By Sara Tang

In 2006, when Karl came to China for the second time to help a friend with her business venture, he got in touch with Shengda College through a student from Shengda, who then became his good friend. Now, Karl is spending his second year here as a teacher, with students’ full respect and admiration.

Karl Renner, who comes from Australia, was born in Germany. Many years ago, he decided to take his young family to Australia. Having worked in management positions in different countries, Karl entered the teaching profession and gained over twenty five years’ experience as a teacher, professor and administrator working for the Australian education system. With a gift for language, Karl can speak German, English, French, Italian and Dutch.

In 1987, Karl first came to China on behalf of the Australian government by invitation of the Chinese government in Beijing as a member of an educational study delegation. He told me that he was fascinated by China and the friendliness of the Chinese people, and he literally fell in love with China. Through books and his own eyes, Karl learned a lot about Chinese culture and history, old and new.

Being at Shengda is Karl’s third time to China. He leads quite a regulated life here. He likes to mix with Chinese people, walking along streets, thinking deeply about people’s lives. He also observes that life in Australia is more relaxed, slower, while here, the pressure of the large number of people gives us a more pressurized feeling.

Talking about his students and young people, there is a light glittering in Karl’s eyes. He takes it as his responsibility to pass on what he knows to the young, and set a good example for them to respect and uphold the good old ethics. He found that there are a lot of problems with the Chinese system in many aspects, but he has all the confidence that China will be in good hands in the generations to come. He expects us, as grown-ups, to start thinking for ourselves and take the initiative to make a difference instead of reciting textbooks, which are at least 30 years outdated, to pass exams.

Karl says he likes China very much. Unfortunately, he will have to leave at the end of this academic year, because, as he told me as a joke, his wife would divorce him if he remained away.

（本文作者为外语系外教）