“China Was the Best Experience of My Life”– A Year of German-Chinese School and Youth Exchange

By HELMUT MATT

“China Was the Best Experience of My Life”– A Year of German-Chinese School and Youth Exchange

By HELMUT MATT

Chinese exchange student, Yiqi, visits the Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, with her mother and host mother.

FREIBURG Main Station! Above me was the clear autumn morning sky. Full of thoughts, yet filled with joyful anticipation, I waited at platform No. 2. What changes would the upcoming 10 months bring to our lives? Would we get along well with our 15-year-old guest “daughter” from China?

In fact, we already knew each other, having spent a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days on Huangshan Mountain with her and her mother a few months earlier. But how would it be living under one roof for almost one year?

When the doors of the long-distance train opened, Yiqi was one of the first passengers to alight, and all my worries evaporated. A delighted smile on her face, Yiqi ran in my direction and greeted me as if I was her own father. I now had no doubt that this coming year would be full of beautiful, interesting and exciting experiences, for my family as well as for our guest-daughter from Anhui Province in southern China.

I took Yiqi’s luggage and we walked to my car. I knew that my wife Linda would be impatiently waiting at home for us to arrive.

We had come up with a very special idea for the frst day. It was on that Sunday that the German town of St. Morgen in the Black Forest region would hold its traditional horse festival Rossfest. Enthralled, Yiqi stood among the other visitors listening to festive folk music, gazing at the parade with its numerous historical horse-drawn carriages and at the villagers attired in traditional Black Forest costumes. My wife and I agreed that there couldn’t have been a better start to an exchange year in Germany.

Going abroad to China?

What some years ago might have sounded outlandish seems quite normal nowadays: There are associations, schools, universities, and other organizations throughout both Germany and China that engage in exchanges between the two countries.

However, it has been a long road since 1972, when diplomatic relations were established between the Federal Republic of Germany and the People’sRepublic of China, and the first direct contact between the pupils and university students of both countries. It was nevertheless one full of positive experiences, mutual learning, and growing trust between the two countries.

Today, China is Germany’s most important economic partner in Asia, while Germany, in turn, is China’s most important trade partner in Europe. Friendly and dynamic is how the present relationship between China and Germany could most precisely be described, in my opinion.

Regular bilateral high-level coordination between the governments of the two countries, steadily growing trade relations, and mutual investments and cooperation in felds like science, research and environmental matters all signify greater and closer links between Germany and China.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Germany in March 2014, China and Germany have defined their relationship as a “Strategic Partnership in global responsibility,” and indeed spoken of it as a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” Both sides have held regular, high-level government consultations since 2011.

Exchanges between different cultures and peoples from Germany and China are just as important as diplomatic and economic contacts. Human encounters promote better mutual understanding, and help to reduce prejudice.

One key to better mutual understanding is that of mastering one another’s languages. For years the Chinese government has tried to disseminate the Chinese culture and promote Chinese language learning overseas. These efforts have contributed substantively to a deepened understanding between the peoples of both nations.

Confucius Institutes, seen in many German cities today, play an especially important role in this regard. On the other side of the coin, the German Goethe Institute and Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and a number of language centers do much to promote German language-learning in China.

Other important associations besides the Goethe Institutes include the German Academic Exchange Service, the Mercator Foundation, as well as “Youth for Understanding (YFU).” Nowadays, there are also many direct exchange programs between befriended schools and universities, for example the friendship between the Max-Weber-School Freiburg and its partner school in Tianjin, to name just one.

There are encounters at both the private and personal level, and cultural exchanges are gathering growing momentum. For instance, many excellent German orchestras, opera companies and ballet ensembles have come to China in recent years, as, in turn, more Chinese artists and performance troupes have traveled to and toured Germany.

During his visit to China in March 2016, German Federal President Joachim Gauck observed that, “Through direct contact with another culture, as well as the fow of ideas, the curiosity to understand the unknown or to see the familiar with new eyes grows, and from these positive mutual experiences grow trust and friendship.”

During his state visit, Gauck together with Chinese President Xi Jinping, officially announced the start of the“German-Chinese Year of School and Youth Exchange,” upon which both sides agreed in summer 2015. There is a common Chinese expression which means “to treat someone with full honesty.” President Xi Jinping expressed in his speech in March 2014 his hope that the youth of Germany and China would get to know each other through mutual honesty.

