Reality or cliche? Perceptions of others

Two further speakers were invited: the ex-Chinese ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany Lu Qiutian and the sinologist Josef Goldberger. Both reflected on the topic from different perspectives, popularized and academic. Lu Qiutian stated that China's perception of Germany has many facets. He illustrated his point of view with different examples taken from work and leisure in Germany, lovely stereotypes and diverse experiences were likewise not missing.

Based on the perception of China of Marco Polo, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Johann Gottfried Herder, Karl May und Wilhelm II, Josef Goldberger outlined the change of Europe's (Germany's) perception of China over the past centuries. He drew the conclusion that the different China perceptions are reflections of the protagonist's desires, yearnings, prejudices and worries. They tell us more about the reflecting person than about the object of their reflection. The reductionist China image of former times has been replaced by a multifaceted perception at present.

The ex-Chinese ambassador to Germany, Wang Yanyi, laid stress on the fact that Germany enjoys a fine reputation in China. Chinese germanists have contributed a lot to that, e.g. through translations of German classics. In the course of China's opening up policy China's perception of Germany has changed, and has become more objective. On the other hand, lessons learned in the human rights debate tell us that in Germany a single-sided perception of China still prevails. Ulla Bekel stated that media in Germany show big interest in China due to its political importance. But for various reasons critical reports on China dominate. Liu Min, University student, emphasized that the debate on human rights is a good example for a single-sided view on China. Dr. Michael Czepalla mentioned that issues like human rights and product piracy are overemphasized in discussions on China in Germany, thus the view on China might be narrowed.

According to Eva Numberger, faculty of Intercultural German Studies at the University of Qingdao, it might be helpful searching for similarities. Crucial factor in this context is how one deals with otherness. In dealing with intercultural issues (tensions between own and foreign cultures) people should be aware of the subjectivity/egocentrism of analytical approaches and their key messages, said Liu Bangxiang, chairman of the Alumni Association.

In the afternoon, Dr. Michael Czepalla spoke on the tasks and development of scholarship programs for overseas scholars. Currently, 108 scholarships have been awarded to scholars from 32 countries, among them 12 from PR China. Since 1981, the accumulated number of scholarships has amounted to 1.800, among them 600 for Chinese scholars. Alumni Associations have been established in 11 countries.

The board of the Alumni Association China chaired by Liu Bangxiang introduced their activities. Due to professional reasons Mr. Liu will resign his post. Temporarily, it will be filled by the deputy chairman Prof. Gu Junli and Ms. Shi Yonghong, until a new board is elected in the fall of 2007. Seminar participants thanked Mr. Liu for his commitment.