"Global Times In-depth" feels the changes and constants of "Glamorous Germany" in the past 25 years
2024-08-26
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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] Editor's Note: After the reunification of East and West Germany, Germany left a "glamorous impression" on people: half of the land area and human settlements are shaded by greenery; rules and systems are integrated into people's daily lives; Mercedes-Benz and BMW are available when going out, and Bosch and Siemens are available when returning home; children can easily build bird nests, and the elderly in nursing homes wave to passers-by... But in recent years, Germans have also realized that they have more and more problems: young people are no longer willing to learn old skills, so who will pass on the spirit of craftsmanship? Train delays and plane strikes, "Germany is not punctual" is often criticized; although Germany is the largest economy in the European Union, it is always discussed by international media as the "sick man of Europe"... So, what is the real Germany like? Fan Xuan, editor-in-chief of "European New Media", has just lived in Germany for 25 years. At the invitation of the editor of the Global Times, he talked about the changes and constants of the "glamorous" Germany that he observed in the newly launched "Eyewitness Talk" column of this edition.
From "German Post is for Germany" to "Now we have China-Europe Express"
In the dead of winter in the last year of the last century, I dragged a 5kg overweight suitcase from Frankfurt to Göttingen, a small town where Mr. Ji Xianlin lived and studied for 10 years. At that time, the Internet was not well developed, and I just thought that studying and living "from a developing country to a developed country" must be difficult, so I filled my suitcase with pots and pans, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar. Now, few children from China who come to Germany to study do this.
During the trip, the man sitting next to me was a learned and talkative elder - a professor who came to Germany for a three-month study every year to study Sanskrit. He and I had the same destination - the University of Göttingen. When I asked him "Sanskrit is an oriental academic, why did you come to Germany to study it?", he smiled and told me that if you read Ji Xianlin's "Ten Years in Germany", you will know how special Germany's position in the academic field is. As described in the book, the library of the University of Göttingen has a long history, a large scale, and a large collection of books. It witnessed the "prosperity of German Sanskrit studies" and made the German academic community proud.
Starting from the quiet "university town" of Göttingen, I read beside the spotless bookshelves of the library, studied in the self-study room of the medical school that was lit all night, and talked with locals lying on the grass outside the cafeteria... I observed and felt with the eyes of a young Chinese media person, and then became familiar with Germany. At that time, Germany could be said to be very mature in all aspects such as politics, economy, humanities, science and education. Some German friends said that this was the "real Germany", which met everyone's expectations after the reunification of East and West Germany: a strong national economy, a prosperous life for the people, advanced technology, and prosperous agriculture and industry. Foreign students like me who don't even know German can also enjoy free university education. I live in a student dormitory with an area of 12 square meters and an independent bathroom. If you don't put a note with the German "Do Not Disturb" on the door, a cleaner will come to clean the room on time. At that time, the monthly rent was 99 marks, which was about 400 yuan. I could easily earn it by delivering advertising leaflets on a weekend or working in a restaurant. As a veritable "European locomotive", the impression Germany gave me 25 years ago was of solid manufacturing, strong exports, reasonable prices and generous welfare.
When I was a student, I kept in touch with my family in China. In a small city like Göttingen, post boxes are everywhere. If you are in a hurry, you can go to the post office. The service is very good. At that time, the German Post kept repeating the slogan "German Post for Germany" in TV commercials, which left a deep impression on me.
Not long ago, I was asked to send something to China. I asked local friends if they had a "online order, door-to-door pickup" service. My friends said in unison: "You're overthinking. Just go to the post office. However, many post offices are closed." Sure enough, the two post offices near my residence were closed. When I found a small post office according to the map, I found that there was a queue of at least 20 meters outside the door, and many people were waiting with packages in their hands in the hot summer. Finally, it was my turn. When I asked if I could send air mail to China, the teller said: "For environmental protection, Germany has cancelled air mail." When I asked what to do, the other party replied: "Now there is a China-Europe express train!"
In China, traditional letters are used less and less. But in Germany, mailboxes are still filled with letters of various sizes and colors, including bank statements, telephone company call receipts, tax bureau deed receipts, insurance company new product introductions, etc. Germans may feel that holding a real letter in their hands makes them feel more at ease.
However, I recently read an article in the German newspaper Die Welt titled "More Money, Worse Service - Comments on the New Postage Plan". The article said that Deutsche Post announced that it would increase the price of each ordinary letter in the country from 0.85 euros to 1 euro, but while the fees are getting higher and higher, the service is getting worse and worse, and there are fewer and fewer outlets. Customers often queue up in the open air for a long time in front of Deutsche Post stores, and many consumers are very dissatisfied with this. Deutsche Post explained the rationality of the price increase as: rising wages, more expensive energy, and continued investment in vehicles and equipment.
In fact, the dilemma faced by Deutsche Post is a microcosm of the situation faced by some traditional German companies. There is no other way except to raise prices, but the road will eventually become narrower and narrower.
Trains are often delayed, but "the fish and shrimp in the river must have the right to survive"
Germans are known for their rigor, but train delays are commonplace. Looking back to when I first arrived in Germany more than 20 years ago, train delays were not as frequent as they are now. Even according to the statistical method of the German railway system, as long as the train arrives no later than 6 minutes later than the schedule, it can be considered on time, but it still failed to save the punctuality rate. According to data from the German Railway Company, the punctuality rate of long-distance trains in 2022 and 2023 was only 65.2% and 64% respectively.
The massive delays on German railways are apparently caused by frequent maintenance and strikes. Data shows that by the end of 2023, about 75% of long-distance trains will have to slow down due to construction; in 2023 alone, the German Train Drivers' Union carried out four nationwide strikes, during which about 80% of long-distance trains were cancelled. When I traveled in Germany, I also encountered strikes organized by the crew union and the engineering union. Therefore, every time I travel by Deutsche Bahn, I will be mentally prepared for train delays or cancellations.
