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The perception of cult/ur/spaces in one's own country and their representation in art photography are the focus of this publication. To this end, twelve Chinese and twelve Austrian photographers were invited to reflect their personal definition of this theme in their works, which are presented in the image section of this book.

The photographs document places of high culture, cultural festivals, urban spaces, interfaces between spaces used by humans and natural spaces as well as the space inside a person, where culture is actually created.

The diversity of perspectives, the similarities and differences that become visible in the many different opinions and approaches have resulted in an interesting photographic overview of this topic.

In the article "Views of a world" by Dr. Maria Valentina Kravanja, the photographs are placed in relation to each other and the content and photographic means of representation are explained in order to help the reader from China and Austria to build a bridge of understanding for the other cultural area.

In this book, traditional festivals as they are celebrated today in China and Austria are told in literary form. Some festivals are similar in expression, but others are only known in the respective cultures. One festival that is equivalent to Christmas in the West in terms of its significance as a family celebration and is the main event of the year is the New Year.

In order to promote mutual understanding of tradition and customs, 16 authors discuss the best-known festivals in China and Austria. Their contemporary stories make the meaning and atmosphere of the festivals tangible for the reader. While reading, very different literary approaches can be recognized, which are reflected in language, content and form in a variety of ways.

For orientation, there is a glossary in the appendix on the traditional sequence of events of the selected festivals. The texts are written in German and Chinese in order to give both cultures the opportunity to learn to understand what is foreign to them. Thanks to the bilingual version of the book and its distribution in China and Europe, Chinese and Austrian authors are gaining considerable recognition in Europe and Asia, thus helping to publicize local traditions in a contemporary context.

Traditional clothing in China and Austria is artistic in form and color, and this book traces its historical development and significance. While traditional costume in Austria has mostly been used for festive occasions for decades, traditional garments are still increasingly worn in everyday life in China. Efforts by traditional Austrian associations to preserve the traditional costumes that have been handed down through the ages are in danger of being thwarted by contemporary fashions. For this reason, it was obvious to make a representative selection of Austrian traditional costumes and to compare them with traditional Chinese clothing in terms of similarities and differences.

The objects on display offer the reader an interesting insight into the deliberate use of stylistic elements and document the artistic elegance of Chinese and Austrian garments.

Two artists with divergent biographies and techniques meet in the exhibition "Game of Life" with their paintings.

The portrayal of individual lifestyles reveals interesting contrasts and surprising points of contact, enabling a unique comparison of Chinese and Western painting.

The Chinese painter Weiren Zheng studied under famous Chinese calligraphers and ink painters and prefers to work with ink and rice paper. Markus Kravanja, on the other hand, is self-taught and uses oil paint on hardboard.

Both artists paint figuratively and their subjects are mostly people, whose encounters and views on life take center stage.Weiren Zheng focuses on the lives of Chinese scholars in earlier times and appears untouched by Western influence. Markus Kravanja depicts omnipresent and everyday situations into which he weaves alienating motifs.

The artworks of both painters invite you to immerse yourself in two different pictorial worlds and to find new, inspiring thoughts in this playful way.

As part of a panel and public discussion organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Graz in March 2012, Chinese women gave an insightful account of their personal biographies and professional careers. Together with next - Association for Contemporary Art, the idea was developed to record the topics discussed in literary form and publish them in book form.

Well-known Austrian authors contacted Chinese women to gather impressions and information and to write about them. This resulted in a very multifaceted picture of the interviewees and their cultural and historical background. The literary social study "Ein Regenbogen kennt kein Heimweh. Life plans of Chinese women" reflects the role model effect for all those women who have found a second home in Austria and are mostly still at the beginning of their life and professional careers.