一位法國老人的中國情緣

他是洋教授，也是“中國好人”（人物）

▲已故西安外國語大學終身名譽教授讓·德·米里拜爾

古城西安南郊，西安外國語大學雁塔校區，橫卧着一塊用黑色大理石砌成的紀念碑，碑的正中鐫刻着 “耕耘友誼”四個大字，右上方鑲嵌着一位法國老人的頭像。他就是把後半生都奉獻給了中國的法國文教專家——讓·德·米里拜爾。

讓擁有一箇中國名字——米睿哲，而且還擁有一個“米睿哲中國愛心教育助學金”，用來資助山區的小學生。多年來，讓先後介紹40多名師生出國學習，並資助了西安不少醫生去法國留學，還充當義務講解員和有關中國歷史文化講座的組織者。

△國務院副總理劉延東為讓所作的題詞

為表彰讓在法中文化交流中做出的貢獻，1994年，法國駐華大使弗朗索瓦·普萊森代表法國總統將一枚拿破崙勛章授予讓。讓將它轉贈給了西安外國語大學收藏。他説： “將這枚勛章永遠保存在中國，讓法中文化交流永遠流傳。”2014年，讓被授予“中國好人”稱號。

讓·德·米里拜爾，男，1919年出生，西安外國語大學法籍退休教師，世界知名學者。1976年起，紮根中國生活了40年，是西安外國語學院（現名西安外國語大學）首任官方派遣的外籍教師。幾十年孜孜不倦地為中法文化的交流與發展做出了里程碑式貢獻，他先後義務幫助40多位莘莘學子赴法留學，為陝西地區培養了不少醫學和藝術人才。但在這些青年人前往法國留學前一一告誡他們：學成後一定要回國，為自己的國家，為自己的民族做點事。

2014年5月20日，法國駐華大使白林女士專程拜訪了讓·德·米里拜爾先生。交談中讓回顧了三十多年來中國發生的巨大變化，言語間不時顯露出法國人的“中國心”，白林大使對他一生投身教育事業的奉獻和成績給予高度肯定。他出身法國望族，放棄優越生活，在中國改革開放初期來到中國西部，把自己融入中國，融入西安。他生活極為簡樸，卻把全部工資和退休金都用來幫助殘疾人，幫助山區貧困學生，幫助一切他知道和能夠幫助的需要幫助的人。退休後，他選擇留在中國、留在西安外國語大學，繼續致力於研究中國歷史和文化。

Jean de Miribel arrived in China in July 1976. The tall, genial foreign-language expert joined the Xi'an International Studies University (XISU) that September, and immediately worked to inspire students to share a passion for literature and science.

He adopted China and its people as his family and received admiration and respect from students and colleagues. He worked tirelessly, even in retirement, to build a Sino-French cultural exchange, and inviting friends in France and China to speak and spread ideas.

The Chinese name he took for himself was Mi Ruizhe (米睿哲) - mi which literally means uncooked rice while his given names rui and zhe mean wise and far-sighted or astute.

His belief in education saw him develop the language studies at XISU, sponsor children through primary school, and help students from China to study overseas. Although he lived a very frugal life himself, he was extremely generous when it came to subsidising Chinese students in destitute mountainous regions to studying in France.

He received many honours, including the LEgion d'Honneur, as well as tokens of esteem and affection from students, friends and neighbours.

Jean de Miribel left a legacy of cross-cultural understanding and respect. The last wish of the Frenchman known in his 'adopted' country as a 'a person who has performed good deeds for China' was to donate his body for medical research after he passed away at the age of 96 in Xi'an on 10 October 2015.