Hallerstein and the universal language of science as a bridge between Slovenia and China
The President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar was the honorary speaker at the opening of an exhibition on Ferdinand Augustin Hallerstein organised by the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia to commemorate the 320th anniversary of the birth of the Slovenian Jesuit, astronomer, scientist and diplomat. The exhibition was also organised in the light of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and the People’s Republic of China, where Hallerstein served as a high-ranking imperial official. President Pirc Musar welcomed the good cooperation between the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia and the State Archives Administration of China in the preparation of the exhibition. She described the cooperation between Slovenian scientists and their Chinese counterparts as a bridge-builder between the two countries.
Ljubljana, 26 Apr 2023
News
In her opening address, President Pirc Musar described the opening of the exhibition as a special intertwining of the present and the past, of art, human relations and science. “Science does not divide people, it enriches them. And it was the universal language of science that enabled Hallerstein to be accepted and appreciated in an environment that was alien to him and to Europeans at the time,” emphasised the President, highlighting the good relationship between the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia and the State Archives Administration of China as an important message of this exhibition. “The cooperation between the two archives, and in general between Slovenian scientists and their Chinese counterparts, is a bridge-builder between the two countries. I would like to see these bridges grow even stronger and for mutual cooperation to extend across as many fields of science as possible, both in the humanities and in the social and natural sciences,” said President Pirc Musar, expressing her wish that the exhibition on Hallerstein, with its numerous documents, would strengthen the general knowledge of his life and work in society in general. She noted that the exhibition includes documents from both countries that will bring us closer to Hallerstein as a scientist and a man, who was also described by Chinese Ambassador to Slovenia Wang Shunqing as “a historical ambassador of Slovenian-Chinese friendship.”
President Pirc Musar also spoke of another famous Slovenian personality – Alma Karlin, world traveller and writer. An important part of her journey was her stay in China. “Alma symbolises a future that we are somehow forgetting: in order to understand each other, we need to visit each other and be curious. We must not isolate ourselves within our own borders,” said President Pirc Musar and expressed her gratitude to the Chinese researchers in Slovenia who are helping us get closer to and understand China. “I would of course also like for China to understand Slovenia. I therefore hope to see as many new Almas as possible, who will be ambassadors of Slovenia and Slovenian culture, not only in China, but in East Asia in general,” President Pirc Musar concluded.
President Pirc Musar then visited the exhibition and expressed her delight that the language of Hallerstein’s and Chinese science would be brought even closer by a copy of his astronomical instrument from the Beijing Ancient Observatory, which is expected shortly.
