CeMEAS

Lecture: Revisiting the Understanding of “the Other” through Thermae Romae II: Implications for Chinese Language Teaching
2026-01-16 14:30 - 16:00 (Europe/Berlin) | KWZ
從《羅馬浴場 II》回看我們如何理解「他者」文化—— 對華語教學的啟示
Revisiting the Understanding of “the Other” through Thermae Romae II:
Implications for Chinese Language Teaching
2026年1月16日（週五）14:30–16:00
KWZ 1.701， 哥廷根大學
報告人：曾金金 教授， 國立台灣師範大學
主持人：張陶 教授， 哥廷根大學
摘要
本報告以日本影視作品《羅馬浴場 II》為例，討論流行影視文本中「他者」文化的呈現方式，以及其中所體現的跨文化想像。作品透過幽默與錯位的敘事手法，將不同文化與時空並置，呈現文化差異被感知、想像與再詮釋的過程。報告嘗試從跨文化與語言學習的相關視角出發，思考此類影視作品在華語教學語境中可能引發的更廣泛反思，並為文化理解與比較提供一個開放的觀察方向。
Abstract
Taking the Japanese audiovisual work Thermae Romae II as an example, this talk examines how “the Other” is represented in popular screen media and how cross-cultural imagination is articulated through audiovisual narratives. By juxtaposing different cultures and temporalities through humor and narrative displacement, the film foregrounds processes through which cultural differences are perceived, imagined, and reinterpreted. Drawing on perspectives from intercultural communication and language learning, the talk further considers how such works can stimulate broader discussions of cultural understanding and comparison within the context of Chinese language teaching.
時間與地點
時間：2026年1月16日（週五）14:30–16:00
地點： KWZ 1.701， 哥廷根大學
Speaker’s Bio:

Dr. Chin-Chin Tseng is a full professor in the Department of Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University. She is currently serving as the Taiwan Chair and visiting researcher at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Dr. Tseng earned her B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures from National Taiwan University in 1988, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
A linguist, phonetician, and teacher educator, her early research focused on phonetics, interlanguage, and second language acquisition. More recently, her work has expanded to include Chinese dialect teacher education, AI-assisted teaching strategies, and the development of an interlanguage prosodic database for Chinese language research in Europe.
Recent publication:
Zhang, F., & Tseng, C.-C. (2025). Inclusive teaching strategies and proprioceptive learning methods for migrants in acquiring basic Chinese. In Y. Liang & Z. Li (Eds.), Diversity and inclusiveness in Chinese as a second language education (pp. 145–174). Routledge.
Ongoing project:
International Integrated Collaboration Project for the University Alliance in the Czech Republic (ICU) and the University Academic Alliance in Taiwan (UAAT), under the national-level initiative for international collaboration in key academic fields (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences).
Project Title: The Dynamics of East-West Civilizational Interactions: Conflict or Fusion?
Sub-project: A Study on Interpersonal Communication between Czechs and Taiwanese in the Context of Second Language Teaching

Realizing Buddhahood in the Human Realm: The Theory and Practice of Humanistic Buddhism
2026-02-04 14:00 - 16:00
Realizing Buddhahood in the Human Realm:
The Theory and Practice of Humanistic Buddhism

Lecture Series: Buddhism in Modern China 2025/2026
Prof. Dr. 宣方 Xuan Fang (Renmin University of China)
Time: February 4, 2026, 14:00 PM – 16:00 PM CET
Venue: Raum 4.105, Waldweg
Language: Chinese/ 中文

