Thomas Zimmer

Thomas Zimmer is a Professor at the Center for Chinese German Cultural and Social Exchange at Tongji University Shanghai, where he has been serving since 2018. His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to the field of Sinology.

His educational background includes:

• 1992: PhD in Sinology, University of Bonn
• 1989: Diploma/Master degree in translation, Seminar for Oriental Languages at the University of Bonn
• 1999: Habilitation, Sinology, University of Bonn

Professor Zimmer has specialized in pre-modern and contemporary Chinese narrative art and linguistic studies of the written colloquial Chinese language (baihua). His more recent research interests include China's ancient geo-philosophical concepts as well as scientific and cultural exchange during the Ming and Qing dynasties until the late eighteenth century. His scholarly work bridges historical and contemporary perspectives on Chinese culture and language, with particular attention to narrative forms and spatial concepts.

His major publications demonstrate a trajectory from linguistic analysis to broader cultural and historical investigations, culminating in his 2022 work "The Stranger in the Middle: An Intellectual and Cultural History of China's Conceptions of Space in Late Imperial China."

Among his scientific honors:

• ICAS Book Prize for Asian Science Publications written in German (for "Awakening from a Coma? A Literary Approach towards Contemporary China," 2017)

Professor Zimmer has held significant administrative roles including Vice-Director of the Sino-German School of Post Graduate Studies (CDHK) at Tongji University (2003-2009) and Vice-Dean of the Sino German College and Head of the German Cultural Center at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (2012-2018). His work demonstrates a sustained commitment to fostering cultural and academic exchange between China and Germany.