From Hamburg to Hong Kong to Study Chinese Culture
Leonard Karl Maxim Andres Profoundly Shaped by Confucian Values
Leonard has a deep love for Chinese culture and is grateful to CUHK for an education that broadened his horizons. (Special thanks to Richard M.W. Ho Lounge for generously providing the VIP room, whose elegant Chinese-style design resonates with Leonard’s background in Chinese Studies.)
Leonard Anders (26/WS/Chinese Studies) has got the Chinese name An LoongDe (安龍德). “At the time, a teacher at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) gave me a list of Chinese names to choose from. I made slight changes and used ‘An’ (安) as my surname, as it suits my calm and quiet personality. In addition, I chose ‘LoongDe’ (龍德) as my given name, as I am a German born in the Year of the Dragon. Adopting a Chinese name and coming to CUHK to study Chinese Studies have both been very rewarding, Leonard says. “Besides getting to know a group of new friends, traditional Confucian virtues have also had a profound influence on me, greatly changing how I conduct myself and engage with the world in the future.”
Growing up in Hamburg, Germany, Leonard had never set foot in Asia. What brought him more than 9,000 km away to Hong Kong was, unexpectedly, a close friend. “After the university entrance exams, my best friend from secondary school came to Hong Kong for a vocational training course, while I went to New Zealand on a working holiday. We stayed in touch, and I learned how he was getting on in Hong Kong. In the end, after finishing the working holiday and returning to Germany, I decided to take the vocational training course, and a few months later, I finally came to Hong Kong.” He remembers renting a flat in North Point at the time, and the moment he stepped out of the taxi upon arriving in North Point seven years ago is still vivid in his mind. “I smelled the scent of a Chinese herbal medicine shop. To this day, that smell remains in my memory, along with the humid air blowing in from the seaside. It was August, the weather was extremely hot and took me a long time to get used to it.”
The vocational training course was organised by the German Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong. Each week, he spent four days working at a German company in Hong Kong and one day attending classes at a business college. “That was back in 2019, during the social movement. It was difficult to get around, which made it hard for me to truly immerse myself in Hong Kong society and culture. I wanted to stay on when the course ended, but unfortunately my work visa expired, so I could no longer work at the company. The only way to stay was to study. Having taken Putonghua and Chinese studies courses at the business college, I had already developed a strong passion for Chinese culture. After searching online, I found CUHK’s Chinese Studies programme and reached out directly to the department. CUHK was exceptionally accommodating to international students, they specially arranged a non-local alumnus to give me a campus tour. After long conversations with the programme director and several professors, I knew I wanted to take this programme,” he recalled. “The alumnus also showed me Lee Woo Sing College. On his recommendation, I chose it as my college and thus began my life at CUHK.
Serving as an event emcee entirely in Putonghua, Leonard (left) still remembers how nervous he felt that day.
Glutinous Rice Chicken as His Favorite Hong Kong Food
Fortunately, with two years’ experience of living in Hong Kong, Leonard adapted to life at CUHK relatively quickly compared with other non-local students. “What I found hardest to get used to was not Hong Kong’s weather, but how crowded the city is. I had never experienced such bustling crowds or such a fast-paced environment. When I got back to CUHK, by contrast, it felt more spacious and relaxed, that pace of life suited me better,” he said. “As for food, what I miss most is German bread—that is the taste of home for me. I am very open to all kinds of food, so I got used to Hong Kong food quite easily too. Although I am now a vegetarian, before making the switch, my favorite was glutinous rice chicken. When you open it while it is steaming hot, you smell the fragrance of the lotus leaf infused into the soft, chewy glutinous rice. That flavor is truly special.”
During the pandemic, only international students who could not return home were left in the dormitories. Leonard (back row, third from left) became especially close with them.
While he could gradually adapt to the environment and the food, language became a major obstacle for Leonard. He gave up on Cantonese after just one semester of an introductory Cantonese course. “Cantonese is just too hard to learn!” he admitted. “I later switched to Putonghua, as I had taken a beginner’s course during the vocational training programme, and after entering CUHK, I took several more Putonghua courses in my department and at the CUHK Yale-China Chinese Language Academy (CLA). Regrettably, I was so focused on my studies that I did not join other student organisations or activities at CUHK.” What he remembers most vividly is serving as master of ceremonies at the CLA’s 60th anniversary ceremony. “I co-hosted with a classmate from the United States. Reading a half-hour-long script entirely in Putonghua was extremely difficult for me. Although I spent a lot of time preparing, I was still very nervous on the day of the event. It remains a precious memory of my time at CUHK.”
Promoting Filial Piety and Ancestral Roots
After completing his programme at CUHK, Leonard said that Confucianism had had a profound influence on him. “I am very grateful to CUHK for giving me a deeper understanding of Chinese values, traditions and virtues. While many still debate the relevance of these ideas in modern society, they hold immense meaning for me. For example, Chinese tradition emphasizes filial piety, showing reverence and respect towards parents, which led me to reflect on my relationship with my parents and transformed how I treat others. Chinese culture also advocates honoring one’s roots, tracing one’s origins and understanding where we come from. Such ideas are rarely discussed in European societies, where individualism is highly valued. It made me realise that life isn’t just about planning for the future, it’s also about understanding what has shaped us and brought me to where I am today.”
To delve even deeper into Chinese culture, Leonard has enrolled in a Chinese language programme at a university in Taiwan and will head there in late September. “In my third year, I went to Taiwan on an exchange and took courses on Chinese philosophy and traditional thought, which really opened my eyes. After completing the course, I plan to return to Hong Kong to look for a job. For now, I’m particularly interested in the food-related supply chain and logistics industry, because my graduation thesis was on the development of bread in post-colonial Hong Kong, and I previously worked at a local bakery chain. My ultimate goal is to start my own company in Hong Kong.”
Now used to Hong Kong’s pace of life, Leonard (right) laughs that he finds it hard to adjust when back in Germany. “My father (left) loves Hong Kong just as much as I do and visits me here every year.”
Published on CU Alumni Magazine Issue 127 by Alumni Affairs Office 2026
Read online: CU Alumni Magazine Issue 127 (Chinese Version Only)
PDF: https://alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/communication/cuam/202609/
ISSUU: https://www.alumni.cuhk.edu.hk/magazine/issuu/