When it comes to Germany, we are no strangers to Nazi Hitler during World War II, or the German train that dominated the European football stadium, or Beethoven, which left a strong mark on the history of music, and Mercedes-Benz BMW, which was produced in the modern era.
There are too many labels to create our impression of Germany, and after the rise of the Internet, there are many false "myths and legends" that wantonly promote Germany in disregard of the facts, which has a profound impact.
This also makes us think deeply, why are there so many myths in China, Germany's "German blowing"?
1. The German myth that has been repeatedly refuted
1. German industry of conscience
Let's talk about the well-known ones - "Qingdao Sewer" and "German Oil-wrapped Paper":
Legend has it that 100 years after Germany left Qingdao, there was a problem with the sewer built during the colonial period, and the relevant staff inquired with the German company, and under its guidance, they found the necessary accessories wrapped in oil-wrapped paper and shiny as new.
For so many years, the Qingdao area did not accumulate water after rain, thanks to the sewers built by Germany during the 17 years of colonization.
This rumor even makes it a walk every time there is a flood in the country.
On January 1, 2015, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a major newspaper in Germany, published an article titled "Mythos von der deutschen Perfektion" (The Mythos von der deutschen Perfektion), which ridiculed this legend.
In fact, in 2013, the Qingdao Municipal Drainage Management Office explained and refuted this rumor, and refuted the rumor many times:
Qingdao is now a large city with a population of 4.5 million, and of the existing 3,000 kilometers of drainage pipes, less than three kilometers were built by Germany and used for European living quarters, which is only nearly one-thousandth of the proportion, and it has no such great influence.
The reason why Qingdao does not accumulate water after rain all year round is the result of the combination of the sea on three sides, the slope topography, and the suitable climatic conditions.
It is even more nonsense to say that the sewers needed to be repaired and found to be as shiny as new wrapped in oil-wrapped paper, but they are just some parts left over from the original laying of the pipes, rather than the dedicated "after-sales service" of the German company.
I don't know when, perhaps because of industrial propaganda and some well-known coal, the public seems to have an almost blind worship of the "German spirit" and "German industry".
2. The last day off in the advanced capitalist countries
A popular article titled "Germans work 187 days a year and rest 178 days, how did the economic miracle come" was frequently forwarded and had a great impact.
It reads like this:
In Germany, there are 102 weekends a year, followed by 40 days of paid leave, and Christmas, Halloween and Easter are also celebrated. There are also more than 20 days off to take, so that in Germany, everyone can even have 178 days off a year, which is only 9 days different from the number of working days.
But this remark obviously does not stand up to scrutiny.
In fact, the paid leave system in Germany is based on a minimum of 24 working days. In other words, not all working Germans have 40 days of paid leave.
As for the so-called statutory holiday policy of more than 20 days, it is a lie and even more false.
First of all, the rules for official holidays vary from state to state in the Federal Republic of Germany. For example, Bavaria, which had the most of all the states in the country in 2018, only had 13 or 14 days.
Secondly, although Halloween legends are everywhere, it is not an official holiday for many states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Even on October 31, there will be a unified holiday in all nine federal states, because it is Reformation Day, not Halloween.
3. German children without advanced education
"Shocking German Education: Let Children Lose at the Starting Line", an article widely circulated in the circle of parents' friends, seems to have poked the nerves of Chinese parents from the title.
In the article, the author claims that all his statements are supported by a theoretical basis, and that the ban on pre-school education in Germany is embodied in Article 7, paragraph 6, of the German Constitution (also known as the Basic Law).
But he apparently didn't do much research on it.
德国宪法第七条第六款确实存在"禁止学前教育"的规定——"Preschools remain abolished",即"Preschools保持被废止"。
However, pre-school education in Germany is not the same as it is understood in China.
Vorschulen is a school system that existed during the period of German imperialism, and in order to better connect the education stages of the liberal arts and sciences, there is a special primary school with a year less. Because it is too expensive, it is widely applicable to the privileged class.
For various reasons, the Vorschulen pre-requisite school was banned during the Weimar Republic.
At present, the prohibition of pre-school education mentioned in Article 7, paragraph 6 of the German Basic Law is just a continuation of this prohibition, not that there is no preschool education in Germany.
On June 21, 2016, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also visited a kindergarten in Berlin, Germany, and participated in educational activities such as scientific interest experiments with children.
