Festival gives fans taste of modern German history

When you speak of Germany, most Chinese probably think of beer and soccer, but an ongoing film festival, now in its third edition, is trying to change that.

The Festival of German Cinema in China, an annual event organized by the Goethe Institute and German Films, a Munich-based association which promotes local titles worldwide, kicked off on Friday and will run through Nov 30.

A selection of 14 movies, featuring historical and modern Germany, are being screened in four major mainland cities - Beijing, Chengdu in Sichuan province, Qingdao in Shandong province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.