Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cultural Symbols: A Way to Boost Cultural Dialogues Between China and Germany

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Contemporary German–Chinese Cultures in Dialogue

Part of the book series: Global Germany in Transnational Dialogues ((GGTD))

  • 128 Accesses

Abstract

As cultural symbols play an important role in intercultural communication, Chinese cultural symbols favored by Germans can enhance cross-cultural exchange and understanding between China and Germany. Two online questionnaire surveys, one in 2012 and the other in 2017, were made in Germany to identify what Chinese cultural symbols were known by Germans and which were their favorites. The two-survey result reveals that Germans’ recognition of all the Chinese cultural symbols investigated has been improved, and such Chinese cultural symbols as “Chinese food,” “the Great Wall,” “traditional Chinese medicine,” and “silk” have gained increasing popularity among Germans over the years of our surveys, which means cross-cultural communication has improved by deepened understanding between the two nations. In conclusion, it is advisable to improve Sino-German intercultural understanding through Chinese cultural symbols favored by the Germans and organizing relevant cultural exchange events in Germany. Likewise, it is recommendable to investigate the popularity and the recognition of German cultural symbols favored in China to enhance Sino-German intercultural communication.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Silk Road (die Seiden Strasse) is named by the Germany geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in the nineteenth century.

  2. 2.

    Chinese cultural symbols are Chinese characters, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Suzhou gardens, Confucius, Taoism, Sun Tzu’s art of war, terracotta warriors, Mogao Grottoes, Tang Empire, silk, Chinese porcelain, Beijing opera, Shaolin Temple, Kung Fu, journey to the west, Temple of Heaven, Chairman Mao, acupuncture, and Chinese food.

  3. 3.

    According to the survey of college students across Germany, the top 20 most representative Chinese cultural symbols selected by the respondents are Chinese (Chinese characters), Confucius, calligraphy, the Great Wall, the Five-Starred Red Flag, traditional Chinese medicine, Mao Zedong, the Forbidden City, Deng Xiaoping, terracotta warriors, the Yellow River, the Analects of Confucius, the Old Summer Palace, four treasures of the study, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, historical records, papermaking, classical poetry and Beijing opera.

  4. 4.

    Joachim, H. 1890. Papyros Ebers: Das älteste Buch über Heilkunde. Berlin: Druck und Verlag von George Reimer.

  5. 5.

    Website of SMS–SOCIETAS MEDICINAE SINENSIS (Internationale Gesellschaft für Chinesische Medizin e. V.). 2021. The website shows the list of other agencies who work with the SMS. Updated on January 1, 2021, from http://www.tcm.edu/Home.aspx

References

  • Anonymous. (2011). Yiqu Garden in Duisburg, Germany. Architecture and Gardens Website. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from http://chla.com.cn/htm/2011/0407/80550.html

  • Anonymous. (2021a). The ‘Experience China’ event of Asia-Pacific weeks in Berlin opened. Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Federal Republic of Germany. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from http://de.china-embassy.org/chn/zdgx/201505/t20150525_2821250.htm

  • Anonymous. (2021b). CHINA 8|Contemporary Chinese Art in Rhine & Ruhr. Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn. Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.stiftungkunst.de/kultur/en/projekt/china-8-contemporary-art-from-china-on-the-rhine-and-ruhr/