Abstract
即人成佛：人间佛教的理论与实践
摘要
人生佛教作为汉传佛教回应现代性议题最重要的理论论述和实践模式，对二十世纪后半叶以来佛教在海峡两岸的蓬勃发展居功至伟，引起学界广泛的关注，相关研究持续升温，本世纪以来渐成显学，成果卓有可观。不过，此中仍有未发之覆，特别是一些基础的教理问题，对佛教共同体内部而言十分重要。例如，太虚关于人间佛教诸多论述引发后人大相径庭的理解，人间佛教推展过程中的种种歧出也使其备受争议。回归到基础教理层面来分析，争议的焦点集中在两个方面：第一、人生佛教思想的核心理论、宗旨及其性质是什么？是共世间的人天乘法门，还是大乘的菩萨道？第二、人生佛教如何修行？是由人、天、声闻、菩萨层层转进，还是由人乘直达佛乘？人菩萨行是否可能、如何可能？前一方面要回答人生佛教是什么，后一方面要回答人生佛教怎么修，这两个基础教理问题相互关联，是人生佛教的核心理论和立论根本；尤其是第二个问题，仍属学术界既往研究的未发之覆。人生佛教能否在教理上自洽地解答上述问题、回应各种质疑？本讲演将依据太虚、印顺的相关论述，对此作一考察。
Humanistic Buddhism (rensheng fojiao) represents one of the most significant theoretical articulations and practical models through which Chinese Buddhism has responded to the challenges of modernity. Since the second half of the twentieth century, it has played a crucial role in the remarkable revival and expansion of Buddhism in both Mainland China and Taiwan. As a result, it has attracted sustained scholarly attention since the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Nevertheless, important issues remain insufficiently examined, particularly certain foundational doctrinal questions that are of great significance within the Buddhist community itself. For example, Taixu’s various interpretations of Humanistic Buddhism (renjian fojiao) gave rise to markedly divergent understandings among later generations, while differing paths of practical implementation have rendered the movement highly contested. When these debates are reconsidered at the level of fundamental doctrine, they converge on two central issues: First, what are the core theoretical foundation, ultimate aim, and doctrinal nature of Humanistic Buddhism? Should it be understood as a form of this-worldly Buddhist practice oriented toward the human and celestial vehicles, or as an expression of the Mahāyāna bodhisattva path? Second, how is Humanistic Buddhism to be practiced? Does cultivation proceed step by step—from the realms of human and celestial beings, through the śrāvaka path, and onward to the bodhisattva path—or does it advocate a direct transition from the human vehicle to Buddhahood? Is the practice of the “human bodhisattva” theoretically possible, and if so, in what sense? The first question concerns what Humanistic Buddhism is, while the second addresses how it is to be practiced. These two fundamental doctrinal issues are closely interconnected and together constitute the core theoretical framework and justificatory basis of Humanistic Buddhism. In particular, the second issue remains largely unexplored in existing scholarship.
Can Humanistic Buddhism provide a doctrinally coherent response to these questions and adequately address the various criticisms directed toward it? Drawing on the writings of Taixu and Yinshun, this lecture examines these issues from the perspective of Buddhist doctrinal theory.
【Short Bio】
宣方，中国人民大学宗教学系副教授，佛教与宗教学理论研究所研究员，兼任北京大学、香港中文大学、厦门大学、云南大学、中国佛教文化研究所等十余所国内佛学机构客座教授，《宗教》、《宗教研究》、《汉语佛学评论》等专业期刊编委。主要研究佛教思想史和当代佛教。
Xuan Fang is associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Renmin University of China and Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Buddhism and Religious Theory. He also serves as a visiting professor at more than ten Buddhist studies institutions in China, including Peking University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Xiamen University, Yunnan University, and the China Institute of Buddhist Culture. He is a member of the editorial boards of several leading academic journals, including Religion, Religious Studies, and Chinese Buddhist Studies Review. His main research interests focus on the intellectual history of Buddhism and contemporary Chinese Buddhism.

影视（短⽚）融合差异化学习任务在外语教学中的运⽤ Einsatz von (Kurz)Filmen im Fremdsprachenunterricht mit differenzierten Lernaufgaben
2026-02-05 19:00 - 21:00
Vortrag: 影视（短⽚）融合差异化学习任务在外语教学中的运⽤
Einsatz von (Kurz)Filmen im Fremdsprachenunterricht mit differenzierten Lernaufgaben
Referent:
Xikai Chen 陈希凯
Studienreferendar mit Fächerkombination
Chinesisch und Englisch
Zeit: 19:00-21:00, 05. Feb. 2026
Raum: KWZ 0.609, Universität Göttingen
Sprachen: Deutsch/Chinesisch
Moderation: Miriam Meyer (M.Ed. Chinesisch als Fremdsprache)
Organisiert von Prof. Dr. Tao Zhang, Professur Fachdidaktik Chinesisch als Fremdsprache

