The other heavy-hitter for Germans is the ultra-modern, mega-metropolis in China today.

"For us, the first thing that hit us in China is the scale, the sheer size of its modernity," Volland says. "It has felt Western influence but has turned out entirely differently."

To help the world grasp the ins-and-outs of China's vigorous urban culture, Guo Jingming, the controversial writer, film director and pop-culture icon, will speak at StoryDrive.

"China has maintained a common identity, culture and market in spite of its giant size and the conflicts along the way," Volland says. "There is a lesson for us somewhere in that."

For the Chinese, lessons have also come from the unfamiliar.

"The two countries read differently," says Gong Yingxin, director of the German Book Information Center in Beijing. "The German style of language is drastically different from that of Mo Yan. Even children are reading differently - Chinese books are more loud and bright, while German children's books are muted and a little dark in color."

"So we need to explain to each other our likes and dislikes," Gong says. "In that sense, cross-cultural storytelling is a must."

StoryDrive Asia will be held at the China National Convention Center from May 28 to June 1, with keynote speeches and panel discussions that cover multimedia cross-cultural communication in China, Japan, South Korea and other countries. The five-day event will be held in association with the China International Fair for Trade in Services.