Giving Back

Daniela Clauss accompanies her husband, Michael Clauss, to China when he assumed his post as Germany's ambassador to China. [Women of China English Monthly/Zhang Jiamin]

She is tall and has blond hair and a slim figure. She is the mother of four children, and she likes to ride horses. She has a beautiful Chinese name, Ke Dailan, which combines the similar pronunciation of her given name, Daniela, with the Chinese word "lan" (which means "orchid"). In September 2013, Daniela Clauss accompanied her husband, Michael Clauss, to China when he assumed his post as Germany's ambassador to China. As she recalled her first year in China, Daniela said she was happy that she arrived with a desire to learn about the country and its culture.

Daniela said it was difficult to sum up her impression of contemporary China in a few words — as the country is so complex and diverse. When she arrived in the country, she was immediately impressed by Chinese people's hospitality.

In addition to Beijing, where she has been residing with her husband and children, she has visited several regions of the country, including Hebei and Shanxi provinces (in north China), Sichuan Province (in the Southwest), Hainan Province (in the South) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (in the Northwest). Despite the different customs and lifestyles in the various regions of China, the local people have always been very polite and extended a warm welcome to Daniela and her family.

Two months after Daniela arrived in Beijing, she participated in the Christmas Market of Beijing's German community, which was hosted by the German embassy. Christmas markets, usually held in late November and December, represent an important tradition in Germany. The Christmas Market in Beijing is generally held four weeks ahead of Christmas, so people can buy decorations and other items in preparation of the festival.

"Christmas markets have a long history in my home country. There are different types of markets. Christmas markets, which last for a whole month, are usually commercial ones. Those markets, which are held only during a weekend, are often intended to raise money for charities. The market our embassy hosts in Beijing every year is always of the latter kind, a fundraising charity bazaar," says Daniela.

Near the end of November last year, up to 5,000 visitors participated in the German Christmas Market on the embassy premises. All the items, including sweets, snacks, crafts and decorations, were made by German women living in China.

"All of the proceeds of that market are always donated to welfare institutions in China, to support children or other disadvantaged groups of people. The Christmas Market gives Germans living in Beijing an opportunity to express our gratitude to the Chinese people. This year, the embassy will once again host a Christmas Market in November," Daniela explains.

During the past year, Daniela has taken every opportunity to get involved in various activities, so she could learn about traditional Chinese culture and art. In July this year, she attended an exhibition about Dunhuang art, which was held in Today Art Museum in Beijing. "I was impressed by the exhibition, which included artworks created by both young and old artists," Daniela says.

"Dunhuang art, with its centuries of history, has a great influence on artists in contemporary China. It's breathtaking for me to see how young Chinese artists have combined the traditional images and patterns of the Mogao Grottoes (in Dunhuang) with fashionable designs, as demonstrated in their artworks."

As the mother of four children, Daniela is particularly interested in friendly exchanges between Chinese and German children. As a supervisor of the Children and Climate Change project (administered by the German Embassy and the Stiftung Mercator [a German foundation]), Daniela cares about children's awareness of the problems and challenges that will result from climate change.

"Last year, the project featured water resources. Some Chinese secondary school students visited Germany to attend academic workshops. By examining samples of water extracted from lakes in the two countries, the Chinese and German students compared the quality of water from different locations. The project helped build a bridge for children and young people from Germany and China to discuss ways to tackle the problems related to climate change," Daniela says.

She believes children represent the future of the world and, as such, that it is important to enhance communications between children of different countries, and to help them improve mutual understanding.

Women in China and Germany have different approaches to raising and educating their children, Daniela says. "German mothers tend to teach their children how to live an independent life from the time they are very young. For example, before their children fall asleep, German mothers usually help them put on nightgowns and read stories to them, but then they shut off the lights and leave the children to sleep on their own," she says.

"In China, many mothers like to sleep aside their children, or at least stay in the children's bedrooms until they fall asleep. It may be the Chinese mothers' way of showing their care. But for German mothers, it is reasonable for children to learn how to grow up on their own, from an early age," says Daniela.

(Source: Women of China English Monthly November 2014 Issue)