Chinesischsprachiges Film- und Kulturforum Göttingen 哥廷根影像与文化论坛
Jahresthema 2026 – „Sprache(n) in Bewegung: Mehrsprachigkeit und globale Perspektiven“
Eine Veranstaltungsreihe der Professur für Fachdidaktik Chinesisch als Fremdsprache und des CeMEAS

Abstract:
In einer heterogenen Lerngruppe mit verschiedenen Interessen und Schwerpunkten der Lernenden bieten lange und kurze Filme als Lernmedien im Fremdsprachenunterricht einen großen Raum, in dem sich die Schüler*innen mit den technischen und ästhetischen Aspekten der Filme auseinandersetzen und ihre eigenen Perspektiven und Kreativität einbringen können, sei es in rezeptiven oder produktiven Aktivitäten. Anhand seiner Praxiserfahrung aus dem Unterrichtsalltag des Referendariats präsentiert Xikai Chen in diesem Vortrag unterschiedliche Einsatzmöglichkeiten von langen und kurzen Filmen sowie seine Reflexion und Evaluation der Vor- und Nachteile der bereits durchgeführten Lernaufgaben, die eng mit Filmanalysen und Kurzfilmproduktionen verbunden sind.

Kurzbio:
Xikai Chen, Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (Tongji Universität, 2020) sowie Master of Arts in Kulturanthropologie und Master of Education in Chinesisch und Englisch (Universität Göttingen, 2024), verfügt über die Zulassung des BAMF zur Lehrtätigkeit in Integrationskursen für DaF/DaZ und hat zahlreiche Hochschulzertifikate im Bereich der Anwendung sprachlicher Fertigkeiten, z.B. Theaterpraxis und Präsentation, Mündliche Kommunikation mit dem Schwerpunkt Rhetorik und Interkulturelle*r Trainer*in, Schreibberatung, Medienkompetenz und Digitale Bildung an der Universität Göttingen erworben. Seine Forschungsinteressen im Bereich der Didaktik für den Fremdsprachenunterricht umfassen den Einsatz von Theater und audio-visuellen Medien im Sprachunterricht, interkulturelle Kommunikation und Kulturvermittlung sowie die Förderung von Sprech- und Schreibkompetenzen im Fremdsprachenunterricht.
陈希凯，同济大学汉语国际教育硕士（2020）、哥廷根大学文化人类学专业文学硕士（2024）、汉语及英语师范专业教育硕士（2024），并持有BAMF认证的德语二外（融入课程）的教学资质，并已经修毕哥廷根大学开设的“戏剧实践与展示”“口头沟通之修辞学”“跨文化培训”“写作咨询”“媒体素养”及“数字教学”等多项与语言运用、青少年教育直接相关的证书项目。外语教学法方向的研究兴趣：戏剧与影音媒体在语言教学中的运用、外语课堂里的跨文化沟通与文化教学、口语表达与写作能力培养等。

Lecture: Joris Muller: Public Displays of Alignment
2026-02-23 14:00 - 15:00 | Alte Sternwarte
Development Economics Seminar (in person) — Joris Mueller
The next Development Economics Seminar will take place in person.
Date: Monday, 23 FebruaryTime: 14:00–15:00Location: Historical Observatory (Göttingen)
Speaker: Joris Mueller (National University of Singapore)Title: Public Displays of Alignment
Lunch (for participants in Göttingen)
Everyone present in Göttingen is welcome to join for lunch before the seminar.Meeting point: 11:30, Z-Mensa entrance hall(Please note the different time and location compared to the seminar.)

Online participation (Zoom)
To participate virtually, please log in here: [Zoom link]Meeting ID: 696 4196 8262Passcode: [REDACTED]

Office hours & dinner (sign-up required)
The speaker will be available for further discussion during office hours after the seminar.A joint dinner with the speaker will also take place on the day of the seminar.
To participate in office hours and/or dinner, please sign up with your name and email address here.

