German-Chinese Student Day: From double degrees, Confucius and Taoism to Jiaozi

Today's moderator, Dr. Ebertshäuser, Head of the Clausthal University of Technology's Study Center, began by welcoming all those present in both English and Chinese. In the first lecture, Prof. Dr. Rembe from the Institute of Electrical Information Technology spoke about the Bachelor's degree course in Electrical Engineering, which is offered jointly by Clausthal University of Technology and SCU in Chengdu and thus offers the possibility of a double degree. After a brief comparison of the two locations, the basic structure of the course and the advantages for both German and Chinese students, Prof. Dr. Rembe also explained "what we are arguing about and what we agree". In contrast to the Bachelor's degree course presented by Prof. Dr. Rembe, the subsequent contribution by Prof. Dr. Inkermann from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering addressed the plans for a joint German-Chinese Master's degree course in "Intelligent Manufacturing". Following its introduction at Clausthal University of Technology in the winter semester 22/23, this is to be included in the ZZU's range of courses one year later and lead to a double degree from both universities. The interest in cooperation and implementation was demonstrated not only by the questions of the Chinese contact person at ZZU, Prof. Dr. Werner Hou, but also by the interest of two students who inquired about the possibilities of preparatory and language courses. This was followed by a presentation by the most important employer in the Lower Saxony region (VW AG) entitled "German Cars - Past, present and future", in which, among other things, projects in China were presented and reasons for the changes over the course of time were explained.

Finally, three German students from Clausthal University of Technology introduced the Chinese students to the advantages of studying and living in Germany and Clausthal. In addition to the facilities at Clausthal University of Technology, the leisure opportunities and activities in the surrounding area will also be considered. The presentation will end with a report from a German student about his study visit to SCU in Chengdu, which was supported by the China Competence Center. This will be followed by a report "from the other side of the globe", in which four students of the new German-Chinese Bachelor's degree program in Electrical Engineering at SCU, which was only introduced in September 2021, will present the environment and the university in flawless German - to everyone's great surprise. Not only traditional culinary highlights of the region, but also leisure activities and points of interest in the megacity of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, will be presented. The Chinese perspective will be complemented by a contribution from two ZZU Master's students, who will use a short film and vivid images to illustrate the advantages of their studies and everyday life.

The subsequent coffee break will be accompanied by musical contributions from Jannik Johannsen from the University of Oldenburg and Lingxiang Wang from the University of Hanover, before Dr. Ebertshäuser talks about how to become a better person in 30 minutes. Above all, it is important to follow the Confucian virtues of 恕("shu" = kindness, tolerance - do not do to others what you would not wish for yourself) and 忠 ("zhong" = faithfulness, loyalty). Prof. Dr. Hou ultimately admires the fact that Confucius' teachings are so complex and can be reduced to just a few concepts and thoughts. Dr. Lin CAI, Director of the Confucius Institute Hanover, is confronted with a greater challenge in that she has to give a short lecture on Daoism. The focus of this contribution is particularly on poetry from the field of Daoism, whereby the origin of "Daoism" is also clarified and placed in a historical context. As an example of the duality of concepts, she cites the Chinese word for crisis "危机 (wei ji)", which is composed of "danger" (危 = wei) and "opportunity" (机 = ji). The conclusion is that in every crisis there is also an opportunity that can be exploited. In response to Prof. Dr. Hou's question about the difference between the two approaches, she replied that Confucianism is more socially oriented and strives for harmony, whereas Daoism has an individualistic focus and aims to achieve inner peace. This is illustrated by the contribution of Mr. Daoist LIU, who experienced the beneficial effects of traditional Chinese medicine at an early age. This prompted him to travel to and through China on a one-way ticket in his early 20s to be introduced to the teachings of the old masters Zhang Sanfeng (张三丰) in Wudang Mountain. He has now been back in Germany for a good two years and has over 20 students worldwide. He ends his talk with practical exercises that can also be implemented in everyday office life to (re-)activate energy, among other things. To round off today's event, Dr. Lara M. Gottfried and Dr. Hong Liu-Kiel will be hosting an online quiz, with the main prize being a Lego set "Shanghai", a gift basket of Chinese food and vouchers for the Clausthal Chinese restaurant "Ju Bin Lou". Anyone who has now become hungry - also inspired by the Chinese students' contributions to traditional dishes - can end the evening there in compliance with the 2G+ rules and enjoy the "jiaozi" they made themselves as part of a small cooking course.

Video link: https: //video.tu-clausthal.de/film/china-woche-2021_1228.html

Photo Link: HERE