German student, Joel, with his new Chinese classmates.

My Host Daughter

Yiqi’s exchange year in Germany seemed to pass before we could draw breath. The frst weeks were dominated by mastering the language and getting oriented. Although in the beginning we communicated mainly in English, after only a couple of weeks we agreed to try communicating solely in German.

With the help of the American Field Service (AFS), an institution organizing exchange programs with China for German high school or university students, Yiqi took part in an intensive four-week German course. With the help of our conversations in German at home she made impressive progress. After only two months language no longer posedany major problems.

Yiqi went to school in the neighboring town of Kenzingen, and quickly settled in. She attended all classes on the curriculum with her German classmates, even though some weren’t obligatory for her. Instead of just relaxing during her twoweek school vacation, Yiqi did a voluntary internship at a local organ building frm which, incidentally, had once built an organ for the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao.

One major highlight – and a complete novelty for her school – was the festive Chinese Spring Festival evening gala that Yiqi organized for more than 100 guests, and for which she readily took on the role of emcee.

Yiqi’s cheerful and attractive personality soon made her friends, and she was also popular with her German teachers. Her classmates often invited her to birthday parties, bowling evenings, and weekend daytrips.

What really surprised her was the way in which teachers and students communicate in Germany. In China a teacher commands respect, but she realized that in Germany pupils and teachers communicate on more of a partnership level.

Before Yiqi arrived, we already knew about her extraordinary musical talent. She had learned the violin since she was six years old, so as an extracurricular activity we organized private violin lessons for her with a female professor at the Conservatory of Freiburg University. Her teacher was so impressed by Yiqi’s talent that she made her a part of the university’s special program for young musicians with outstanding potential.

Talented musician Yiqi gives concerts in Germany.

It was consequently no wonder that news of Yiqi’s talent quickly spread, and that our guest-daughter took part in several concerts not only in the Freiburg region, but also in the city of Sisteron in the South of France. Her musical talent won her even more hearts during her stay.

Although German food is quite different from Chinese cuisine, the change of the menu was no problem for our Chinese guest-daughter. Apart from certain strongly favored cheeses, she liked everything she sampled, but enjoyed most the traditional dishes my wife and I cooked at home.

There are many more stories to tell. As the time to say farewell approached, we all felt very sad. Yiqi had become like a real daughter to us. We had spent a wonderful time together which passed all too quickly.

“I will try to come back to Germany as soon as possible,” Yiqi promised as we parted. But first she wanted to achieve a good school graduation in China, and she wanted at the same time to apply to study at her violin teacher’s faculty at Freiburg University. That was her plan, she told us. But we all knew that it would be anything but easy to realize.

When the moment of parting came, we all exchanged hugs. Her friends, schoolmates – even the school headmaster, brought presents. Tears rolled down our cheeks as we said goodbye on the platform of Offenburg Station. Would there ever be a reunion?

When I asked Yiqi in a recent email which impressions of her stay were most deeply imprinted on her memory, she frst recalled the colorful horse carriages from the Rossfest in St. Morgen we had visited on the first day. “The sky was so blue and the landscape of the Black Forest so different from China,” she wrote. Besides, she also really enjoyed the free yet protective atmosphere of the airy, modern buildings of the Freiburg University Conservatory, as well as the many small concerts she had been able to participate in.

She also wrote that German politics seemed to be of a different color from that at home, especially during upcoming elections. “It was funny that the different political parties’ promotion stands offered pens and gummy bears as gifts, and everyone was so friendly!”And what was the best? I wanted to know. “Maybe the folk festivals with bratwurst, beer, and potato salad,” was her reply.

A Whole New World

Exchanges, of course, are in two directions. As many young Chinese coming to Germany have the chance to experience plenty of new facets of life, so many German pupils and university students take the opportunity to travel to China, live with a host family there, and in that way enlarge their cultural horizons.

“China was the best experience of my life,” young German high school student Joel said in response to my asking him how he felt after returning from his exchange year in China. During an YFU program, Joel stayed 10 months with a host family in Shenzhen in southern China. “My host parents and my hostbrother and me feel like a real family now,” Joel enthused. When recalling his visit, he mostly refers to them as “my Dad,” “my Mum” and “my brother.” He said he would never forget the unique experiences and wonderful people he met in China.