Abstract
This paper studies corporate public alignment: firm communication that echoes the rhetoric of an autocratic regime. A theoretical model is developed in which public alignment supports political risk-sharing between firms and the regime. By tying their payoffs to the regime’s, aligned firms credibly commit to undertake costly, regime-favored actions in adverse states; in return, the regime becomes less likely to expropriate them.
An empirical measure of public alignment is constructed using a replicable index based on regime-specific phrases in annual reports and applied to Chinese listed firms. The results support the model’s predictions and its key assumption that alignment links firm and regime payoffs: more aligned firms undertake more regime-favored actions during periods of unrest and earn lower profits, while alignment increases when expropriation risk rises. These findings hold after controlling for other forms of state proximity (such as state ownership, political connections, and Party cells) and are difficult to reconcile with alternative explanations such as cheap talk or simple patronage.

Practical notes for Zoom participants
Please install and test Zoom beforehand. During the presentation, microphones should remain muted. Questions can be indicated via the “raise hand” function (under “Participants”). To reduce bandwidth issues, please close unneeded applications and disable HD video if possible.

The updated seminar schedule can always be found here: [Seminar schedule link]Mailing list subscription/unsubscription is available here: [Mailing list link]

Lecture: “What Kind of Innovation is e-CNY?” by Karman Lucero (Yale Law School), 21 April 2026, 16:30 (KWZ 0.608)
2026-04-21 16:30 - 18:30
Lecture: “What Kind of Innovation is e-CNY?” by Karman Lucero (Yale Law School), 21 April 2026, 16:30 (KWZ 0.608)

E-CNY: China’s Digital Currency

Title: E-CNY: China’s Digital Currency
Date: 21. April 2026, 16:30 Uhr
Room: KWZ 0.608
Speaker: Karman Lucero (Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center)

Title: “What kind of innovation is e-CNY?”

About the speaker:
Karman Lucero is a Senior Fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. His research focuses on China’s governance of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, AI governance in the U.S., global AI governance, and U.S.-China relations. He has organized multiple ongoing Track 1.5 and Track 2 dialogues that bring together academic and private sector experts as well as policy makers in the U.S. and China to address topics pertaining to domestic and transnational AI governance. He has published op-eds and public-facing scholarship in The Global Law Review, The Republic, The South China Morning Post, Project Syndicate, Lawfare, and elsewhere. Further, he has advised policy makers in the U.S., UK, EU, Japan, and other countries on how to understand and respond to China’s approach towards regulating AI, data flows, digital currencies, and other emerging technologies. He was a visiting scholar at Peking University and Renmin University and holds a J.D. and B.A. from Columbia University.

About the topic:
China has developed and promoted its own central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan (e-CNY), in order to stay ahead of the financial infrastructure of the future, strengthen state oversight and control over payments, and change the nature of its relationship with fintech giants. The state has also touted the longer-term goals of internationalizing the RMB and leading fintech advancements. In practice, the rollout of e-CNY has thus far fallen short of many of its stated goals. This discrepancy between policy goals and reality reveals important characteristics regarding the nature of digital currencies and their broader relationship to a national financial system. This lecture, divided in three parts, will present an overview of the current state of e-CNY in China, explore why there is a discrepancy between policy goals and the reality of implementation, and, finally, outline the lessons these dynamics have for policy makers across the world, considering CBDCs and the future of the global financial system.

More information on our website: https://uni-goettingen.de/de/423274.html

Lecture: The Promise and the Challenge of World Literature
2026-04-30 16:00 - 17:30
The Promise and the Challenge of World Literature
Zhang Longxi (Hunan Normal University)
April 30, 2026
4 pm
KWZ 0.602

Abstract:
In this lecture, Prof. Zhang Longxi will address the current situation of “World Literature.” Although the notion of “World Literature” aims at global cosmopolitanism, the field remains heavily Eurocentric. While Goethe’s original vision was inspired by Chinese texts, modern circulation still prioritizes Western languages like English and French. Thus, academic frameworks, exemplified by Casanova’s Paris-centric model, continue to marginalize rich non-Western traditions, including Chinese classics. To achieve a truly global perspective, scholars must actively integrate diverse literary histories and expand the literary canon to reflect a genuine, rather than Western-dominated, global reality.

