A journey to reclaim scattered memories

Bernd Einmeier, chairman of the German-Chinese Association for Economy, Education and Culture, said the exchanges had offered fresh inspiration for promoting friendship between the two countries. The association hopes to document more stories of ordinary people, particularly those with ties to both countries, to foster mutual understanding at the grassroots level.

Now in its 12th edition, the China International Oral History Exhibition has drawn participants from more than 30 countries and regions over the past decade. Initiated by Communication University of China in 2015, it has presented work from more than 1,000 oral history projects.

Lin Hui, executive chair of the organizing committee, said oral history helps retrieve memories and gives ordinary people a chance to tell their stories and preserve them for future generations. The Germany visit, she said, was the first test of the "overseas memory retrieval" initiative. By starting with people-to-people exchanges and bringing the stories of ordinary Chinese to German audiences, the committee hopes to extend the approach to more countries and regions.

Contributed by Qi Zhenhong