Russian Professors’ Textile Dream in China

By Liu Dongli, Zhu Yunhan

Translation by Li Li

Russian Professors’ Textile Dream in China

By Liu Dongli, Zhu Yunhan

Translation by Li Li

Professor Alexey Guryev (left) at the textile equipment laboratory of the Wuhan Textile University古麗耶夫教授（左）在武漢紡織大學紡織裝備實驗室

The bond between Russian experts, Alexey Guryev and Lygdenov Burial,and Chinese textile started with two emails in 2013.

It was during February and April that Professor Guryev who taught at Altai State Technical University received two emails from the Wuhan Textile University (WTU) in China. The two emails expressed the same sincere wish to invite him to lecture at WTU. Professor Burial,a former classmate of Professor Guryev, happened to be in Altai and was visiting him at that time.

Both of the experts were Honored Workers in Higher Education in Russia and had been awarded Russian Badges for International Scientific Work. After discussion with Burial, Guryev replied to WTU that he would like to visit the university and recommended that he and Burial go together.

The high performance steel and alloy materials developed by Professor Guryev and Burial,particularly the top coating technology for mechanical spare parts, have been widely used in aviation, aerospace, machinery manufacturing, and more. WTU sent their sincere invitation with the promise of a handsome salary.

Wuhan was full of blossoming flowers and life in April, which warmed Guryev and Burial who had just come from wintery Russia.

“It was like getting to a whole new world.” The development in Wuhan was far beyond their expectations. They were amazed at the corporate dynamics, laboratory conditions,and potential for scientific application. They believed that their research results would be better utilized here. So they finally decided to accept the kind offer from WTU. This is how the bond between the two Russian experts and China was forged.

說起俄羅斯專家古麗耶夫和布里亞爾與中國紡織的情緣，還得從2013年的兩封郵件說起。

2013年2月至4月間，執教于俄羅斯阿爾泰國立技術大學的教授古麗耶夫，相繼收到兩封來自中國武漢紡織大學的郵件。兩封信表達著同一個意思：誠懇邀請他赴該校任教。恰巧此時，大學同窗布里亞爾出差阿爾泰，順道看望他。

這兩位專家都是“俄羅斯高等教育榮譽工作者”，獲得過俄羅斯“國際科技工作勛章”。他們商量后，古麗耶夫給紡大寫回信，同意訪問該校，并鄭重推薦布里亞爾一同前往。

古麗耶夫和布里亞爾研發的高性能鋼與合金材料，尤其是機械零部件表面涂層技術，被廣泛運用于航空航天、機械制造等領域。紡大誠意切切，高薪相請。

4月武漢，春暖花開，生機盎然，讓從寒冷俄羅斯來的古麗耶夫和布里亞爾倍感溫暖。

“我們像是到了一個新奇的世界。”武漢的發展水平與他們的想象迥異。中國的企業活力、實驗條件和科技應用潛力，讓他們嘖嘖稱嘆，覺得他們的科研成果一定會得到更好運用。最終兩人決定：接受紡大的橄欖枝。兩位俄羅斯學者與中國的情緣就此結下。

同年10月，兩人正式受聘武漢紡織大學，擔任“陽光學者計劃”講座教授。對于年近花甲的他們，生活在異國他鄉并不容易。布里亞爾把妻子帶過來，在中國安家。

作為科學家，古麗耶夫和布里亞爾從不浪費時間，他們一頭鉆進中國實驗室，連中國國慶長假也不外出，經常忙到深夜。

兩人辛勤的汗水換來的是豐碩的成果。來中國工作近四年來，他們發表論文40多篇，出版專著三本，申請和獲得授權專利多項，其關于機械零部件復合擴散涂層表面強化處理技術，被成功運用于紡織機械、軸承制造等領域。

付出總有回報。布里亞爾2015年入選湖北省“楚天學者計劃”特聘教授，2016年入選湖北“百人計劃”；古麗耶夫2015年入選中國“外專千人”計劃、湖北“百人計劃”和“楚天學者計劃”主講教授，并于去年11月被湖北省政府授予“編鐘獎”，成為省屬高校中極少數獲此殊榮的外籍專家；2017年春節期間，古麗耶夫受邀參加國務院舉辦的外籍專家新春招待會，受到李克強總理的親切接見。

2017年9月28日，他們還代表紡大參加湖北省政府舉辦的國慶招待會，這是對他們做出貢獻的感謝和認可。

一晃四年過去，兩位專家已經適應武漢的生活和氣候。暖和的氣候還治好布里亞爾的老毛病。“以前在家鄉，一到天冷的時候嗓子就會疼，但在這里，疼痛神奇地消失了?！辈祭飦啝栠€告訴我們：“我們想再用5年時間，力爭讓中國紡織機械的關鍵零部件，達到國際一流的制造水平?！?

Professor Lygdenov Burial (right) making instructions to young teachers布利亞爾教授（右）指導武漢紡織大學青年教師

They were officially recruited by WTU in October that year and assumed the positions of Chair Professors in WTU Sunshine Scholars Program. It was not

easy for them, almost sixty years old, to start new lives in another country. Mr. Burial took his wife with him and settled down in China.

They cherished every minute and were fully immersed in the Chinese laboratory. They worked for long hours until midnight and even stayed in the lab during the National Day, the week-long holiday in China.

Their diligence produced fruitful results. In the four years since they came to China,they have published more than 40 papers, received three publications, and applied for and gained a number of licensed patents. The surface hardening treatment technology they developed for composite coating on mechanical spare parts has been successfully applied to textile machinery and bearing manufacturing.

Their efforts were paid off.Burial was selected as Chair Professor of the Chutian Scholars Program of Hubei in 2015 and the Hundred Talents Program of Hubei in 2016.Guryev was selected as Leading Professor of the Hundred Talents Plan of Hubei in 2014, and enlisted in the Chutian Scholars Program of Hubei in 2013 and the Thousand Foreign Experts Program of China in 2015. In November 2016, the People’s Government of Hubei Province awarded the Chime Bell Award to Mr. Guryev, making him one of the few foreign experts to have gained this award in a provincial university. Meanwhile, he was invited to attend the Spring Festival Reception organized by the State Council and met with Premier Li Keqiang in 2017.

Alexey Guryev, Lygdenov Burial and their students 古麗耶夫、布利亞爾與學生研討問題

They were invited by the Hubei Provincial Government,in an expression of gratitude for and recognition of their contributions, to attend the National Holiday Reception as representatives of WTU on September 28, 2017.

“Work makes them happy,”students and their faculty members commented about them.

The two experts gradually got used to the life and climate in Wuhan after living here for four years. The warm weather even cured Burial’s old ailments. “I always had a sore throat when it got cold in my hometown, but the pain disappears magically when I live here.” Burial told us, “We’ll strive to help China’s manufacturing of key spare parts in textile machinery reach world class levels in five years.”?

俄羅斯教授的中國紡織夢

文/劉冬莉 朱韻菡 譯/李莉

Alexey Guryev and Lygdenov Burial visiting a textile enterprise in Zhejiang古麗耶夫、布利亞爾考察浙江紡織企業