Short Bio:
Prof. Zhang Longxi (Ph. D. from Harvard) has taught at Peking, Harvard, the University of California, Riverside, and City University of Hong Kong, and is currently Xiaoxiang Chair Professor 潇湘特聘教授 at Hunan Normal University and Li De Chair Professor 砺德讲席教授 at the Yenching Academy of Peking University. He is an elected foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History, and the Antiquities and also of Academia Europaea. He has published more than 30 books and numerous articles in Chinese and English, including, most recently, A History of Chinese Literature (London: Routledge, 2023), and World Literature as Discovery: Expanding the World Literary Canon (London: Routledge, 2024).

Continuities and Changes in China’s Foreign Policy Since the 2010s
2026-05-06 16:00 - 17:30
Continuities and Changes in China’s Foreign Policy Since the 2010s
Prof. Jisi Wang (Peking University)
Room: [VG 4.102]
6. May (Wednesday), 16:15–17:45

Abstract:
Since the 2010s, China’s reading of its strategic environment has shifted, even as the core aims of its foreign policy have remained constant. This lecture examines these continuities and changes through the deterioration of China–US relations. It argues that the central challenge for Chinese foreign policy today is how to protect national interests in an era of long-term strategic competition without allowing competition to become self-reinforcing confrontation. The question is therefore how China and the United States might still preserve room for coexistence, crisis management, and limited cooperation before the relationship hardens past recovery.

Speaker:
Professor Wang Jisi is Founding President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University. He also holds the Boya Chair Professorship (Emeritus) at the School of International Studies. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, China’s foreign relations, and Asian security, and he is the author of widely cited works in these fields, including the influential essay “Marching Westwards: The Rebalancing of China’s Geopolitical Strategy.” Wang Jisi served as Director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from 1991 to 2005, and as Dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University until 2013.

Lecture: Visual Representation and Creative Approaches to ClassicalLiterature in Chinese Language Instruction
2026-05-26 12:00 - 17:00
经典文学作品在华文课堂中的视觉呈现和创意表达
Visual Representation and Creative Approaches to ClassicalLiterature in Chinese Language Instruction
Speaker: Kexi Peng 彭可希
Time: Friday, 26th June 2026, 12:00 – 14:00
Room: KWZ 0.603, Universität Göttingen
Language: Chinese

Was macht einen Helden aus? Auf den Spuren des Affenkönigs und anderer legendärer Figuren
2026-06-15 08:00 - 17:00
Sonderveranstaltung: Was macht einen Helden aus? Auf den Spuren des Affenkönigs und anderer legendärer Figuren

Lecture: China and the US in a Changing Global Order: How Can History Help Us Read the Future?
2026-06-19 12:15 - 13:45
Prof. Rana Mitter (Harvard University)
China and the US in a Changing Global Order: How Can History Help Us Read the Future?
Room: KWZ 0.603
19. June (Friday), 12:15–13:45

Abstract:
The world of the past 80 years is rapidly coming to a close, and a new order is emerging. On every major issue, we need new thinking. What does the new tension between the US and China mean for Asian regional security, and how will it affect Europe? What will AI and technological change affect global politics? What will be the role of the Middle Powers navigating between the US, China and Russia? And can history teach us how to understand the present and future?

Speaker:
Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of several books, including Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II (2013) which won the 2014 RUSI/Duke of Westminster’s Medal for Military Literature, and was named a Book of the Year in the Financial Times and Economist. His latest book is China’s Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism (Harvard, 2020).

