Interpretation of German Culture – Cultural New Horizons Series

Author: Xing Lai Shun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-22
Features: This series of books takes the perspective of contemporary Chinese people, with an inclusive attitude toward various heterogeneous cultures, and re-examines different cultures from the perspective of current cultural issues and phenomena. Based on dialogue, communication, and understanding, it absorbs or resolves the confusion brought by cultural conflicts, and recognizes and grasps the world from the original culture and spiritual characteristics of the nation, with the aim of enhancing communication and interaction between different cultures and contributing to the shaping of contemporary Chinese culture. Germany is truly a mysterious country. It was the main instigator of two world wars, its terrifying military power once shocked and frightened the world; after its in the two wars, it rose again like the mythical phoenix, quickly regaining its strength and becoming a major influential country in the world today. How much do we really know about Germany and the Germans? How can we truly understand them? The author of this book believes that interpreting Germany and the Germans from a cultural perspective captures the national characteristics of the Germans, which in turn captures the source of the long-term vitality of the German nation. American scholar Gordon A. Craig said: "It is very difficult to summarize Germany as a country, perhaps because the Germans do not always follow the logic of other ethnic groups." German philosopher Nietzsche also said, "The moral soul of the German nation is multiple, multi-source, and overlapping, not truly established—yet at the same time, it is a central nation. Therefore, the Germans are more elusive, complex, contradictory, unpredictable, astonishing, and even frightening than other nations." Due to the many contradictions, the author believes that calling the fascinating yet incomprehensible German culture the "twin stars" in the sky of human culture is a very vivid metaphor.