Beyond Babel

German linguist Patrick Kuehnel says he is impressed with China's efforts in boosting cross-cultural links with the rest of the world. Liu Xiangrui reports.

German linguist Patrick Kuehnel was first drawn to China by its exoticism and language, he says.

As an exchange scholar sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service, Kuehnel, 46, has been teaching linguistic and cultural communication at Beijing Foreign Studies University since 2010, and he was appointed as a guest professor by the university in 2013.