During the same year, some so-called China experts launched a massive anti-China campaign. It was (and still is sometimes) difficult to read many of the Western newspapers or watch Western news channels without feeling alarmed by the negativity and contempt they portray.

Not surprisingly then, a zodiac circle ago the German community in Shanghai still behaved like colonialists. Professors and businessmen who spoke favorably about China were ostracized. The German weekly newspaper Die Zeit still used Chinese names in reverse to ensure "proper" European order. And overall, the German media censored most Chinese cultural terms to keep their language clean and "pure".

In contrast, the way many Chinese students approached foreign languages at Fudan University in 2003 was mind blowing. They were unbelievably hardworking, and masters at memorizing lessons and rote learning. After just two semesters, many Chinese students managed to commit the Concise Oxford Dictionary to their memory, could read German high literature such as Die Physiker, and recite from Russian textbooks fluently. "You are here to study, not to work," Fudan University president once told us. That meant our lifestyle had to be Spartan.

Chinese students have on several occasions proved that they are superior to most Europeans when it comes to test scores, although they may not necessarily be as creative, aggressive or assertive.

So, while some Western media outlets have been making fun of China and its people for the past many years, the latter have largely ignored their barbs and, instead, concentrated their energy on rejuvenating the Chinese nation.

The author is a German writer, linguist and cultural critic.