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MAKING existing prejudices towards China disappear will take time，” Dr. Cord Ebersp？cher emphasized during his speech last March at the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and a group of German sinologists in Berlin. “To change stereotype images of China， we should be talking about a time frame not of two or three years but rather of two or three decades，” Dr. Ebersp？cher said. China Today talked with the German China researcher and historian about his work as director of the Confucius Institute in Düsseldorf.
“Education should be accessible to everyone，”ancient Chinese scholar and thinker Confucius said more than 2，000 years ago. This quote also summarizes the credo of the Confucius Institute （CI） in the German city of Düsseldorf， capital of North Rhine-Westphalia （NRW） State. The institution was founded in 2006 as the first of its kind in NRW. Its aim is to promote Chinese language and culture in the region.
To make Mandarin more popular in NRW， the CI Düsseldorf offers a wide range of Chinese language courses， from trials to intensive business courses to special syllabuses in preparation for the HSK Chinese language certificate.
“Our classes， with the emphasis on spoken Chinese， are very popular with German students，” CI director Ebersp？cher said. “Apart from students， those taking part include young adults， employees， and even senior citizens. One elderly gentleman， for example， having spent five years in our language program， is now preparing to take the HSK level 3 exam.” Apart from a general curiosity about China and Chinese language， people generally join the CI program for professional reasons， Dr. Ebersp？cher explained.
For many， acquiring Mandarin skills at the institute is crucial to finding work. “Nowadays this is the main motivation of many of our students. It is notable that a fundamental change in perceptions of Chinese language has occurred over the past two decades，” Ebersp？cher said. “When I started to learn Mandarin 20 years ago， the reaction of friends and acquaintances was to ask， ‘Why learn Chinese？ It’s exotic and so far away. Does it have any practical applications？ You should learn something useful instead！’ But today people say： ‘Smart choice， people should learn Chinese. It’s important！’”
Besides regular programs， CI Düsseldorf also offers extra courses tailored to individual needs. “In this way we try to cater to the relatively heterogeneous structure of our student body，” Ebersp？cher said. A notable student in one such individual program is German table tennis player Timo Boll， who is something of a celebrity in the People’s Republic.“Boll knows that he is more famous in China than in Germany， and so wants to be able to speak at least a little Chinese，” the CI director said. “Big company executives also take part in our individual courses.”
Teachers provide students with modern language learning materials， mostly free of charge. They constitute the basis of the CI Düsseldorf learning process because， as Ebersp？cher told us， “Our Chinese tutors use interactive teaching methods based on real communication.”
“Instead of strictly following the textbook in class， they also introduce individual elements. Our strength lies in this emphasis on communication and interactive use of everyday language.”
In comparison with “German as a foreign language （DaF），” which has long been established as an independent scientific discipline in Germany and in many other countries around the globe， “Chinese as a foreign language” is still in its infancy in this respect.
Dr. Ebersp？cher said that the ongoing institutional development and rapid expansion of teaching practice has resulted in a closer association between professional education and research into Chinese as a foreign language.
As an associated institute， the CI is prominent in the field of China studies at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf， which originally did not hold sinological seminars. Today， in cooperation with the university’s language center， the institute organizes language courses as well as single or serial lectures for local students on such topics as Chinese philosophy， history and literature.
“The courses are very well received by students and earn them credits for the university’s studium universale， which is now a required subject for all students. We and the university language center are also working on the establishment of a special China certificate， for which each student is eligible， in addition to that relating to their regular studies，” Ebersp？cher said.
Students gain the certificate through taking a certain number of required courses on Chinese lan- guage， culture， economy and politics. Upon finishing their studies it acts as verification of their China qualifications， for example when they apply for jobs.“It’s a kind of ‘mini-degree’ in sinology，” Ebersp？cher said.
Besides organizing lectures and courses the CI also supports the Heinrich-Heine University international office. “We give students guidance on whether or not to study abroad， and thus function as the university’s bridge to China，” Eberspr？cher said. “Whenever contacts with China are needed， it’s us who come into play and provide guidance and resources.” “Our Sino-German project with the university is comparable to a joint venture，” the CI director said.“And that is also where our strength lies. The Chinese side has a deep understanding of Chinese culture. We Germans， meanwhile， know our folks and understand how to present Chinese culture to them in an attractive manner. In the end， the old adage， the worm needs to be to the fish’s， not the fisherman’s， taste still holds true.”
