Tell us something about your background: where are you from? What have you studied, how did you end up in Germany? 
I am born in Shanghai, I firstly got my Bachelor in Musical Education in Shanghai, then pursued my Master degree in Musicology and Education in Germany.

How did you come to effective world?
I started working for effective world in Mannheim as a working student in 2006. At that time effective was looking for native Chinese speakers, who can do website translation.

How/when did you get the idea of opening an office in Shanghai? Have you already had connections with customers in Shanghai?
During my time working for effective as a working student, I found that search engines are very effective channels to help Chinese and German companies promote their products and services overseas. 
At that time, a large number of Chinese foreign trade companies wanted to rapidly expand their overseas business, and more and more German companies wanted to enter the Chinese market. 
And so, after getting permission from the company, I launched search engine campaigns on Baidu and Google at the same time, and it attracted a lot of users. 
After two Chinese clients expressed a clear willingness to cooperate with us, I decided to encourage the company to open a branch in China in order to provide them with better local services.

Since when are you the Managing Director of Shanghai?
From August 2015.

How does the communication with Mannheim work when you’re in Shanghai? Does the different time zone impact your everyday work? 
Actually the different zone doesn't impact my daily work much when I work from Shanghai, because most clients I need to communicate with are in China. 
Besides, I still have 2-3 hours overlay with Mannheim.  That's enough time.
The time zone impacts my daily work very much when I work from Germany. 
Because of COVID-19 I can not fly back to China as easy as before. So I must wake up early to ensure that I have enough time to work with my colleagues in Shanghai and communicate with my clients in China.
In the afternoon I can communicate with my German colleagues and clients. 

Is there something that always strikes you when you come to Germany? And on the contrary something that strikes you every time you go back to Shanghai?
I get calm and much more nature in Germany.
In Shanghai you feel the future, I like the vitality and new technologies there.
Both are important for me. But you can not get everything in the same place. 

What is a very German thing you do in Shanghai and a very Chinese thing you do in Germany? 
Actually I don’t do very German things in Shanghai or very Chinese ones in Germany.
I have a good balance and can switch quickly between these two countries.
However, if I must mention something, it is the fact that I always want to keep the empty bottle and bring them back to the shop in order to get some money back. 
Only then do I realize that I am actually in Shanghai.  

What are your favourite spots in Mannheim? And in Shanghai? 
I like Mannheim's central area, the Wasserturm and Oststadt, and also along the Neckar and Rhein, the combination of history and nature. 
I like Shanghai everywhere. It is my hometown.

What are the top three things you like about Shanghai? What are the top three things you like about China in general? 
Shanghai: the future potential,  good combination of history and high-tech, it makes everything possible, maybe like New York before 200 years. But in Shanghai you feel more safe.  
China: the long history, rich culture, nice and diligent people and foods.

What are your best memories of these first 15 years of effective Shanghai?
Almost all clients we have until now are very nice to us, maybe because we are also very nice to them.  

What is the focus of the work in Shanghai? And why?
To try to use the latest digital technology, help our clients promote their product and service.
As the technology development in China is too speedy, it keeps pushing you forward to learn new things and use them at work.