Those who decide to learn a language usually also want to learn about the country and its people. Our new language teaching series combines immersion in the Chinese language with the teaching of Chinese culture, which often seems foreign to us, in a witty and entertaining way: In the form of bilingually told proverb stories (chengyu in Chinese), wisdom is conveyed in five small booklets that provide a deep insight into the Chinese way of thinking. An audio part to listen to facilitates the introduction to the Chinese language.
Our Chengyu book series, which we published in cooperation with Drachenhaus Verlag, includes a total of 5 books with 5 stories each, containing the most common phrases. The bilingual texts with pinyin transcription and an audio part to listen to the pronunciation, offer the opportunity to improve language skills and provide deep insights into China's great treasure of folk wisdom.
Chengyu (成语) are Chinese sayings, usually consisting of four characters, that convey a moral or philosophical message. The little words of wisdom are an important part of Chinese language culture. They are popular bedtime stories and are even taught in schools. Even in university entrance exams, knowledge of the proverbs is tested. 3000 of these chengyu are frequently used in everyday life; there are an estimated 50,000.
Story2GO is a podcast project of the Confucius Institute Munich. The QR codes in the book lead to audio files with the stories read aloud by native speakers!
5 language textbooks
Dragon House Publishing House, October 2021
Price: 5 € (free shipping within Germany)
Story2GO is a podcast project of the Confucius Institute Munich. The QR codes in the book lead to audio files with the stories read aloud by native speakers!
Every society needs rules for living together. Are there strict rules in Germany? Or are things stricter in China? At first glance, the negotiations there seem very chaotic to us. But are they really? What rules and recommendations distinguish the two countries, and which are the same?
This book helps to make business relations successful and to communicate confidently. German manners as well as politeness and diplomacy in the Middle Kingdom are a good mix - and a basis for being successful not only in Germany and in China, but also internationally.
About the content:
In 111 chapters, common behaviors of both countries are put under the microscope and appropriate reactions and methods are recommended for Germans in China and for Chinese in Germany, respectively, in order to find one's way in the other (foreign) culture: Making first business contacts - body language + gestures - one's own + foreign appearance - greeting rituals - communication in all its diversity - symbolism - celebrating + surviving business meals - business rules of the game with personnel management, falsifications + corruption - negotiating in China + Germany. Corresponding symbols to the individual chapters make the book clear.
Sponsored by the Confucius Institute Munich
The authors:
Dr. Andrea Thürmer Leung worked for over 20 years in Hong Kong/China in management and training and did her PhD in Social Science + Chinese Business Culture. Today she lives in Schwäbisch Gmünd and teaches German companies about the "pitfalls" in global business, mail@dragonbusiness.de, www.dragonbusiness.de.
Susanne Helbach-Grosser lived and worked in Great Britain, France and the USA. Since founding her seminar institute TAKT & STIL in Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1993, she has been a sought-after expert on intercultural communication and social etiquette both at home and abroad, s.helbach-grosser@takt-und-stil.de, www.takt-und-stil.de
China has an ancient peasant culture that is shaped by the calendar like no other. For thousands of years, people have observed the changes in nature, depending on the position of the sun, and have tried to explain them through the action of opposing forces, yin and yang. Man, as part of the cosmos, is also embedded in the universal rhythm from the Chinese point of view. His physiological functions are in sync with this periodic change, the rise and fall of Yin and Yang. Those who want to maintain health and vitality should, as Traditional Chinese Medicine knows, live in harmony with these cosmic events.
In order to represent the cyclical character of time, according to Chinese understanding a certain point in time was not defined by year, month, day and hour alone, but was arranged in a rhythmical pattern. The traditional calendar, oriented to agricultural events, is based on the observation of the course of the sun. It divides the solar year into 24 sections (jieqi) of 15 or 16 days each.
Based on the calendar, traditional Chinese medicine has developed precise rules for nutrition and behavior during these periods of the year, which promote well-being and prevent diseases. They are also useful in our latitudes and can be beneficial to health care. The book explains cultural and medical backgrounds and offers easy-to-cook recipes, exercises, and tips for healthy living all year round.
The authors:
Nelly Ma, who grew up in Beijing, was a university lecturer in Chinese language in Passau and is familiar with the methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Susanne Hornfeck, Dr. phil, sinologist and Germanist, works as a translator and is the author of books for young people.
In 1961, a delegation of three German scientists from the Academy for Social Hygiene, Occupational Hygiene, and Medical Training in Berlin-Lichtenberg, GDR, embarked on a four-week trip to China. The objective was to exchange experiences in social and epidemic hygiene with Chinese counterparts. The group, consisting of Prof. Dr. Hudemann, Dr. med. Horst Köntopp, and Dr. Herbert Sinnecker, was supervised by Prof. Yang on the Chinese side. The journey took them through the Soviet Union, with layovers in Brest and Moscow, through Mongolia to China. In the cities of Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Conghua, and Foshan, Dr. med. Horst Köntopp captured various cultural and work-related sites through his lens.
At that time, China was experiencing the failed "Great Leap Forward" led by Mao Zedong, which culminated in the Great Chinese Famine from 1959 to 1961. Despite the absence of diary entries from Dr. Horst Köntopp, his nearly 300 travel photos, taken with an Exakta Varex 35mm single-lens reflex camera, provide a multifaceted glimpse into the rapid development of China over the past sixty years.
The historically significant color photos were digitized by Jakob Becker, the great-grandson of Dr. Horst Köntopp. The photo book presents these images from 1961 alongside shots of the same locations taken 60 years later, showcasing impressively the changes in cities such as Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Conghua, and Foshan.
The author:
Jakob Becker, the great-grandson of Dr. med. Horst Köntopp, has been exploring the historical and social development of China since 2015. He discovered his great-grandfather's photographs in the attic and digitized them. Sixty years later, he personally traveled to many of the exact locations where the historical photos were taken to capture the same motifs again from identical perspectives.
For more information about the photo book, click here.
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