Wie entstand dieses Interview?

Wir hatten einen chinesischen Studenten als Gastdozent im Master Studiengang “Informatik” eingeladen. Die Studierenden durften beliebige Fragen an unseren Gast richten. Natürlich in angemessener Art und Weise – vorab, damit sich Mr. Xiu in Ruhe vorbereiten konnte, und ein für alle Seiten präsentables Ergebnis erwirken konnte.

Und er war gut vorbereitet – er kam mit einer hervoragenden und asiatisch-bunten Präsentation und schlug eine Brücke zwischen beiden Kulturen – Deutschland und China!

 

Viel Vergnügen beim Lesen der 20 Fragen und Antworten! Mein “special” ist “Patent laws in china” …

 

Question 1: How to begin an email

Hi Xiu, if I got it correctly, your family name is Xiu, and your first name is Zhuo. If we would’nt have met before, and I’am about to send you an email – what would be a correct, and polite way to start the mail?

  • Dear Mr. Xiu?
  • Dear Mr. Zhuo?
  • Dear Xiu?
  • …

How would this change, if we had met a few times, and knew each other more closely?

Best, Adrian

Answer 1

Xiu’s answer: Dear Mr. Xiu is a formal most common type used by unfamiliar people, business partners, company, etc. This type of calling shows respects and distance, and if you use this to call your friend, he will be confused whether you are really friends?

Dear Xiu: now he is sure that you are really friends.

Dear Zhuo : I’ll be happy if you are a girl 🙂

Question 2: Which car is most fashionable in China?

What is the most desired car to buy and drive for the average Chinese computer scientist today?

Greetings, Adrian

Answer 2

Xiu’s answer: The most popular cars are from Germany. The government will choose to use for example VW. It is also because VW is the first foreign car company which built the factory in China. They believe that German’s car have good qualities and better safety. In the ither side, the Japanese cars are well sold because of the economic use.

Question 3: Things you like

What are the things you like most in Germany / in Europe, what are the things you miss here (besides your family of course)?

Answer 3

Xiu’s answer: What I like from Germany are beer, football, quietness and Germany is a developed country with a good environment. What I miss from china is the Chinese foods and cooking. There is saying that people’s mind can change but stomach cannot.

Question 4: Future Plannings

Are you planning to go back to China when you’re finished with your studies or do you want to stay? Do you may want to proceed with your studies (Master/Doctoral degree)?

Answer 4

Xiu’s answer: I have the will to get a job in Germany if I can get one. But finally a return to my country is unavoidable . Chinese consider family very import, as the only child ,it is certain my reasonability to take care of my parent after they getting old.

Question 5: Foreign Language Problems

Did you have any problems understanding a foreign language like German? Did you visit any learning lessons to learn German before you came here?

Answer 5

Xiu’s answer: German is really difficult, harder to learn than English. In general it is harder for us Chinese to learn foreign languages. In China I have learned German in Goethe Institute for half year. And they have nice teachers.

Question 6: The Chinese Food Question

I’ve heard the chinese food we got here in Germany in “Chinese Restaurants” are quite different than in China. Is that true? What do you prefer?

Answer 6

Xiu’s answer: The answer can be both yes and no. The foods and the taste are exist in China but those are just parts of Chinese cuisine. Most of them are from south China such as Guangdong (Province beside Hongkong). There are different cooking in China depends on the Region. For example the Szechuan cooking (the inner land of China) which are spicy meanwhile the cooking from Guangdong are sweet. There is even a Province which has food similar with Turkey’s. Because Peking is the capital of China and we can find all kinds of foods there, so we can eat and enjoy all kinds of tastes.

Question 7: do and don’t by eat

which cultural mistakes could happen when I eat by or with a Chinese person / family

Answer 7

Xiu’s answer: You can use forks and spoons, but don’t bring knife to the table. If you want to use chopstick, you’ll be considered as open mind people and is a good way to build a relationship with your Chinese friends.

Question 8: small present

what kind of small presents are better for a present for visit a chinese family and what kind of small presents are a no go

Answer 8

Xiu’s answer: If you have no idea on what to give and if you are European just bring Europe style cooking, deserts. The wife and children will like it and wine or champagne for the husband would be great. For a business partner, you can bring paintings or work of art, with Europe style.

Btw,if you want to send ur chinese firends a birtyday gift,don’t ask what he/she want or need.It makes people embarrassed. Use your brain and heart,a suprising gift is always the best:)

Question 9: Language

Is it possible to get a computer science related job in China without being able to speak Mandarin?

Answer 9

Xiu’s answer: This can be answered yes and no. There are lots of junior computer scientist in China and the salary of course is lower than Germany standard. If you want to work in China, I would suggest you to look for a job in International Company which can send you to China. And It would be an advantage to you if you get higher skill.

