Universities

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Self-criticism after university lecture
The Hefei Normal University in the Anhui Province has suspended an associate professor after a suspected pro-Western lecture at a middle school. This was reported by the Chinese news portal The Paper (澎湃新闻).The professor, Chen Hongyou, told the portal he felt guilty because some of his statements about ethnicities and genders had been misunderstood. The […] continue reading →
Research with China: criticism of central register proposal
The debate about the risks of research cooperation with Chinese partners is being conducted in detail among China experts. The idea of a possible central register is not well received by all, as researchers could become targets of the Chinese state apparatus. continue reading →
Marc Matten – understanding China’s present through its past
Marc Matten’s interest in China began with a visit to a flea market in the 1990s. While still in school, he stumbled across a book by Edgar Snow, the US journalist who recorded his encounter with Mao Zedong in the world-famous bestseller “Red Star Over China”. Matten was fascinated. “A little later, when our city […] continue reading →
Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik – Pioneer of modern China research
“I have spent a very significant part of my professional life making people aware of this repeatedly: You can’t think of the world without China,” says Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik. Since the mid-1970s, the now 68-year-old has been intensively involved with China. The influence of her older brother – a Mao enthusiast – and a year abroad […] continue reading →
Sarah Eaton – proud co-founder of a China network
Sarah Eaton knows very well that certain encounters can change the course of entire lives. When she studied political science and Asian studies at a small university in her native Canada, she met Marilyn McCullough, an expert in modern Chinese history.McCullough became Eaton’s mentor and significantly influenced her future academic endeavors. “I knew then that […] continue reading →
Risks of joint research
When evaluating scientific cooperation with China, there is often a lack of differentiation between China as a country and China as a one-party system. However, this necessary differentiation is also neglected in connection with other autocratically ruled states. continue reading →
Elena Meyer-Clement – Understanding China’s society in detail
Elena Meyer-Clement learned Chinese during her school years. She traveled with school groups to Shanghai and Beijing. Meyer-Clement recalls finding the country and its people awful on her second visit. “The people saw us as strangers just as we saw them.” But that aversion did not last long; the then-student soon felt a connection to […] continue reading →
Millions of university graduates – and still a shortage
Every year, millions of university graduates flood the Chinese job market. Their expectations of companies are becoming ever higher. But they often lack the basic skills that employers require. But even for Western university graduates, the first steps in China will not be easy. continue reading →
Frank Kraushaar – from the past to the present
Frank Kraushaar’s decision to study sinology was “completely clueless,” as he says today. “I wanted to live out my literary interests, but I wasn’t interested in classical European literary theories and doctrines.” He flipped through a study guide and came across sinology. “There was a sense of need to rethink literature,” Kraushaar recalls. He enrolled […] continue reading →
Hans-Joerg Schmerer – China researcher at Fernuni Hagen
Back then, in the early 2000s, the greatest adventures could be experienced on China’s railways. Hans-Joerg Schmerer still has fond memories of those times. He was on a backpacking trip with a friend – six weeks, from Beijing to Inner Mongolia. And with every kilometer the two of them traveled, Schmerer ventured deeper into a […] continue reading →
US professor convicted over ties to China
A Texas A&M University professor has pleaded guilty to keeping China contacts secret even though he conducted research with NASA funding. Cheng Zhengdong had received $750,000 from the US government for space research in his labs. Under a Trump-era law, he would have had to disclose any ties to Chinese institutions. However, he failed to […] continue reading →
Sinologists without China experience
A bachelor's degree in sinology takes an average of six semesters, or three years. Now the Covid pandemic also enters its third year. At the end of this summer semester, the first sinologists who have never set foot in the People's Republic will graduate. How are students handling this? continue reading →
German universities cooperate with Chinese military institutions
European scientists cooperate with Chinese military institutions in thousands of cases. This is the result of an investigative study by Correctiv, Follow the Money and nine other media outlets. The journalists analyzed more than 350,000 scientific studies from the years 2000 to 2022. In almost 3,000 cases, European researchers have collaborated with military institutions from […] continue reading →
Elisabeth Kaske – professor and observer of Chinese history
“As a person, history has two attractions for me,” says Elisabeth Kaske, Professor of Society and Culture of Modern China at the University of Leipzig. On the one hand, it lies in the past and you can look at it as an outsider. Also, you know the outcome and can still play with other potential […] continue reading →
Government start-up aid for university graduates
China expects a record number of university graduates and wants to promote their recruitment by companies. Smaller companies hiring such candidates are to be provided with subsidies, according to the State Council. Graduates who set up a start-up will receive tax breaks and better loan conditions. In addition, free business and office space will be […] continue reading →
Attack in Pakistan claims several lives
Four people were killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan. Three victims have been reported to be Chinese citizens. The attack on the campus of the University of Karachi killed the director of the local Confucius Institute, one of the institute’s academic staff, another Chinese woman and a Pakistani man. According to media reports, another […] continue reading →
How Chinese feel about their studies in Germany
Chinese students in Germany usually have a hard time adjusting to everyday life in Germany. Greater personal responsibility and language barriers are hurdles on the way to better integration. Still, many of them have a positive view of their stay after returning to China. continue reading →
Barbara Mittler – sinologist with a passion for music
“Actually, I wanted to become a musician, like my mother,” says Barbara Mittler. But her father, who worked in China, encouraged her to learn Mandarin while she was still attending school. Then she got a spot at Oxford, where she took private lessons, including history under Mark Elvin and classical Chinese under Raymond Dawson. “We […] continue reading →