With this principle in mind， the institute regularly organizes cultural events with a dual alignment. “On one hand， we offer events directed at an audience that already shares a general interest in China； on the other， we organize special events to arouse the interest of the broad public. Our visitors come not only from Düsseldorf but from the whole surrounding area.”
Under the slogan “the dragon dances in Düsseldorf” the CI Düsseldorf organizes a big China festival every year， where visitors can learn elementary Mandarin skills and catch a glimpse of Chinese culture. “For example， we show the development of pictographic Chinese characters on our main festival stage. Calligraphists also show visitors how to write their names in Chinese characters， which is always a highlight，” Ebersp？cher said. Visitors can as well take part in free trial Chinese courses， and witness the creation process of traditional Chinese arts and crafts.
Overcoming existing prejudices is a main purpose of the festival. “As in many other countries， stereotypes about China exist in Germany. Persistent， patient work over a long period of time is needed to present to the German public an unbiased image of China. It is important to display culture vividly， and on a general level， rather than to deal discretely with specific polemic problems，” the historian said.
“I made this point in my speech during the meeting in Berlin earlier this year between President Xi Jinping and German sinologists. To change stereotype images of China， we should consider a time frame not of two or three years but rather two or three decades. What we really need to be successful is persistence and patience.” The tradition of the China festival in Düsseldorf is indeed a successful example of continuity in cultural exchange.
“We also try to bring China into events that originally had no special China element，” Ebersp？cher said. One example is the Düsseldorf Reading festival （Lesefest）， annually organized by the Düsseldorfer Lesebande.” Last year， the institute and the education authority jointly organized talks on Chinese fairy tales for local children. They were held in the lecture hall of the institute along with performances of traditional Chinese music. “Several of the school’s classes took part in the event and we successfully stimulated their thirst for more knowledge，” Ebersp？cher said. “We often hear people say ‘Why do we need to know about these old things？ We want to know what China is like now！’” Ebersp？cher said. “I agree that traditional Chinese culture – no matter tai chi， calligraphy， traditional Chinese medicine， dance， music or visual arts – should be presented from a modern perspective. However， traditional and modern culture should not be separated. You can’t have one without the other.”
The Düsseldorf CI and the Art Gate Art Agency organized in April 2013 a symposium in the Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast lecture hall on contemporary Chinese art market. Discussions with a panel of Chinese art experts， organized in cooperation with the art exhibition Art Cologne， were concurrently held. The eight experts spoke to a capacity audience about the structure， collectors and future perspectives of the Chinese art scene.
“The symposium gave the German audience a better understanding of China’s art market and the way it functions. One reason why the event was such a great success was that we showed the audience that classical culture is still alive in modern China， and how the people maintain it.”
For its future development， CI Düsseldorf plans to focus on two main aims： First， stronger engagement in the intercultural business communication sector； second， strengthening the CI’s presence within the German public.
“In future， we will intensify our work in the economic field，” Ebersp？cher announced. “However， our duty won’t be to guide companies towards earning greater profits， but towards improving their intercultural skills. Intercultural knowledge and understanding is becoming more and more important. When Chinese and German employees work together， mutual understanding is crucial.”
Today， although Chinese companies recruit more and more German employees， they have little idea of how to deal with them， the CI director said. “This creates a new field of problems. Chinese managers， for example， who in turn are sent to Germany for work， might have a deep understanding of their own company， but not of Germany.”
“Corresponding to this need， we formulate special training programs for German companies cooperating with Chinese firms. The services we offer span short workshops lasting just a few hours to programs that run for several days. We also plan to offer comparable services for Chinese companies in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Düsseldorf.”
As a second future goal， the CI wants to be an important consulting partner for all matters that concern China. This is achievable by strengthening the institute’s presence within the German public. Compared to the Goethe-Institut， which celebrated its 60th anniversary three years ago， the Confucius Institute is relatively young. “The future success of our work depends on our public image. My vision is of our institute becoming the central drop-in center for all questions concerning China，” Ebersp？cher said.
