ShakoOutlook | 启程，看见中国！Start a New Journey to Understand “the Middle Kingdom” Better

It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, I figured out it before heard a single word about Dao dejing (道德经), I knew that it is crucial to move, at least try to move forward. Sometimes you succeeded sometimes not, but as Gabriel Garcia Marquez once mentioned "I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken & the form used to reach the top of the hill".  Later on, I heard choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life (知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者). It become one of the main motto in My live. I realised that universal wisdom unify east and west and you can be impressed or guided from someone else who lived 25 centuries ago or thousands mile away. And my journey has started…

千里之行，始于足下。其实，读《道德经》前，我就意识到了行动的重要性，哪怕只是意动。正如哥伦比亚作家、记者和社会活动家加西亚·马尔克斯所写，无论成功与否，“每个人都想站在山顶上，但所有的幸福与成长都发生在攀登的过程中”。后来，我又看到了“知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者”这句话。这句话也是我的至理名言之一。普世智慧融汇东西，你可以从生活在2500年前或数千英里之外的人那里得到深刻启迪。于是，我的旅程开始了……

Shako recevied two books about Chinese history as his birthday presents. 

尚可生日时收到两本中国历史书。

I was born on October, this is the main season for grape harvesting in Georgia and it was called as "wine month" during medieval period. Georgia is the birthplace wine, where local communities started fermented wine almost 8000 years ago. From religious and cultural perspective, wine is not a just alcoholic drink, it is a part of national spirit, historical memory and modern identity.

我出生在10月，这是格鲁吉亚收获葡萄的季节，我们也把10月称为“酿酒之月”。格鲁吉亚是葡萄酒的诞生地，酿酒历史可以追溯到约八千年前。在格鲁吉亚，无论是从宗教还是文化的角度来说，葡萄酒都不仅仅是一种酒精饮品，更是民族精神、历史文化、现代认同的一部分。

Shako (L) and Prof. Liu Guangwen (R) took photos together. 

尚可（左）和格鲁吉亚“华侨协会”终身名誉主席、“丝绸之路”格中文化中心主席刘光文教授（右）合影。

So, October is very important and busy period there, but when I was born there was a dark and national nihilism due to state's socio-political condition. We suffered from wars and conflicts and it altered entire my childhood.

因此，10月是我们国家非常重要且繁忙的时刻，尽管由于国家政权和社会更迭导致，我出生时的大环境非常混乱，饱受战争与混乱的洗礼，这些经历改变了我的童年。

Archil Kalandia (L), the former embassador of Georgia to China gave a speech about Sino-Georgian relations to Shako's (R) students at the Tbilisi State University.

前格鲁吉亚驻华大使阿尔赤·卡岚第亚（左）在第比利斯国立大学给尚可（右）的学生分享对格中关系的看法和见解感受。

My generation lacked many things including safe and health environment, happiness and even basic needs, we were "post-war generation".  Despite many difficulties, it became a main motivators for us to learn, to dream, to move forward. And I became a "dreamer millennial".

我们这辈人是“战后的一代人”，缺乏安全健康的幸福生活，甚至有时无法满足一些基本生活需求。尽管如此，这些困难也成为了推动我们主动求索、追求梦想、不断向前的重要动力。因此，我也是“充满梦想的千禧一代”。

Shako (L) was invited to share his points of views at the "Perspective of Georigia-China Relations" roundtable when a delegation from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 

中国社科院代表团访问格鲁吉亚期间，尚可（左）在“格中关系的看法与前景”圆桌会议上分享观点。

In the time of darkens, the old and dusted books became the best partners. They helped me to travel without actual travelling around the globe. I was dreamer, fighter, lover, statesman and many things during this cognitive process. I asked questions and seeking for answers. I decided to digging up in history and literature, understand modern politics to see what was going on around us, why, how and how can we alter our future. I become very passionate and step by step catch the logic of global process. And by this time University entrance national exam approached me.

动荡不安时，尘封的旧书就成为了我最好的伙伴。它们让我足不出户就能环游整个世界。遨游在书本的世界里，我或是一位“梦想家”、或是一位“战士”、或是一位“爱人”、或是一位“政治家”……我思考问题并寻求解答。因此，我选择了文科，希望通过学习现代政治了解我们身边正在发生什么、为什么会发生这些事情、这些事是怎样发生的，以及这些事又将如何改变人类未来。对此，我充满好奇，并在学习的过程中逐渐开始了解全球发展进程。也就在那时，大学入学考试来了。

Shako co-authored the Georgian Sinologist Association's first book on Chinese history in Georgian, The History of China.

