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How Language Opens Up a Portal to a New World

Johann Schenkel2026, Begegnungen 6 Comments

How Language Opens Up a Portal to a New World

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von Johann Schenkel
,
19. Dezember 2025

CHINA.

Admired by many people, doubted by many others. A country between modernity and tradition, home of over a billion humans, with a long history, rich culture and amidst all that:

ME.

Beginning of a Journey

When I left Germany on the 10th of February 2025, I was not yet prepared for what the next few months would hold ready for me. It was right after landing in Shanghai that I realized, now, it really is just me out there in an unknown place, without anybody by my side, more than 13.000 kilometres away from where I used to live for 20 years of my life.

After picking up all my luggage, it was time to set sails for my host university: the Suzhou University of Technology in Changshu. As planned and coordinated beforehand, there was a taxi waiting for me at the airport’s gates to pick me up and bring me to my destination. Arrived on the campus of the university, two students came to help me find my apartment and to get me accustomed to China’s essentials: WeChat and Alipay.

Shanghai seen from plane
The library on the campus
The view outside my apartment's window
    me in park Suzhou

    A digital World

    WeChat and Alipay are the two major communication platforms in China, similar to what we know as WhatsApp. However, apart from chatting and calling, these two are basically the access to the country’s infrastructure.

    From paying services (there is almost no cash/cards used in China anymore), over banking, shopping, calling taxis, buying tickets to even medical services like pharmacies and live chats with real doctors, WeChat and Alipay have it all. Without these two applications, living in China would be impossible or at least unbearable.

    It was quite a strange feeling not having to walk around with cash and cards anymore because after setting up my bank account, I was all set to take full advantage of WeChat’s and Alipay’s functions. Even though it took me some time to get used to these platforms, the real challenge was not the new technology, not the new environment, but the language.

    Language as a necessity

    Now, going abroad for a longer period of time, especially to a country that, except for its most international cities like Beijing and Shanghai, does not have many people who speak English, the most obvious preparation would be to learn Mandarin Chinese.

    What, at first glance, looks like an impossible and pointless thing to do (Alipay and WeChat all have translate-functions), has actually been the key to a whole new world for me. Being able to speak the language has had a tremendous impact on my experience during the stay and my impression of the country, the people as well as the culture. It was almost as if someone opened the curtains of a room to let the sun in and thus flooded it with light and put it in a whole new perspective.

    sunlight temple hangzhou
    always forward Hangzhou

    Language as a connection

    Apart from some dialects there is hardly any other language spoken in places outside of Shanghai and Beijing, which also leads to the result of many Chinese people not daring to seek a conversation with foreigners as they expect there to be a language barrier. This is also why sometimes there is the impression of Chinese people being cold and difficult to engage with. I shared similar worries when first arriving in China, however, I quickly realized that as a foreigner, speaking the local language made me more approachable. Let it be some small talk at the cashier, like asking for a bag and saying thank you, ordering something at the restaurant or even having a conversation about my home country with an elderly couple in the park, no matter the occasion, possessing basic communication skills in Mandarin set the foundation for so many encounters that I had with friendly and curious people and eventually led to an experience that I will never forget.

    Language opens up a portal

    This is also mainly influenced by the students that I met on campus. From simply going to the same classes to sharing meals in the cafeteria together, friendships quickly arose that are lasting till this very day. We would meet up after classes to attend events of the university, leave campus to stroll around the city and its various night markets, go to the movies and KTV (Chinese karaoke) and even travel together. My friends were keen on bringing their culture closer to me, showing me around and helping me with whatever. I even got invited to a friend’s house to stay there for a few days and meet his family.

    Rendez-Vous in a CHinese KTV

    Silly mirror in Suzhou

    Cheers!

    Ikea in Suzhou

    Two of my students that I taught German

    Silly mirror in Linyi

    Dressing up in Guiyang

    Enjoying a meal in Shenzhen

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      Stepping through the portal

      In the end I had a deeper-rooted connection to China and its people and its culture. Something that would not have been possible, if I did not speak Mandarin and actively immersed myself in the new environment. My friends told me that they were positively surprised to encounter a foreigner that not only respected their culture and language but would also put an effort into speaking and always trying to communicate in it.

      My most memorable experience was the celebration of my birthday on my final day in China. I got to spend it with some of my closest friends that I made along the way. Some even asked for a day off work or university to come see me and pass my last hours there together.

      Geburtstag1

      So, to anybody still struggling with the thought of having to speak Mandarin when going to China, I can only recommend putting these worries aside and going for it. Even the slightest and most simple Chinese word will ignite a spark in anyone you talk to.

      While it might be challenging at times, especially in the beginning, it will progressively become easier over the course of the stay. The quality of the experiences made in China, will increase by a lot and lead to a trip that was worth the courage to take on.

      No worries Suzhou
      Great Wall China

      A new world...

      I came to the conclusion that there are in fact two versions of China.

      The first one includes everything that is on the surface of China, basically what tourists get to see when staying there for a short while. Other than that, Western media merely scratches the tip of the iceberg.

      However, there is a second version that lies underneath the surface. A version that is only accessible over language and mutual respect. Something that media cannot portray but has to be experienced first-hand.

      ...through language

      I realized that learning a new language is still relevant in times of AI and translation tools.

      At the end of the day, the connection between two human beings cannot be replaced by technology and is the foundation to overcome our differences and to better understand each other.

      football team Changshu
      Qinhu, Changshu
      Traditional Garden, Changshu
      The Bund, Shanghai
      Rencai Gongyuan, Shenzhen
      Hongyadong, Chongqing
      Wusi Guangchang, Qingdao

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