Electric cars, super express trains, eco-conversion and the Great Green Wall

Green license plates instead of blue ones - the distinguishing feature of electric cars in China German cars are popular in China, you can see many on the streets here. The prestigious BMW Center with its own driving course at the former Chinese pavilion of the world exhibition and the Mercedes-Benz Arena (that's what it's really called) also tell of the reputation of German automobiles. But how long? Maybe Hong Kong is a lesson in this question: Forty years ago, according to media reports, most of the Rolls Royce in the world were still on the road in the Crown Colony. When I was in Hong Kong in the first decade of the 21st century, I didn't see a single copy of this luxury brand and when I asked where they all are, the many Rolls Royce, the answer was: "Only old people drive that." Hong Kong was no longer a colony, but that won't be the only reason. If you transfer this development to the entire Chinese car market, it could mean in a few years that Mercedes, BMW, Audi will only be driven by old people.

China is one thing above all: dynamic; Germany is acting rather cautiously, waiting. Now one can rely on the fact that Germany's industry will not remain so self-sufficient, but rather observe it fairly closely and know China well, certainly better than some German politicians. In addition to the notion of status, which increases the desire to buy certain products such as automobiles, the ecological restructuring of China, which is in full swing, is playing an increasingly important role, which will have an impact on the automotive industry. Young Chinese have a soft spot for the Tesla brand. The country is already at the forefront when it comes to the introduction of electric cars and the establishment of charging points, and it also leads the world market for electric cars by a large margin, as "Welt" reported on November 2nd, 2021. The Wuling Hongguang MINI EV is a city car, looks like something out of the surprise egg and, as a two-seater, is very small and very cheap - 4000 euros. That would also be interesting for Germany, among other things because you have had to tighten your belt for decades, and the trend is not decreasing. What do you do when you want to leave town? If you want to cover longer distances in China, you can use the railroad. The trains work impressively and are punctual to the second - this has also become rather rare in Germany. The comfort in Chinese express trains leaves nothing to be desired, the train stations look more like airports.

In Germany, on the other hand, some train stations are more reminiscent of Bitterfeld in the GDR at the darkest times. Anyone who knows the main train station in Duisburg, for example, knows what we are talking about. Only the mental self-concept that everything is clean and punctual in German lands maintains deceptive illusions that lack any reality. In fact, Deutsche Bahn brings recurring, frustrating situations for commuters who always have to reckon with forty or fifty minutes late on the morning of their work. If you are only 15 minutes late, you are already happy. Many employees spend the night in a hotel in the city to which they commute when important appointments are due the next day - and all of this, incidentally, at stifling fares. Back to the eco-conversion of China: When China has discovered a trend or a development for itself, there is actually no stopping it, precisely because the country is dynamic. Then there is the size of the population, which can turn the blink of an eye into an earthquake. Many Germans believe that the Chinese don't have a lot to do with environmental protection because growth is in the foreground, but here they want to combine growth with environmental protection, just like in Germany, just with a different dynamic and also want to earn money with environmental innovations . The country is determined to be a world leader in green technologies. These ambitions are meant seriously, in other words, that it will certainly be achieved.

In 2016, China invested 78 billion US dollars in renewable energies - Germany 13 billion, by 2020 it should be 361 billion dollars in China, as reported by Weltspiegel on 07.09.2017. Note the increase over four years. China is once again a world leader, this time when it comes to spending on ecological restructuring. The goals of the last five-year plan have been achieved, although China is still emitting too much CO2, but the increase has stopped. The fact that, despite all the dynamism, it cannot go overnight becomes understandable when you look again at the The size of the country looks, especially since jobs and livelihoods depend on it. In the Ruhr area, you know what you're talking about. Another project by China, almost unknown in Germany, is the reforestation of the Great Green Wall. It is the largest reforestation project ever undertaken. The aim is to counteract the devastation of the country. The Gobi desert in particular is expanding, which is what we want to prevent. Accordingly, afforestation is taking on enormous dimensions. Over 60 billion trees have been planted since 1978 and protective forests the size of Great Britain have been created in 13 provinces. Initially, afforestation is to continue until 2050, this time from the whole of Germany. The effects of the sandstorms in northern China are actually decreasing and the areas remain habitable.

There is also a rethinking among the Chinese youth. Contemporary social problems are discussed in the classroom, including ecological developments. One has the impression that the Berlin lifestyle from Kreuzberg is thought through here, from recycling and "making new out of old", shopping without packaging, green cities and eco-houses, sponge cities, etc. I also learn, because what "sponge cities" are, was unknown to me. But that's what I have my students for. Personally, from teaching German abroad, I had a somewhat more romantic idea of ​​cultural mediation that has something to do with the country and not with general social issues that affect all of humanity. But the modern topics are probably more interesting for students, also because they have something to do with the reality of their lives.