President of Bavarian Parliament visits Shandong

n Jinan Alois Glück was received by Jiang Yikang, newly appointed party secretary and Ex-President of Shandong's People's Congress, by Cai Limin, Vice Governor of Shandong, and by Gao Xinting, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shandong's People's Congress. Both sides emphasized the uniqueness of the partnership between Bavaria and Shandong, in particular with regard to an intensive exchange in economic, academic, political and cultural fields. Jiang Yikang appreciated the work of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in particular in the field of education and rural development. Rural areas play a significant role in the global context, explained the President of the Bavarian Landtag. To come up with suitable strategies is crucial when it comes to developing rural areas, said Glück, he referred to the village Nanzhanglou as a positive example in that context.

The mayor of Nanzhanglou, Yuan Xiangsheng, had informed him about the development of the village prior to his visit to Jinan. Liu Xiyu, Vice Chairwomen of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress Qingzhou, and Yang Aidong, Head of the Foreign Liaison Office of Qingzhou government, likewise attended the meeting. At the end of the 80ies a project on land consolidation and village reform was launched in Nanzhanglou, supported by the state of Bavaria and the Hanns Seidel Foundation. Since then, agriculture and manufacturing flourish, an intact social infrastructure is in place, and the problem of migration doesn't exist. Rural development in Bavaria, elaborated Yuan Xiangsheng, had deeply impressed him, and was motivator for the reforms in Nanzhanglou. The success of the project Nanzhanglou is due to collaborative efforts of the inhabitants, rural experts and policy makers. Such cooperation patterns are the foundation for the success of rural development in Bavaria. The successful example Nanzhanglou serves the community Heguang and its party secretary Liu Wenge as model for the development of 20 more villages. A commemorative stone inscription by Alois Glück was unveiled and a tree was planted, symbolizing good and successful cooperation.

Alois Glück and Yuan Xiangsheng

In Pingdu, the delegation was received by the party secretary Yu Xianxiang, and by the Chairman of the People's Congress Guo Ping. Social and economic benefits derived from the vocational training project of Hanns Seidel Foundation are obvious in Pingdu, said Yu Xianxiang in his welcome speech. Alois Glück in his address emphasized that globalization not only has an economic dimension but likewise a cultural one, both need to be deepened.

In his presentation school principal Miao Xiufang focused on the situation of the Vocational Training Center Pingdu and its future development. In presence of the President of the Bavarian Landtag, the Head of the China Department of Hanns Seidel Foundation, Willi Lange, and the Director of the Education Commission Qingdao, Xu Jianbo, signed the new project implementation agreement. At the training farm for agricultural production and food processing Alois Glück was informed about the very hands on vocational training. The portfolio of vocational training courses could be expanded through meat and dairy processing courses this year.

The Director of the Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Land and Resources Xu Xuelin introduced the cooperation project. She expressed her wish to expand the cooperation through more model projects in the field of land consolidation and village reform, e.g. in Ningxia. Both sides agreed on the necessity to develop rural areas in China. Interdisciplinary cooperation is crucial when it comes to implementing a comprehensive approach. Hence, coordination problems between different departments should be overcome. Li Duanmei, in charge of education and Vice mayor of Qingzhou, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Qingzhou's People's Congress, Liu Xiyu, and other representatives of Qingzhou government received the President of the Bavarian Landtag.

At the Vocational Teacher Training Center Qingzhou (VTTC Qingzhou) the conceptual approach to education transfer to less developed areas in Western China was highlighted and explained. Training Centers in Eastern China, e.g. the VTTC Qingzhou, carry out teacher and multiplier training at so-called key schools in backward areas in West China. The network expands continuously. Thus, available resources can be applied in line with project objectives and needs of the target groups. Because schools often lack sufficient material resources, self-building of teaching equipment plays an important role in teacher training. Alois Glück expressed his conviction that such an approach might facilitate the effective usage of resources, and will probably have a broad impact. The VTTC Qingzhou and the VTTC Pingdu were nominated by the Ministry of Education to be one of the key schools for teacher training in China. Further Hanns Seidel Foundation-supported education centers that have key school status are the Wuhan-based Academy for Brewing Technologies and the Vocational Training Center Shiyan.

In Qufu, birth place of Confucius, Zhu Jinhuan, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress Jining, received Alois Glück. Both parties exchanged views on aspects of Confucianism and religious practice in China. Alois Glück emphasized the necessity of harmonious coexistence among people of different ethnic groups and religions as prerequisite for the stable development of a society.

First and last leg of Glück's China visit were Beijing resp. Shanghai. In Beijing, the President of the Bavarian Landtag met up with Li Jianping, Vice President of the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The talk focused on rural development and the global food situation, and last but not least the cooperation with the Hanns Seidel Foundation was talked about.

On the last leg of his trip in Shanghai, Alois Glück obtained information about the development and ongoing activities of the Chinese-German University of Applied Sciences (CGUAS), besides the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the Bavaria-based University of Applied Sciences Landshut is involved in the cooperation, and Hanns Seidel Foundation's Teacher Training Center, in particular its education activities in Western China.