  • Ashley, B., Hollows, J., Jones, S., & Taylor, B. (2004). Food and Cultural Studies. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barsalou, L. W. (1999). Perceptual Symbol Systems. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22(4), 577–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barthes, R. (1983). Empire of signs (1st pbk. ed.). Hill and Wang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dumas, T. M., Maxwell-Smith, M., Davis, J. P., & Giulietti, P. (2017). Lying or Longing for Likes? Narcissism, Peer belonging, Loneliness and Normative Versus Deceptive Like-seeking on Instagram in Emerging Adulthood. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eberstein, B. (2008). Hamburg-Kanton 1731: der Beginn des Hamburger Chinahandels. Ostasien Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flivk, U. (2011). Mixing Methods, Triangulation, and Integrated Research. Qualitative inquiry and global crises, 132(1), 1–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. (1992). Basics of Grounded Theory Analysis. Sociology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gudykunst, W. B. (Ed.). (2005). Theorizing about Intercultural Communication. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. (1980). Encoding/Decoding. In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (Eds.), Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972–79. Hutchinson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind (Rev. 3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelle, U. (2005a). Sociological Explanations between Micro and Macro and the Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Historical Social Research, 2(1), 95–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelle, U. (2005b). ‘Emergence’ vs. ‘Forcing’ of Empirical Data? A Crucial Problem of ‘Grounded Theory’ Reconsidered. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(2), Art. 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolo, C., Widenhorn, S., Borgstedt, A., & Eicher, D. (2018). A Cross-cultural Perspective on Motives and Patterns of Brand Recommendation in Social Media. International Journal of Online Marketing, 8(2), 27–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kong, J., & Yin, F. (2012). German Cultural Year in China. Phoenix TV news. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from https://news.ifeng.com/c/7fbLSGzKed5

  • Lalonde, M. P. (1992). Deciphering a Meal Again, or the Anthropology of Taste. Social Science Information, 31(1), 69–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lizardo, O. (2016). Cultural Symbols and Cultural Power. Qualitative Sociology, 39(2), 199–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naber, C. (2019). Silk: The dream fabric (C. Beisswenger, Trans.). Mingei. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.mingei-project.eu/silk-the-dream-fabric/

  • News for Reference. (2020). German media: Germany’s lack of ‘China experts’ in its exchanges with China. Baidu. Retrieved February 28, 2020, from https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1659765899831354185&wfr=spider&for=pc

  • Park, M., Park, J., Baek, Y., & Macy, M. (2017). Cultural values and cross-cultural video consumption on YouTube. PLoS One, 12(5), e0177865.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qu, M. (2011). The Symbol Hiding the National Soul–On the Symbolic Culture of Chinese Food. Yunnan University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saussure, F. D. (2011). Course in General linguistics. Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shore, B. (1996). Culture in Mind. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wirtschafts- und Handelsabteilung der Botschaft der Volksrepublik China in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. (2015). From January to October 2014, the bilateral trade volume between Germany and China was 127.32 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 8.52%. Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from http://de.mofcom.gov.cn/article/jjzx/201502/20150200888475.shtml

  • Wirtschafts- und Handelsabteilung der Botschaft der Volksrepublik China in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. (2021). In 2020, China remains the largest trading partner of Germany. Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from http://de.mofcom.gov.cn/article/jjzx/202102/20210203040818.shtml

  • Wu, X. (2003). Contacts between the CPC and the German Social Democratic Party. The Contemporary World, 3, 23–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, J. (2021). Traditional Chinese medicine clinic of German landlady. The Body Daily Website. Retrieved January 1, 2021, from http://www.360doc.com/content/11/0908/11/3068016_146660505.shtml

  • Zhang, J. (2011). On the cultural metaphor and symbolic characteristics of silk. Silk, 9, 50–53.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The article is supported by Social Science Foundation in China: 08&ZD057, 14ZDA53 and 21ZD07.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Peking University, Beijing, China

    Yihong Wang

  2. Tianjin University, Tianjin, China

    Yang Zhang

  3. Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing, China

    Xinna Zhao

Authors
  1. Yihong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xinna Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yihong Wang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Communication University of China, Beijing, China

    Haina Jin

  2. Department of Asian, African and Mediterranean Studies, University of Naples “L‘Orientale”, Naples, Italy

    Anna Stecher

  3. Department of Translation, University of Applied Sciences/SDI Munich, Munich, Germany

    Rebecca Ehrenwirth

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Wang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhao, X. (2023). Cultural Symbols: A Way to Boost Cultural Dialogues Between China and Germany. In: Jin, H., Stecher, A., Ehrenwirth, R. (eds) Contemporary German–Chinese Cultures in Dialogue. Global Germany in Transnational Dialogues. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26779-6_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26779-6_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-26778-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-26779-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation