Making friends and influencing German people

For Hu Chunchun, 40, director of the Confucius Institute in Hanover, Germany, life at the institute is more interesting than his teaching career.

"I used to live at my ease as an university teacher. But my current job is so interesting and challenging, because I have to communicate with locals every day," Hu, associate professor from the German Institute, Tongji University, says.

In 2007, Tongji University in Shanghai and China Center in Hanover co-established the Confucius Institute in Hanover, which now has six teachers and volunteers.