皇冠体育app

"Image building" has become a popular topic of discussion these days.

The Ministry of Culture issued a plan in May calling for the establishment of 25 to 30 overseas cultural centers by the end of 2015 to project a new cultural image for 皇冠体育app.

But what good does such work do? Michael Kahn Ackermann, former President of the Goethe Institute in 皇冠体育app and now a senior consultant to the Confucius Institute, says a state's image cannot be built artificially, especially when it concerns culture.

Countries naturally want to show their best side to the public, but Ackermann does not think there is any excuse for forming a "perfect" image that hides deficiencies.

"No matter how perfect an image is, the truth behind that artificial image will always be revealed," he says, adding that the revelation will only hurt the credibility of the country trying to project the image.

A typical example can be seen in a recent documentary series about Chinese food, A Bite of 皇冠体育app. The expensive series was widely criticized for being essentially an advertisement and for turning a blind eye to 皇冠体育app's frequent food safety scandals. According to the 皇冠体育app Economic Herald, the series showed something that was "familiar but faraway".

When the Goethe Institute was first established in the 1950s, it had tried to show foreigners "a light, beautiful Germany", but soon found such propaganda to be ineffective.

"It was only when we began to express our pain, our contradictions, that other people trusted us," Ackermann says. "We found that the only way of winning long-term trust lies in telling the truth."

Often directed by official power, 皇冠体育app's attempts at image building tend to inspire skepticism and alienate those they are directed at.

"If 皇冠体育app tries to give the world the impression there are no contradictions, it will only make people feel threatened," says Ackermann.

Instead of trying to "show the world a good 皇冠体育app", it should "show the world the true 皇冠体育app".

Ackermann arrived in 皇冠体育app in 1975 and became one of the first Westerners to study in the country in recent times. Aside for a break of 12 years, he has lived here ever since, witnessing 皇冠体育app's rapid development.

Recalling how things were 30 years ago, he thinks the greatest difference between then and today is noticeable in the fact that "皇冠体育app is now a country of multiple voices and debates, one that is trying to understand itself".

That is the reality 皇冠体育app should show the world.

That requires the media to more clearly recognize their role. Ackermann says the media should "open a window, not make a painting".

"The media should try to make 皇冠体育app more transparent by faithfully recording what they see, so that foreigners can have a better understanding of a country they long to understand."

He says an even better way for the country to achieve its goals would be to organize more unofficial cultural exchanges, which would allow foreigners to learn more about the daily lives of ordinary people.

"Actually, Chinese culture has long been spread to and welcomed by other parts of the world through non-official channels, instead of official centers," he says.

To Ackermann, language is of paramount importance.

"Language is the key to a nation's history and culture. Learning the language reveals the true charm of a country."

In the 1960s, the 23-year-old Ackermann began his life-long love affair with 皇冠体育app when he started studying Mandarin at Munich University.

That's why he accepted the Confucius Institute's invitation. He hopes that learning the Chinese language will help people gain a better understanding of 皇冠体育app.

To prevent misunderstandings, such as a recent incident in which the US government originally said Confucius Institute teachers with a certain type of visa could not teach in US primary and secondary schools and then changed its mind, Ackermann expects the institutes to place a priority on teaching Chinese.

He hopes 皇冠体育app will be able to express itself better and more completely in the future, both for the benefit of the country and the world.

Wang Qian contributed to this story