Gastbeiträge: Neue Themen der Didaktik chinesischsprachiger Literatur und Kultur
2026-06-25 10:00 - 12:00
Gastbeiträge
華語文學文化教學新議題
Neue Themen der Didaktik chinesischsprachiger Literatur und Kultur
Referent*innen:
Prof. Dr. Shuling Horng 洪淑苓 (National Taiwan University)
Assistant Prof. Dr. Chien-Chih Liu 劉建志 (National Pingtung University)
Assistant Prof. Dr. Shu-Wei Tu 涂書瑋 (National Sun Yat-sen University)
Zeit: Donnerstag, 25. Juni 2026, 10:00 – 12:00
Raum: KWZ 0.701, Universität Göttingen
Sprache: Chinesisch
Anmeldung per E-Mail: goechaf@uni-goettingen.de
Organisiert von der Professur Fachdidaktik Chinesisch als Fremdsprache

Vortrag: Chinesische Xianxia-Anime in Deutschland
2026-07-01 14:00 - 16:00
Chinesischsprachiges Film – und Kulturforum Göttingen
Gastvortrag :
Chinesische Xianxia-Anime in Deutschland: Sprache und Kultur lehren und lernen mit „Tiān Guān Cì Fú“ (Heaven Official’s Blessing) und „Mó Dào Zǔ Shī“ (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation)
Referentin:
Prof. Dr. LI Jie (Nankai University)
Zeit: Mittwoch, 1. Juli 2026, 14:00–16:00
Raum: KWZ 0.609, Universität Göttingen
Sprache: Deutsch

Huang Tingjian and His Three Modern Readers: Chen Sanli, Chen Yinke, and Qian Zhongshu
2026-07-07 16:00 - 18:00
Guest Lecture
Huang Tingjian and His Three Modern Readers: Chen Sanli, Chen Yinke, and Qian Zhongshu

SpeakerDr. Haifeng ShangTenured Associate Professor, The Education University of Hong Kong
ModeratorProf. Dr. Axel SchneiderProfessor of the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Göttingen
Date & Time
Tuesday, 7 July 202616:00–18:00
Venue
KWZ, Room 0.608Heinrich-Düker-Weg 1437073 Göttingen
Language
English with Chinese
Organizer
Department of East Asian Studies (Ostasiatisches Seminar), University of Göttingen
In cooperation with

Centre for Modern East Asian Studies (CeMEAS)
East Asian Classics Academe

警惕“问题殖民”： 东西学“互渐”中的致命误区
2026-07-09 18:30 - 20:00
警惕“问题殖民”： 东西学“互渐”中的致命误区
主讲嘉宾：秦晖教授
清华大学荣休教授
香港中文大学教授
日本庆应义塾大学客座教授
时间: 2026 年7 月9 日，晚六点半至八点
地点: KWZ 0.602
主持人: 哥廷根大学东亚研究所施耐德教授, 学者岳蜀杰博士
Language: Chinese

摘要：有没有所谓“普世价值”？抑或“文化基因”不相容
决定了每个民族的不同道路？不同民族的互相影响，只能
是“价值观”或“文化”的互动吗？“同心同理”却又“画虎
不成”，为什么？是“文化殖民”遭遇排斥？还是“文化重
建”尚未彻底？
在《走出帝制》中我指出：19世纪中叶中国人初识西
方“民主”，几乎都认为那是好东西，这基于他们自己固有
的基本价值观（通常认为那就是“儒家”价值观），堪称
人同此心，心同此理。但接下来却发生了“西儒对立”。后
来似乎西（马克思主义）胜儒败，而中国却没有民主，反
变成更强悍的秦制。20世纪末再次“新启蒙”，结果更似
乎“东升西降”，一边秦制更强，另一边民主却遭遇严重危
机！有人沮丧，叹息为何画虎不成反类犬。有人大狂，欢
呼不许画犬反成虎。且不论褒贬，这些过程何以造成？
我认为，根源不在于所谓“文化（价值观之别）”，而在于
路径，进而言之，即问题意识造成的路径依赖。思想史上
的一个悖论，就在于“价值观上的启蒙”，搞不好会被“问
题意识的蒙启（混乱与误置）”所误，造成严重的异化。
我将以对一个汉诺威出生的德国共产党人、汉学家魏特
夫（Wittfogel）的评论引出这些论点。
