a friend. Professor Ren Donglai inspired countless HNC students and me to greatness, to confidence, and to recall what it was like to have had that childlike sense of wonder of learning; a spark we all still possess deep down. I thank him for that. May he live in on our memory forever.

Sean Ages

艾尚恩

吴耘女士在来信中介绍：“东来病中指导过三个美国学生，Sean是其中一个，他的论文导师签署意见是在军区总院的病房完成的。”