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Nelly Ma – translator with a moving life story

"For many people, the translator is a machine that eats the source language at one end and spits out the target language at the other," says Nelly Ma. "If only it were that simple."

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Karin Betz – translator and dancer

"All knowledge and life experience goes into translating," says Karin Betz. Her profession: she translates Chinese literature into German.

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'In Germany, the past haunts the living'

Taiwanese author Kevin Chen has received the prestigious Taiwan Literature Award for his second novel, Ghost Town. Fabian Peltsch spoke with the Berlin-based writer about Taiwan's geopolitical momentum, everyday racism in Germany, and his homeland's belief in ghosts.

Von Redaktion

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Spies, chips and ghosts

China.Table presents the best China books for this fall and winter – for quiet reading afternoons between the holidays, or maybe as a last-minute gift idea.

Von Redaktion

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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.

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Nora Frisch – China's heart between two book covers

"The negative image of China has made my work more difficult," says Nora Frisch. With the books published by her Drachenhaus publishing house, the sinologist, who was educated in Vienna, Beijing, Taipei and Heidelberg, actually wants to present China's diversity outside the realm of economics and politics - a diversity that is unfortunately often neglected in current debates.

Von Redaktion

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'The pressure on Taiwan is increasing'

With his novels, bestselling author Stephan Thome wants to open the horizons of German readers to China and Taiwan. "If you want to tell something substantial about these countries, two years of residence and a few language skills are not enough," says the sinologist, who has now lived in Taiwan for 12 years. A conversation about fear of war, cultural appropriation and best-case scenarios for an island constantly overshadowed by a looming Chinese invasion. Fabian Peltsch spoke with Thome.

Von Fabian Peltsch

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Yannic Han Biao Federer – writing the family trauma away

"I don't come from a background where humanities or even artistic professions would have been a desirable option," says Yannic Han Biao Federer. Federer's father belonged to the Chinese minority in Indonesia before discrimination forced him to emigrate to Germany.

Von Redaktion

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Françoise Hauser – author of China books

When Françoise Hauser had just earned her Master's degree in Sinology in the mid-1990s, a visit to the employment office recommended she choose a different career path. "Back then, there wasn't much anyone could do with Chinese," says the writer, who was born in Mainz in 1967.

Von Fabian Peltsch

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"There is no question of isolation"

Niels Peter Thomas heads the China business of Springer Nature, one of the world's leading academic publishers. He talks with China.Table about the state of Chinese research and its publishing practices. Thomas observes a leap in the general quality of publications by Chinese scientists. This is also bringing a boost in international renown, especially as more and more papers are made in collaboration with Western institutions. Thomas also explains whether artificial intelligence will soon replace human authors. The interview was conducted by Frank Sieren.

Von Frank Sieren

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Chen Qiufan – Sci-Fi author with an eco calling

Alongside Liu Cixin, Chen Qiufan is considered China's most renowned science fiction authors. His debut novel "The Silicon Island", set on a waste-contaminated island off the Chinese coast, asks uncomfortable questions that strike at the heart of modern Chinese society: How much growth can our environment sustain?

Von Redaktion