Editor’s Note
The Student Talk is an interview series initiated by the International Office of Renmin University of China (RUC). Through face-to-face communication about their stories on campus, the series is aimed to explore virtues of outstanding RUC students so as to motivate more students to pursue their dreams and grow to be pillars of the country.
This is the first issue of the “international students” column under the series. Moritz Kuhlmann (谷民德 in Chinese), from School of Philosophy, joins us to share his story with RUC.
“I am studying sinology at the University of Munich, and I believe coming to China will deepen my understanding of the subject.” Moritz is a doctoral student of both Renmin University of China and the University of Munich. His research interest lies in the localization of Marxist philosophy in China. He thinks that China is irreplaceable on his academic journey.
Since his undergraduate study, Moritz has noticed Chinese culture, owing to not only the increasingly close communication between China and the West, but also the attraction of Chinese philosophy. “My major in undergraduate study was philosophy and theology, both inseparable from China” he said, “RUC is close with the people, and the Marxist philosophy here is what I expect to study”.
Nonetheless, the brand new environment and language barrier cause difficulties to Moritz. His pressure rises with the extra attention he got as the only foreigner in class. “Sometimes I feel nervous when expressing opinions or answering questions in class.”
In this aspect, Moritz’s supervisor Professor Zang Fengyu, Dean of School of Philosophy, offers a lot of help. “Prof. Zang talks with me about my study, including the Chinese Path to Modernization he is researching on, which is amiable and enlightening”, he mentioned. Besides, joining the football team and school symphony orchestra brought him more friends. Besides, Moritz receives a scholarship of China Studies Program (新汉学计划) which also allows him to get to know more friends and develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture.
As an international student, Moritz is always trying hard to understand and adapt to the Chinese culture. For example, he can speak Chinese very fluently so far. He expresses that “I can not only study on the Marxist philosophy in China, but also understand the country’s culture from an inside perspective, instead of an outside western one, which means a lot to me.”
Talking about his Chinese name, Moritz explains, “‘谷’ is similar to the pronunciation of my family name in German, ‘民’ refers to the people and connection among people, and ‘德’ means morality”. He believes the morality of the community is more important than that of individuals.
Looking into the future, Moritz hopes to make more contribution to the cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the west. He thinks there is still room for improvement. As he said, “to obtain real understanding, it is necessary to study China from a Chinese perspective”.