“If you want to achieve something big， you also have to think big，” he added. The Confucius Institute Düsseldorf clearly has great ambitions for the future.
“Education should be accessible to everyone，”ancient Chinese scholar and thinker Confucius said more than 2，000 years ago. This quote also summarizes the credo of the Confucius Institute （CI） in the German city of Düsseldorf， capital of North Rhine-Westphalia （NRW） State. The institution was founded in 2006 as the first of its kind in NRW. Its aim is to promote Chinese language and culture in the region.
To make Mandarin more popular in NRW， the CI Düsseldorf offers a wide range of Chinese language courses， from trials to intensive business courses to special syllabuses in preparation for the HSK Chinese language certificate.
“Our classes， with the emphasis on spoken Chinese， are very popular with German students，” CI director Ebersp？cher said. “Apart from students， those taking part include young adults， employees， and even senior citizens. One elderly gentleman， for example， having spent five years in our language program， is now preparing to take the HSK level 3 exam.” Apart from a general curiosity about China and Chinese language， people generally join the CI program for professional reasons， Dr. Ebersp？cher explained.
For many， acquiring Mandarin skills at the institute is crucial to finding work. “Nowadays this is the main motivation of many of our students. It is notable that a fundamental change in perceptions of Chinese language has occurred over the past two decades，” Ebersp？cher said. “When I started to learn Mandarin 20 years ago， the reaction of friends and acquaintances was to ask， ‘Why learn Chinese？ It’s exotic and so far away. Does it have any practical applications？ You should learn something useful instead！’ But today people say： ‘Smart choice， people should learn Chinese. It’s important！’”
Besides regular programs， CI Düsseldorf also offers extra courses tailored to individual needs. “In this way we try to cater to the relatively heterogeneous structure of our student body，” Ebersp？cher said. A notable student in one such individual program is German table tennis player Timo Boll， who is something of a celebrity in the People’s Republic.“Boll knows that he is more famous in China than in Germany， and so wants to be able to speak at least a little Chinese，” the CI director said. “Big company executives also take part in our individual courses.”
Teachers provide students with modern language learning materials， mostly free of charge. They constitute the basis of the CI Düsseldorf learning process because， as Ebersp？cher told us， “Our Chinese tutors use interactive teaching methods based on real communication.”
“Instead of strictly following the textbook in class， they also introduce individual elements. Our strength lies in this emphasis on communication and interactive use of everyday language.”
In comparison with “German as a foreign language （DaF），” which has long been established as an independent scientific discipline in Germany and in many other countries around the globe， “Chinese as a foreign language” is still in its infancy in this respect.
Dr. Ebersp？cher said that the ongoing institutional development and rapid expansion of teaching practice has resulted in a closer association between professional education and research into Chinese as a foreign language.
As an associated institute， the CI is prominent in the field of China studies at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf， which originally did not hold sinological seminars. Today， in cooperation with the university’s language center， the institute organizes language courses as well as single or serial lectures for local students on such topics as Chinese philosophy， history and literature.
“The courses are very well received by students and earn them credits for the university’s studium universale， which is now a required subject for all students. We and the university language center are also working on the establishment of a special China certificate， for which each student is eligible， in addition to that relating to their regular studies，” Ebersp？cher said.
Students gain the certificate through taking a certain number of required courses on Chinese lan- guage， culture， economy and politics. Upon finishing their studies it acts as verification of their China qualifications， for example when they apply for jobs.“It’s a kind of ‘mini-degree’ in sinology，” Ebersp？cher said.
Besides organizing lectures and courses the CI also supports the Heinrich-Heine University international office. “We give students guidance on whether or not to study abroad， and thus function as the university’s bridge to China，” Eberspr？cher said. “Whenever contacts with China are needed， it’s us who come into play and provide guidance and resources.” “Our Sino-German project with the university is comparable to a joint venture，” the CI director said.“And that is also where our strength lies. The Chinese side has a deep understanding of Chinese culture. We Germans， meanwhile， know our folks and understand how to present Chinese culture to them in an attractive manner. In the end， the old adage， the worm needs to be to the fish’s， not the fisherman’s， taste still holds true.”
