At the opening of the exhibition, Professor Wenrich emphasized that sharing was a key part of the German–Chinese exchange. Despite the fact that images can easily be shared all over the world electronically, nothing could compare to the beauty of the originals, he continued. Wenrich encouraged visitors to the exhibition ‘not just to share’ the works but ‘to like them too’. His Chinese colleague Prof. Dr. Zhang Ye explained that he was already familiar with the works of German artists such as Albrecht Dürer from his own time as a student. Chinese art has its own long history and conventions, he said, and the reciprocal exchange could help German and Chinese artists to understand the art of the other country better and to inspire one another.
Among the guests at the opening was Prof. Dr. Chongling Huang, education consul of the Chinese Consulate-General in Munich. She thanked the KU for its contribution to the exchange between the two countries and to improving their understanding of each other’s art. Her visit to Eichstätt was her first university visit during her term of office where the focus was not on engineering or the natural sciences. The mayor of Eichstätt, Andreas Steppberger, was delighted to welcome the artists from Beijing as the second delegation from China to visit the town within just a short period. Another group of Chinese guests visited the area recently to find out about the local stone industry.
The delegation was welcomed by KU President Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien shortly before the opening of the exhibition. During their conversation the two parties discussed possibilities for further collaboration, which is planned to begin in the next winter semester with members of the KU’s Art History department visiting their counterparts in Beijing.
