On March 25, 2025, at the invitation of the Embassy of Switzerland in China, faculty members and students from the German Department attended a screening of the film Vitus (The Flying Piano Boy) at the Ambassador’s Residence. Prior to the screening, they engaged in a conversation with the newly appointed Swiss Ambassador to China, Krystyna Marty, and Cultural Counselor Felix Schwendimann.

Mao Mingchao, Associate Director of the German Department, introduced to Ambassador Marty the department’s teaching activities related to Swiss literature and basic knowledge of Swiss national conditions, as well as its previous collaborations with the Swiss Embassy in areas such as theatrical performances, academic workshops, and film screenings. Ambassador Marty expressed particular appreciation for the students’ independent staging of the contemporary Swiss theatrical classic The Physicists, and conveyed her hope to further deepen cooperation with the German Department at Peking University.

Photo: Faculty and students of the German Department with Swiss Ambassador Krystyna Marty and Pianist Teo Gheorghiu

The film Vitus tells a coming-of-age story of a gifted young pianist Vitus, starred by Swiss actor and pianist Teo Gheorghiu. Following the screening, first- and second-year students from the German Department actively participated in a discussion session, engaging with Gheorghiu on topics such as how to convey the beauty of art, how to balance artistic training with youth life, and the prospects of cultural exchange between China and Switzerland. The students noted that the event served as a valuable practice in cross-cultural communication, from which they gained substantial benefits.

Contributed by the German Department, School of Foreign Languages, Peking University

Translated by Zhao Lihua