Question 10: Prejudices about Germany

What did you think about Germany and life here before you came? Which prejudices, you think, are true?

Xiu’s answer: Chinese people consider most (if not all) of German man should be expert mechanics 😀 We learned Goethe, Einstein, Gauss, Max Planck, Johannes Kepler , Hertz … from history ,physics and mathematics books. They are all great people of Germany and human beings. Bismarck is known as one of most wise minister once existed. Beethoven, Mozart, J.S.Bach … are world famous. There are still many of the advantage, meanwhile we knows the not honorable history in 80 years before. We respect German people’s brevity for their repentance to the history. But Germany maybe too cool to us? Are they curious to other part of the world? Are they too close minded? The Prejudices should be based on Facts. But Prejudices shows the extreme side of the facts. After so many years of life in Germany, I have to say Germany are so, but not all 😀

Question 11: Germany

Have you already seen other parts of Germany (example: Schloss Neuschwanstein)? If yes, did you like it?

Answer 11

Xiu’s answer: I used to travel to other city for example Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover. I like Heidelberg very much, the castle is beautiful.

Question 12: Suggestions

Would you suggest others to come to Germany and study here?

Answer 12

Xiu’s answer: Not to all of them, because the language and the Study is difficult. It would be a challenge to the students with motivation.

Question 13: Music

Could you compare music taste in China and in Germany? Are American stars as popular as in Germany?

Answer 13

Xiu’s answer: There are 2 different types of music in China. Traditional music from thousands of years ago, played with special instruments and modern music which is greatly influenced by Western music such as America and Europe (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Beatles, U2, etc)

Question 14: Car Names

Is there an arrangement for foreign firms for naming cars with a chinese name, if these cars are produced in China?

Answer 14

Xiu’s answer: Yes, there is. But they have to consider the pronunciation and meaning. For example : Mercedes – Benz : 梅赛德斯 – 奔驰(sounds Ben Chi which means Run as fly) Volks Wagen: 大众 汽车 (everyone can buy) BMW : 宝马（sounds Bao Ma, which means precious horse)

Question 15: Job in China

Is a degree from a foreign university a guarantee for a job in china after return?

Answer 15

Xiu’s answer: There will always be a job. But people will consider on what kind of job, salary and working environment. Not like Germany, different kind of job means different salary which can be 10 times or more. So we have to consider it carefully and make a good planning you are intend to apply.

Question 16: Patent laws in china

As a foreign software company which tries to expand to the chinese market: Is it possible to protect the functionality/desing/anything of your software products by applying patent laws or anything similar

Answer 16

Xiu’s answer: This is a difficult question. General rule is: if the product can be copied, then it will be copied. But still there are several suggested tactics: 1. To whom do you want to sell your product? If your customer is big company or government, they will be for sure pay for your product, but if your product is daily software, a cheaper version (you know what I mean) will be released in no time. 2. Some clever company like Microsoft, they do not only as business man but also farmer. 15 years ago they sold US$ 1000 software which the Chinese couldn’t afford. And then the cheaper product was sold on the street with only US$ 0.50. Microsoft officially did nothing about this. People even said encourage the crack of their software,let people get used to their product. Now is the harvest time. 3. High technical product will not be easily copied .

Question 17: Manners

Which would you consider less polite during international business: Ignorance of manners or if a person misconceives them?
Without any knowledge one could fallback to a culturally neutral way while partial knowledge/misconceiving them might cause serious misunderstandings.

Answer 17

Xiu’s answer: For business like Negotiations, just do as you always. Chinese people already learn international manners in business. If you want to build a long term cooperation with your business partner,u need someone who know the local culture very well. There are too many details which can not been explained with servile sentence.

Question 18: Adressing somebody

Adrian told us that it is custom in china to address people with their family name. What do you do if you work with more than one person with the same family name?

Answer 18

Xiu’s answer: Address them with full name but don’t forget the title if he is your boss, government official, professor, teacher, etc. Not like American but like Germans. This shows respect. But you don’t need to do these to your friends.

Question 19: Strange moments in Germany

When you came to Germany many things were probably strange for you. What do you remeber as especially noteworthy?

Answer 19

Xiu’s answer: There are some shocks: The bus in Germany have a PLAN! There is no regular ticket checker in the TRAIN! The cars will stop and let you walk across first. This point is very important if u want to visit China.

Question 20: First jobs

Many teenagers try to earn some extra cash in Germany, they deliver newspapers or do similiar work. You may start with little jobs when you are 14. How is it in China? Is it customary to work besides school? Or is there not time for this?

Answer 20

Xiu’s answer: Normal chinese young people start their first job in College.In the middle school,you will be too busy with your study. In the other hand, after the graduation of junior middle school, some student will begin their really job ,not part time ,but full.