Along with world development and deepening globalization， exchanges between nations have become increasingly close and frequent； however， differences between East and West have become more prominent. Having lived in Germany for more than 20 years， I deeply realize the differences in culture and living habits have led to conflicts， misunderstandings and prejudices， and even incompatibility， thus affecting work and life. As a Chinese saying goes， "people living in places 10 （5 km） apart speak with djfferent accents， and the customs vary in places 100（50 km） away." Therefore， people of different nationalities， different languages and different cultures must inevitably face differences in their exchange. I have written of my personal experiences， from what I saw and heard， and the differences between East and West in two books - First Visit to Germany and First Visit to China. First Visit to Germany （Chinese edition） has been published， focusing on the differences between East and West， especially in the trifles of daily life and work. We should strive to understand and tolerate other customs and habits different from our own. Different from that book， First Visit to China emphasizes the particularities of China and the Chinese nation through the experiences and feelings of Hans as a German exchange student to Shanghai. It contains more than 70 questions raised by Hans according to what he experienced， saw and heard in China， such as： How many Chinese characters are there? What's the staple food of the Chinese? Why are red dates and peanuts placed on the wedding bed? Are there still yin and yang in the world? What are the Three Character Primer， The Book of Family Names， and the Thousand Character Classic? What is the magic weapon of Chinese households? This book aims to help readers understand China's culture， landscapes， life， customs and other characteristics from different aspects. Western readers of First Visit to China will hopefully gain a preliminary understanding of China's long history， fantastic characters， rich customs， passions， as well as particularities in eating， drinking， living， travelling， education of children， language， customs， marriage， childbirth， pension， health insurance， Chinese characters， the lunar calendar， couplets， etc. I sincerel}， hope more readers can begin to understand China， so as to facilitate exchanges between different nationalities， thereby helping to avoid misunderstandings due to differences in life， work and culture， eliminating prejudices， and seeking common points while reserving differences， and establishing a bridge of friendship between East and West. I hereby express my heart-felt thanks to the support and help of my editors of the publishing house. Due to my limitations， there may be errors or omissions in this book. Dear readers， your advice will be highly appreciated. Content Author's Message 1． A friend from afar 2． Are stores open as usual on Sundays and holidays? 3． What does the date marked on product packaging indicate? 4． What is your name? 5． What is the class-break setting-up exercise? 6． Who was China's first emperor? 7． Why do college students need military training? 8． How to cross the street? 9． Why do some people speak so loud in public places? 10． What are the units of renminbi? 11． How many dialects are there in China? 12． Can chopsticks replace knives and forks? 13． What's the staple food of the Chinese? 14． Are any provincial names associated with the mountains and rivers? 15． How many days belong to statutory holidays and festivals of China each year? 16． What are the 24 solar terms? 17． What is the Chinese zodiac? 18． How to buy train tickets? 19． Do passengers need to undergo a security check at the railway station? 20． Does the bridegroom need to give red envelopes when fetching the bride? 随着时间的推移，世界的发展，全球化的深入，各国人民之间相互交往日趋密切与频繁，东西方之间的差异也随之而更加突出了。笔者在德国生活了二十多年，深深体会到，在日常生活和工作环境中，由于中西方之间的文化差异，生活习惯不同，导致了矛盾、摩擦、误会以及偏见，乃至发展到相互之间感情破裂，影响了工作和生活。 中国有一句俗话，“十里不同音，百里不同俗。” 更何况国与国之间、不同语言、不同文化之间人与人的交往呢？作者将自己的亲身经历和所见所闻，以及东西方不同点和差异写入到两本书之中，即《第次去德国》和《第次到中国》。《第次去德国》一书已经出版，它的重点放在东西方不同点之上，特别是那些生活和工作当中的芝麻小事之中。风俗习惯之异，它们并没有对错之分，只有理解和包容深浅之别。 《第一次去德国》的姊妹篇就是现在的这本书——《第一次到中国》，它的侧重面在于中国和中华民族的特殊性，它描述了一位德国中学生汉斯，作为交换生来到上海，他在中国所经历的事和遇到的问题，比如，汉语有多少个字，中国人的主食是什么，新婚床上为什么放红枣和花生，世上还有阴阳之分吗，“三百千”是什么，什么是中国人治家的法宝等，用了七十多个问题讲述了他所看到的，所听到的以及自己经历的事，从而让读者从各个侧面了解中国的文化、中国的山水、中国人的生活、中国民族的风俗以及其他的特点。 作者希望通过这部书，能让读者，对中国悠久的历史，奇妙的文字，丰富的风俗，热情的人们有一个初步的认识，对中国和中国人不同于西方的特殊之处，有一个大概的轮廓。同时，作者还希望，读者能从《第一次去德国》和《第一次到中国》这两部姊妹篇中，认识东西方之间的不同点，如吃、喝、住、行、孩子教育、语言文字、风俗习惯、结婚生子、养老医保、汉字特点、日历对联等各个方方面面，让更多的人去了解它们，让更多的人去理解它们，促进各国人们之间的交往，避免生活、工作和文化差异带来的误会，消除偏见，求大同存小异，增加相互包容，也为建立东西方之间友谊之桥，增添自己的一份薄力。 内容简介 本书讲述德国中学生汉斯作为交换生来到上海，在中国学习和生活所经历的一些事情，用70多个问题描述他到中国的所见所闻和所想，带领读者体验中国文化之“和而不同”。比如：为什么用这么大的嗓门说话？中国人的主食是什么？新婚床上为什么放红枣和花生？什么是“一日为师，终身为父”？世上还有阴阳之分吗？“三百千”是什么？什么是中国人的治家法宝？等等。本书不是乏味的知识罗列，而是以汉斯在中国的生活经历为线索串起不同的故事，内容涉及中国传统文化和当下中国比较值得关注的一些发展变化，可读性强，特别适合那些想了解中国、到中国或准备到中国的外国读者阅读；流畅、地道的英文翻译，也适合国内大中学生英语学习参考。 作者简介 　　陶翠屏，女，1980年毕业于武汉水利电力学院（现武汉大学），1984-1986年在德国Darmstadt工业大学进修，从1989年起在德国学习、工作和生活到至今。编著有《联邦德国教育概况》等书。 Unser facebook-Seite: @china.shelf.europe Unser Shopify-Webshop: https://chinashelf.de/weiterlesen