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古丽耶夫教授（左）在武汉纺织大学纺织装备实验室

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.

说起俄罗斯专家古丽耶夫和布里亚尔与中国纺织的情缘，还得从2013年的两封邮件说起。

2013年2月至4月间，执教于俄罗斯阿尔泰国立技术大学的教授古丽耶夫，相继收到两封来自中国武汉纺织大学的邮件。两封信表达着同一个意思：诚恳邀请他赴该校任教。恰巧此时，大学同窗布里亚尔出差阿尔泰，顺道看望他。

这两位专家都是“俄罗斯高等教育荣誉工作者”，获得过俄罗斯“国际科技工作勋章”。他们商量后，古丽耶夫给纺大写回信，同意访问该校，并郑重推荐布里亚尔一同前往。

古丽耶夫和布里亚尔研发的高性能钢与合金材料，尤其是机械零部件表面涂层技术，被广泛运用于航空航天、机械制造等领域。纺大诚意切切，高薪相请。

4月武汉，春暖花开，生机盎然，让从寒冷俄罗斯来的古丽耶夫和布里亚尔倍感温暖。

“我们像是到了一个新奇的世界。”武汉的发展水平与他们的想象迥异。中国的企业活力、实验条件和科技应用潜力，让他们啧啧称叹，觉得他们的科研成果一定会得到更好运用。最终两人决定：接受纺大的橄榄枝。两位俄罗斯学者与中国的情缘就此结下。

同年10月，两人正式受聘武汉纺织大学，担任“阳光学者计划”讲座教授。对于年近花甲的他们，生活在异国他乡并不容易。布里亚尔把妻子带过来，在中国安家。

作为科学家，古丽耶夫和布里亚尔从不浪费时间，他们一头钻进中国实验室，连中国国庆长假也不外出，经常忙到深夜。

两人辛勤的汗水换来的是丰硕的成果。来中国工作近四年来，他们发表论文40多篇，出版专著三本，申请和获得授权专利多项，其关于机械零部件复合扩散涂层表面强化处理技术，被成功运用于纺织机械、轴承制造等领域。

付出总有回报。布里亚尔2015年入选湖北省“楚天学者计划”特聘教授，2016年入选湖北“百人计划”；古丽耶夫2015年入选中国“外专千人”计划、湖北“百人计划”和“楚天学者计划”主讲教授，并于去年11月被湖北省政府授予“编钟奖”，成为省属高校中极少数获此殊荣的外籍专家；2017年春节期间，古丽耶夫受邀参加国务院举办的外籍专家新春招待会，受到李克强总理的亲切接见。

2017年9月28日，他们还代表纺大参加湖北省政府举办的国庆招待会，这是对他们做出贡献的感谢和认可。

一晃四年过去，两位专家已经适应武汉的生活和气候。暖和的气候还治好布里亚尔的老毛病。“以前在家乡，一到天冷的时候嗓子就会疼，但在这里，疼痛神奇地消失了。”布里亚尔还告诉我们：“我们想再用5年时间，力争让中国纺织机械的关键零部件，达到国际一流的制造水平。”♦

Professor Lygdenov Burial (right) making instructions to young teachers布利亚尔教授（右）指导武汉纺织大学青年教师

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 古丽耶夫、布利亚尔与学生研讨问题

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.”♦

俄罗斯教授的中国纺织梦

文/刘冬莉 朱韵菡 译/李莉

Alexey Guryev and Lygdenov Burial visiting a textile enterprise in Zhejiang古丽耶夫、布利亚尔考察浙江纺织企业