There is an old Chinese saying, “Seeing once with your own eyes is better than hearing a hundred times.” “China is so different from the picture drawn by our media,” Joel said. He added that if you try to know China solely through German television or newspapers, you’ll have no idea of the real country. One of the first impressions he gained during his stay was that the image of China presented by German media is somewhat biased and far from reality. China is wonderful, and the people are good natured and always willing to help – this realization alone makes the trip worthwhile.

When Joel took his trip to China in August 2015, he was 15 years old. Upon arrival he had only rudimentary language skills in Mandarin, gained at a crash course at the German folk high school (Volkshochschule). So for him, the exchange was like jumping in at the deep end of a cold pool.

As his host mother worked as an English teacher, he could communicate with her in English. However, after only four weeks Joel was able to hold conversations mostly in Chinese. One thing that helped him make such rapid progress was that his host brother was only three years old, and so his host parents spoke to him in fundamental, rather than grown-up Chinese. In that way Joel was able to learn elementary linguistic skills with his new brother, so making use of a language learning loophole.

The Chinese school year started in September. Joel soon felt at home in his new surroundings, although he didn’t understand much during classes. Despite linguistic challenges, however, he managed to integrate fast and, with the help of his teachers, tried to participate as far as possible in school activities.

“I also made friends, but this really takes longer than in Germany!” Joel said. One of the main reasons might have been that pupils in China have far less free time than their German peers. Classes last from early morning until evening, when homework awaits. There remains little time for hobbies or friends.

However, Joel was lucky, as his host parents treated him just like a son. During school holidays they took him on several trips to give him a bigger picture of the country. One such journey took them to eastern Taiwan. “We travelled there in winter, in the month of February, and it was wonderful to jump into the warm ocean on the coast of this tropical island.”

A special experience for every China traveler always remains the encounter with Chinese cuisine, with all its unfamiliar flavors and cooking styles. “My host mum never told me what I was going to eat until after I had tried it. But I have to admit everything was really delicious,” Joel said. The greatest fun was having dinner with his Chinese friends. These loud and joyful gatherings were quite different from a German abendbrot.

Today, Joel sees the world through different eyes. The exchange year in China gave him much inspiration. There are many new things he has experienced in Germany since returning from China. Among them are the English classes at his school, which include a lot of oral conversation. He likes them much more than the traditional Chinese teaching style.

However, there were also many things he really admired about his Chinese school, for instance, the respectful attitude of Chinese students towards their teachers.

All in all, he didn’t want his trip in China to be the last. Next year he intends to visit his host parents again. “I miss them very much,” he said. He plans to fy to Beijing to meet them and start a trip around China.

Multi-faceted Communication

The final statement of the Chinese-German government consultations announced on June 13, 2016 includes the statement: “Germany and China welcome the current year of German-Chinese School and Youth Exchange 2016...Both sides agree that their year of school and youth exchange should aim to further deepen the promotion of intercultural competence.”

The exchange between Germany and China is lively and multi-faceted. Many German pupils and university students get the opportunity to experience everyday school life in China, and every year young people from China come to Germany to study. People meet, and friendships grow. Two cultures that formerly seemed mutually strange and far removed have now grown closer and enriched one another.

Talking to exchange students from both countries or reading their reports about their experiences gives you a sense of how much these young people appreciate their experiences and encounters in this foreign country. It is to be hoped that the German-Chinese Year of School and Youth Exchange 2016 will help to promote, strengthen, and further develop what has already been achieved. In true friendship no distance is too great and no barrier too high.

As Confucius once said: “If friends from afar arrive – isn’t that a reason for happiness?” Meanwhile, Yiqi has finished her high school degree in China and has also to pass the entrance exam to the Conservatory of Freiburg University, even though it took place at the same time as preparations for her college entrance exam. She is now studying in Germany and really enjoying her time there, and even flown to the U.S. for a semester to study under a famous violinist.

Yiqi will take her BA soon, and plans to take her master’s degree in Germany as well. Her mother has been over several times to visit her daughter and us. Her grandparents became so curious about this far-away country after all she told them that they also took the long journey to see it for themselves. So we have now grown into a real German-Chinese family.