"Various social rules have bound people's hands and feet, causing many Germans to lose their previous creativity and imagination. There is no large-scale capital investment in important infrastructure such as railways, post and telecommunications, transportation, logistics, and communications. They are carrying heavy loads while living off their old capital, with low efficiency and worrying service quality." German businessman Gat Lans told me the deep-seated reasons for the delays of German trains and expressed his dissatisfaction with some social phenomena. Lans is the owner of a luggage store in Hamburg's famous brand district, mainly selling well-known brand products such as RIMOWA and Montblanc, which represent "Made in Germany" and "German craftsmanship." When business was at its best, Lans opened several stores at the airport and downtown, with 50 to 60 employees, which was also a "big company" by German standards. But when we met again last year, Lance said he had given up the industry he had worked hard for for many years, and said: "What crushed me was not the reduction in customers caused by the epidemic. The fundamental reason was Germany's paranoid policies, declining international reputation, various rules that bound its hands and feet, and low production efficiency..." Lance, who has worked hard in the business world for many years, complained: "Higher social welfare has made Germany's finances unable to make ends meet, and the federal and state governments have imposed a series of high taxes, which has increased the burden on companies." He also said worriedly: "If Germany continues to exclude foreign investors and new technologies, many industries will lack new momentum and new opportunities."
Speaking of foreign investment and new technologies, it reminds me that more than 20 years ago, many people in the German subway were buried in reading books and newspapers, but now they are basically browsing their mobile phones. Thanks to the years of operation of Chinese communication companies such as Huawei and ZTE, Germany's communication infrastructure has improved significantly. In the past, near the center of Hamburg, Germany's second largest city where I live, the mobile phone signal was often only one or two bars, but the situation has improved significantly in recent years. Roman, a German who studied in China, has a deep understanding of this. He said: "If I had stayed in Germany, I would have thought that the speed of the Internet in the world was like this." Recently, the news that the German government and the country's mobile network operators have agreed in principle to gradually remove the technology and components of Chinese communication companies from the country's 5G wireless network by 2029 has also made many German people feel confused.
"Ranking 10th in the gold medal table is the worst result since the reunification of East and West Germany." At the end of the Paris Olympics, German radio and other media reflected on this. After all, since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Germany has basically ranked fifth or sixth in the gold medal table. Some people believe that the coaches are overburdened, their salaries are too low, and there is insufficient sports funding.
In addition, the German people's concept of marriage and childbearing is also changing. Under the influence of various factors such as economy, politics and society, many Germans now "don't get married, don't get divorced, and don't have children." Taking the latest data released by the German Federal Statistical Office a few days ago as an example, the number of divorces in Germany in 2023 has dropped to the lowest value since the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990. At the same time, the number of registered marriages has also dropped to the second lowest level since 1950. After the legalization of same-sex marriage in Germany in 2017, the same-sex marriage rate and divorce rate have both risen. On August 3, 250,000 people participated in the "Gay Pride Parade" in Hamburg. An underage German girl said to me: "Although I am a minor, I am a homosexual, so I should have the legal right to pursue a partner and live together!"
The little girl's words made me realize that although Germany faces many practical problems, maintaining "political correctness" is still a "serious and noble" theme in its domestic politics and society, which forces everyone to be cautious. For example, the Port of Hamburg, as the largest port in Germany, has encountered development bottlenecks in recent years and needs to widen and deepen the waterway to allow large ships to enter and exit. However, many Germans oppose this because "the fish and shrimp in the river must have the right to survive."
"Germany is no longer 'German' enough today!"
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons, I lived in China for a while. Before I was ready to return to Germany in June 2023, some people reminded me: "You should not be thinking about the problem of neighbors complaining about not mowing your lawn, but that you can't buy cooking oil after returning to Germany!" Someone else talked about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia that led to a reduction in Russia's energy and food supply and said: "In the past two years, Germany's heating and hot water costs have skyrocketed, and some food prices have doubled. Did you know that?"
After returning to Germany, although I was mentally prepared when shopping in the supermarket, the price changes of grains, oils and non-staple foods were still shocking. Oil, salt, rice, noodles, eggs, milk and meat all increased in price. To ensure that it was not a misjudgment, I compared the shopping receipts with supermarket advertisements three years ago after returning home and found that the price changes of the same food were doubled, and the most increased by two or three times. Data from April this year showed that in Germany, the largest economy in the European Union, the price of cheese increased by nearly 40% compared with a year ago, and the price of potatoes increased by 14%.
In addition to price changes, Germans are more concerned about the "changes and constants" of traditional industries in a manufacturing power. Many Germans will use "Germany" as a standard. If something does not meet this standard, it will be considered "un-German". My neighbor's father, Peter Schmidt, is a technical worker in a car company. During the conversation with me, the old man lamented: "Today's Germany is not 'German' enough! In the 1960s and 1970s, the automobile manufacturing industry was Germany's strength and pride. But now? Germany has only made some moves in accepting refugees and foreign immigrants in recent years, and other aspects have been stagnant or even regressed." The ongoing conflict between Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East has also affected Germany's economy and people's livelihood, making the German people, who were once "pampered" by the country, have a stronger sense of anxiety and insecurity.
Having lived in Germany for nearly 25 years, I have observed the changes and constants of this country for your reference. What direction is the change heading? What is the constant? I think the Germans themselves are more concerned about this topic and would like to know the answer. A German chef in Hamburg who rarely travels abroad asked me: "If I sell my sausages and bacon to China, will the Chinese like it?" (Fan Xuan)