With this principle in mind， the institute regularly organizes cultural events with a dual alignment. “On one hand， we offer events directed at an audience that already shares a general interest in China； on the other， we organize special events to arouse the interest of the broad public. Our visitors come not only from Düsseldorf but from the whole surrounding area.”
Under the slogan “the dragon dances in Düsseldorf” the CI Düsseldorf organizes a big China festival every year， where visitors can learn elementary Mandarin skills and catch a glimpse of Chinese culture. “For example， we show the development of pictographic Chinese characters on our main festival stage. Calligraphists also show visitors how to write their names in Chinese characters， which is always a highlight，” Ebersp？cher said. Visitors can as well take part in free trial Chinese courses， and witness the creation process of traditional Chinese arts and crafts.
Overcoming existing prejudices is a main purpose of the festival. “As in many other countries， stereotypes about China exist in Germany. Persistent， patient work over a long period of time is needed to present to the German public an unbiased image of China. It is important to display culture vividly， and on a general level， rather than to deal discretely with specific polemic problems，” the historian said.
“I made this point in my speech during the meeting in Berlin earlier this year between President Xi Jinping and German sinologists. To change stereotype images of China， we should consider a time frame not of two or three years but rather two or three decades. What we really need to be successful is persistence and patience.” The tradition of the China festival in Düsseldorf is indeed a successful example of continuity in cultural exchange.
“We also try to bring China into events that originally had no special China element，” Ebersp？cher said. One example is the Düsseldorf Reading festival （Lesefest）， annually organized by the Düsseldorfer Lesebande.” Last year， the institute and the education authority jointly organized talks on Chinese fairy tales for local children. They were held in the lecture hall of the institute along with performances of traditional Chinese music. “Several of the school’s classes took part in the event and we successfully stimulated their thirst for more knowledge，” Ebersp？cher said. “We often hear people say ‘Why do we need to know about these old things？ We want to know what China is like now！’” Ebersp？cher said. “I agree that traditional Chinese culture – no matter tai chi， calligraphy， traditional Chinese medicine， dance， music or visual arts – should be presented from a modern perspective. However， traditional and modern culture should not be separated. You can’t have one without the other.”
The Düsseldorf CI and the Art Gate Art Agency organized in April 2013 a symposium in the Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast lecture hall on contemporary Chinese art market. Discussions with a panel of Chinese art experts， organized in cooperation with the art exhibition Art Cologne， were concurrently held. The eight experts spoke to a capacity audience about the structure， collectors and future perspectives of the Chinese art scene.
“The symposium gave the German audience a better understanding of China’s art market and the way it functions. One reason why the event was such a great success was that we showed the audience that classical culture is still alive in modern China， and how the people maintain it.”
For its future development， CI Düsseldorf plans to focus on two main aims： First， stronger engagement in the intercultural business communication sector； second， strengthening the CI’s presence within the German public.
“In future， we will intensify our work in the economic field，” Ebersp？cher announced. “However， our duty won’t be to guide companies towards earning greater profits， but towards improving their intercultural skills. Intercultural knowledge and understanding is becoming more and more important. When Chinese and German employees work together， mutual understanding is crucial.”
Today， although Chinese companies recruit more and more German employees， they have little idea of how to deal with them， the CI director said. “This creates a new field of problems. Chinese managers， for example， who in turn are sent to Germany for work， might have a deep understanding of their own company， but not of Germany.”
“Corresponding to this need， we formulate special training programs for German companies cooperating with Chinese firms. The services we offer span short workshops lasting just a few hours to programs that run for several days. We also plan to offer comparable services for Chinese companies in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Düsseldorf.”
As a second future goal， the CI wants to be an important consulting partner for all matters that concern China. This is achievable by strengthening the institute’s presence within the German public. Compared to the Goethe-Institut， which celebrated its 60th anniversary three years ago， the Confucius Institute is relatively young. “The future success of our work depends on our public image. My vision is of our institute becoming the central drop-in center for all questions concerning China，” Ebersp？cher said.
“If you want to achieve something big， you also have to think big，” he added. The Confucius Institute Düsseldorf clearly has great ambitions for the future.