He was appointed a full professor of Chinese literature at age 31. Two years later he was named head of the Chinese department at Leiden University's Institute of Sinology, one of the strongholds of China studies in Europe. Since then he has become the dean of the university's School of Humanities and director of its Center for Non-Western Studies.
他卅一歲就升任中國文學正教授，卅三歲成為歐洲漢學重鎮﹘﹘萊登大學漢學院中文系系主任，此後迭任萊登大學文學院院長、非西方研究中心（Centre for Non-Western Studies）主任等職。