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An interview of the Vice President of
Heidelberg University, Susanne
Weigelin-Schwiedrzik
By Ning Jing
PKU NEWS 2005--11—16
http://ennews.pku.edu.cn/news.php?s=132239973
Peking University, Beijing, Nov. 16th (2005): Beijng Forum 2005, the Panel Session
on History inaugurated in the Beijing Hotel at 14:00 pm on Nov. 16th 2005. After the
discussion of Panel one about Asia and World Civilization in Globalization
Perspectives, the Chair of this panel Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, who is now the
Vice President of Heidelberg University, accepted my interview.
Reporter: After your high school, you went into Bonn University and studied Sinology
there. As you were so young that time, why did you choose the subject Sinology?
Professor Weigelin: When I was in my high school, there was little information about
China in Germany, but in the United States, there are much more information. I
started to know that there is a place named ‗China‘ in the world, and there might be
lots of mysterious things in that country. As I always have a strong curiosity about the
unknown world, I decided to study Sinology. Soon, I saw that if I wanted to
understand Sinology, I should go to China myself. In 1975, I came to China for the
first time, and then I underwent the ‗Great Cultural Revolution‘ and the defeat of
‗Gang of Four‘ in China. I started to see the insight of the Chinese society, and
realized that the Chinese culture was far different from the Western ones. I was
deeply attracted by Sinology.
Reporter: As you had already studied Sinology for so many years, do you think,
nowadays, the westerners have right opinion about China?
Professor Weigelin: The western world started to know China in about 1970s. For a
long time, they had not change their impression about China and thought China was
always like in the 1970s. In recent years, the rising of China is really stupendous.
The westerners start to think China is great in all aspects. Because of the different
culture background, it is not so easy for the western world to understand China. At
least, it can not be in such a direct way.
Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik hopes to have more chances to communication
about the world civilization, and see more deep about China and Sinology.
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