尚可参与合著格鲁吉亚汉学家协会第一本关于中国历史的格鲁吉亚语书籍《中国历史》。

I joined Tbilisi State University and started learning political science. It was an interesting but difficult process where I figure our that I was very attracted by Eastern Asia and China, we knew few about this societies including culture, economy, identity and values. I remembered how Lao Zi and Confucius inspired me long ago so decided to start new journey and understand "middle kingdom" better.

随后，我进入第比利斯国立大学，学习政治学专业。这是一段既有趣又难熬的时光。在学习的过程中，丰富多彩的东亚和中国历史文化吸引了我。对格鲁吉亚人而言，我们对这个国度的文化、经济、思想知之甚少。至今，我仍记得，老子和孔子的思想是怎样激励着自己，决定开启这段新的旅程——去中国看看。

Shako joined Renmin University of China for his master degree. 

尚可在中国人民大学攻读研究生。

Afterwards, I joined Far East Regional studies program and started learning Chinese language, history and culture. It was like a battle, an intellectual battle with myself. Chinese language is a part absolutely different linguistic group (Sino-tibetian language groups) therefore structure, phonetics, grammar was quite different, complicated and challenging.

不久之后，我加入了远东地区研究项目，开始学习中文以及中国的历史文化。那段日子，对我来说就像“打仗”一样，是一场自身与智力的搏斗。汉语属于完全不同的语言群（汉藏语系），结构、发音、语法都不一样，十分复杂且充满挑战。

In 2016, Shako (M) received full-scholarship and Zhejiang University admission letter.

尚可（中）获得中国政府奖学金，前往浙江大学参加汉语进修课前与同学的合照。

Fortunately, in 2016 Georgian ministry of education and Chinese embassy offered joint projects to study in China. I accepted another challenge and sent my application. To be honest, it was very unexpected when I received full-scholarship and Zhejiang University admission letter later. Competition was tough and hard but seems that I was skilled enough to win. And then my Chinese story begun, I moved to Hangzhou and felt and ancient saying: "上有天堂下有苏杭" was true.

2016年，格鲁吉亚教育部与中国驻格鲁吉亚大使馆联合举办了一个留学中国的项目（项目的具体名称: 中国政府奖学金）。得知消息后，我决定挑战一下，递交了留学申请。说实话，我从没想过能获得浙江大学的全额奖学金。当时竞争非常激烈，但显而易见地，我的能力得到了认可。随后，我的中国故事就此展开。我前往杭州学习，切身体会到了中国古话所说的“上有天堂，下有苏杭”。

Shako visited the Summer Palace in Beijing.

尚可在北京颐和园游览。

Hangzhou life was one of the most interesting part of my live, I was feeling like a Marco Polo. Every day I had discoveries and the language was not challenging at all. I became addicted on this process but I did not want to be a selfish, I always wanted to share knowledge and views to others and I created educational website on China with my collegues, we started writing article, translating news and etc. I catch the opportunity to see dynamic of Chinese society and grabbed it.

在杭州的日子是我人生中最有趣的一段时光。我就像马可波罗一样，每天都能有新的收获。中文也不再难学。我十分享受学习的过程，还和我的同学们一起搭建了一个学习写作和翻译新闻的网站（sinologia.ge）。留学期间，我有幸见证了中国经济社会的发展。

Shako visited the Great Wall in China.

尚可游览长城。

When I came back to Georgia I knew that I found my "holistic and professional mission".  Since this period I have been worked many places such as Ministry of foreign affairs, Embassy of Georgia to the People's republic of China, private companies, think-tanks and etc. Everything was related to Asia and China, working, writing, publishing, translating and public activities. I enjoy to discover, learn, understand and then share to others.

回到格鲁吉亚后，我找到了自己的“专业使命”。期间，我在格鲁吉亚外交部、格鲁吉亚驻中国大使馆、企业、智库等地方都工作过，内容涉及亚洲和中国的方方面面，例如文书、出版、翻译以及一些公共活动。我喜欢这个发现、学习、了解，最后向大家分享的过程。

As it Is said: 三人行，必有我师 . So I am doing this and will do until I have a energy for this.

“三人行，必有我师 。”我将把这句话一直践行下去。

P.S. 活到老，学到老。

来源：天眼新闻