Unsubstantiated remarks, short and concise phrases, high and intense emotions...... Too many articles like the one above have been widely circulated on social media, and "Debuki" has slowly emerged.
2. The Origin of the Myth of Germany
Professor Shi Anbin of Tsinghua University has an article called "Disenchantment" German Mythology: An Analysis of the Image of Germany in the Chinese News Media.
The article argues that China has had a tradition of "imagining foreign lands" since ancient times, and after the Westernization Movement in the nineties of the 19th century, it blew the wind of the West to our country.
Nowadays, the hype of Germany in the print media is actually an extension and reproduction of this "imaginary exoticism".
In fact, just as China has an imaginary exotic land for the West, the West also has an imaginary exotic land for us.
For example, Chinese style, such as elegant oriental women, this curiosity is especially strong after "The Travels of Marco Polo", and products full of Chinese cultural heritage such as silk and porcelain have once become widely sought after luxury goods in Europe.
In fact, imagining the exotic is a very common cultural phenomenon. And whenever people are exposed to information that they don't already understand, a polarized understanding is the inevitable result.
Historically, too much of the stigma attached to a particular country or nation stems from this.
It is precisely for the sake of "imagining foreign lands" that it is not surprising that in these stories of the mythical German "German blows", we imagine Germany as a "perfect country".
After all, it is orderly, the industry is developed, the children live happily, the adults are not under any material pressure, and everyone is hardworking and rigorous, which is completely different from the current situation in China.
Professor Shi Anbin also said that another reason for the popularity of "De Blowing" is, in popular terms, to use the advantages of others to set off their own shortcomings.
To a certain extent, what we praise about Germany is what we are missing in real life. They tend to focus on education, philosophy, economics, industrial manufacturing, and some welfare systems.
It is precisely because we are "dissatisfied" with the current state of the country that we put good expectations on another country, and mythologize their system and society as a way to supervise our own progress.
Before the prevalence of "De Blow", the bigger west wind was "Mei Blow".
In recent years, there have been political disputes between the mainland and the United States, and although the relationship is close, it has been affected by many factors, so another Western country with a developed economy, social stability, and friendly relations has become a new object of pursuit.
Of course, it cannot be ignored that in recent years, the wind of "moral blowing" has prevailed on the Internet, which is inseparable from social media, especially the self-media.
On the one hand, for the purpose of pursuing traffic, "fake news" emerges in an endless stream without verification, copying templates, and arousing heated emotions and controversy among readers;
On the other hand, in order to achieve the effect of marketing, the staff of some institutions that handle immigration, study abroad, and overseas tourism will also advertise and make advertorials in the so-called objective articles.
Therefore, it seems that selling products related to Germany has become a "new trend" in the Internet era.
3. Objectively distinguish and analyze, take its essence and remove its dross
On February 4 and 6, 2015, the People's Daily published two articles criticizing "Dechui", pointing out that "Made in Germany" used to be synonymous with poor quality, and his own political system also had many shortcomings, such as the very typical corruption of public officials.
In 2014, Christoph Nederhard, a journalist for the German Zeitung, also published an article titled "Don't Expect a Miracle".
The Chinese who claim the life of the Germans are certainly not clear, do not think too well about the life in Germany. There are thieves in Germany, trains are never even on time, food scandals and garbage problems are always the same
We have to admit that Germany has rigorous and professional technology in some industrial manufacturing fields, and there are also things worth learning from in terms of education system.
The state and society are extremely complex existences, and we must not simply use diode thinking to understand them, because it is wrong to blindly admire the West too blindly, and it is also wrong to deny our own development and advantages too much.
Economically, Made in China and Chinese style art are world-renowned;
In the political field, China practices the concept of peaceful development and assumes the responsibilities of a major country in the international community.
With regard to the ethnic issue, when natural and man-made disasters occur, the Chinese often have unity in support from all sides.
In the face of today's new media era of information flooding, in order to avoid living in a vacuum of fake news, whenever we see some information, the first thing we should do is to check the relevant information released by the government, such as Correctiv in Germany, which is a typical anti-counterfeiting website;
When writing and publishing articles, you shouldn't just blindly chase traffic. Objective research, careful analysis, and expression of correct and true views and contents.
Thinking calmly, respecting differences, and facing oneself squarely are the right ways to acquire knowledge, increase cognition, and connect with the world.