“Not only have I learnt language, I’ve also got to know this country.” – interview with my German teacher

In my first two years of study life in Nankai University, I’ve met an inspiring mentor – Holger Schneider – a doctor of Sinology who has lived in China for some years.

Mr. Schneider returned to Germany a few months ago, I’d like to take this opportunity to interview him and express my sincere thanks to him. We conducted a pleasant conversation online, talking about himself and his experiences in China.

Good morning, Mr. Schneider. Before we start our interview, could you introduce yourself please?

I was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, more precisely in Franconia. I used to do different things, for example, I worked in a hospital, in International Trade. Then I started to study Sinology and Linguistic Computer Science in Erlangen. After I lived in Tianjin for a year in 2009, I did a doctorate in Sinology. I’m currently living with my wife in Berlin. It’s my third year at Nankai University as a German teacher.

Could you say something about your hometown Bamberg? Is there anything you missed when you were in China?

My hometown is a small town, which has 70 thousand inhabitants. It’s a World Heritage Site because of that, the old town was not destroyed in the war and a large part of the old building structures remained. It is a cosy, slow, conservative town with beautiful architectures. What I missed is probably the peace and quiet. You can go anywhere within 10 minutes, ride bike or walk or something like that.

Why did you decide to study Sinology?

The reason at the time was my partner. It was through this relationship that I had the idea to start learning Chinese. And then I started to study these two disciplines and realized that it was actually a good way to improve the professional opportunity. China is interesting and different since the very beginning. Not only have I learnt the language I’ve also got to know this country, developed a different perspective of the world.

So what’s Sinology like in German universities?

Sinology is a relatively small and well-structured discipline. Which means, you don’t have courses with hundreds of people, but you have more access to the faculty. Later in the doctorate, you can get to know all the scientists personally. It seems impossible in some subjects like medicine or law. There’s a classic division into traditional China and modern China. Every student should have contact with classical Chinese education, for example reading and translating poems from Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi. For certain institutes, they usually have their main research priorities. I always noticed that Sinology in Germany is somewhat focused on the western area. It would be nice if there’s more exchange between Chinese and European studies. Of course, Sinology is constantly in the ascendant in Germany, making China more interesting and Sinology more popular. And there are more government grants to improve and develop research as well.

For the past several years in China, is there anything you were surprised or curious about?

I went to China for the first time in 2007 for travel, and in 2009 I was in Tianjin. There was no WeChat, no smartphones at the time. Then followed a 9-year gap, to retrospect of what I’ve done with electronic payment, shared bicycles, ordering food and deliveries in recent years, China is, as far as I’ve seen, in digitization much better than Germany. That’s why a comparison of Tianjin in 2009 and in 2018 was surprising and impressive. But because of the raising commercialization, when I want to go out or experience some culture, more’s the pity that the libraries and exhibitions are usually closed at 5 p.m. and the shopping centres keep open until 9 or 10 p.m. And the nature has also become different. The climate in Tianjin is rather dry. Back then, pollution was an issue, and now the environment has become much better. The large selection of dishes and great variety of restaurants as well. People here are incredibly hospitable, it is easy to get into conversation. There’s also a certain kind of curiosity when strangers ask, not only where you come from, how long you’ve been here, but also how much you earn, if you are married and so on. That’s a bit unusual, my curiosity in a way.

At last, could you give some messages or advices to those international students who are already in Germany, or intend to study in Germany?

Obviously, one thing is that you should try to make German friends. The advice I would give is go outside. You can’t learn a language just in class, as a matter of fact. The simple but most important question is: Hello, who are you? If you can raise this question, you will experience many more interesting things than if you do not dare to speak to others.