On September 19, 2025, Consul General Qiu Xuejun of the People’s Republic of China in Munich attended the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance event during the 2025 Würzburger Stadtfest. Consul General Qiu delivered the opening address and gave an on-site interview from TV Main-Franken.

Qiu Xuejun said the following in his opening remarks:

I feel extremely happy and with great pleasure to come to the city of Würzburg to attend the annual city festival with such a grand gathering of people.

Today, I feel particularly happy that the Chinese community here will stage some intangible Chinese culture show, and I hope you will enjoy it. This kind of cultural exchanges are very important for promoting mutual understanding between our two peoples—the Chinese people and the German people. And by this kind of cultural exchange, we will enrich our cultures, promote cultural diversity and enrich people's life. That is the essence of cultural exchanges.

And for me, it's already my third visit to the city of Würzburg since my arrival in Bavaria ten months ago. Würzburg is definitely a historical city with deep encryption of wisdom, beautiful scenery and world cultural heritages. I have the honor to visit the Würzburger Residenz, a world cultural heritage, and there are many other historical and cultural architectures in the city.

The University of Würzburg has close co-operative relations with Chinese universities. There are some two hundred Chinese students studying in this university. They serve as a great bridge between the Chinese and the German people.

The local Chinese community is very active, local Chinese community organizations like the China-German Friendship and Cultural Exchange Association headed by Ms. Qiu Yucai has been playing a very active role in promoting Würzburg`s relations and friendship with China.

I also wish to thank Mr. Heilig, the honorable mayor of Würzburg, and Mr. Weier of the Stadtmarketing "Würzburg macht Spaß", for your strong support and active participation in enhancing cultural exchanges by the Chinese community organisations. I wish the cultural show a great success.

Thank you all and enjoy this afternoon! (applause from the audience)

Q: What was your most memorable moment in Würzburg?

A: The most memorable one are two things. One is my visit to the  University of Würzburg. President Paul Pauli and Vice President Doris Fischer briefed me about the long history of the university and the great academic achievements by the university. In total, the university have fourteen Nobel Prize winners for natural sciences, which is indeed very impressive.

The other thing impressing me most, is the visit to the Würzburger Residenz, which was listed by the UNESCO as world cultural heritage. The Residenz, and other historical and cultural architectures, laid the foundation for the prestigious historical and cultural status of Würzburger City. With her cultural heritages and natural beauties, the city is worth of our protection and preservation.  

Q: Which traditions and celebrations do you like in china, and which one do you want to introduce?

A: The traditional Chinese culture or civilization is very rich indeed. It will be difficult for me to name a particular one, but I hope that through this afternoon's performance, our dear audience will get a glimpse of the Chinese culture.

In terms of cultural exchange, I wish to say a few more words. President Xi Jinping of China put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, which advocates the respect for cultural diversity, promotion of shared values for humanity, and inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and enhancement of international cultural exchanges and cooperation. Cultural exchanges will enrich our cultures and civilizations and help us appreciate each other, dispel a lot of misunderstandings and promote peace and development.

I wish to thank the city government for organizing these multi-cultural shows in the great city of Würzburg. (applause from the audience)

Q: Last but not least: We all love food. So which Chinese dish would you like to recommend?

A: I think, instead of recommending Chinese dish, I wish to say a few words about Bavarian food. I have been here for ten months, and I have tested quite a number of Bavarian local delicacies which are very enjoyable. Like the White sausage, the German pork knuckle and a lot of others. They are delicious and tasty, and also served with large quantity. (laughter from the audience)

In addition, Honorable mayor Heilig recommended another local specialty for me here in the Würzburg area, called franconian wedding dish. I look forward to tasting this dish, a light dish, in the future.

Thank you. (applause from the audience)