On September 29, 2021, the Association for the Promotion of the East Asia Institute e.V. had the honor of welcoming Jutta Steinruck, Mayor of the City of Ludwigshafen, as an honorary member of its ranks.
Nearly 30 members of the association as well as interested students of the East Asia Institute came together in the tea house of the Luisenpark to attend the awarding of the honorary membership as well as the subsequent regular meeting of the association in a convivial atmosphere.
The event was opened by the chairperson of the association, Professor Dr. Barbara Darimont, who welcomed those present and briefly introduced the association and its numerous activities. She emphasized the close ties between Mayor Steinruck and the East Asia Institute and its students.
In the subsequent address, Lord Mayor Jutta Steinruck told of the early impressions that the Federal Garden Show in Mannheim in 1975 had left on her, and that this was one of the reasons for her to want to help shape Ludwigshafen as Lord Mayor. Steinruck also reported on her time in the EU Parliament and her first trip to China as part of the Sino-German Industrial Cities Alliance, for which she was prepared and accompanied by Prof. Dr. Frank Rövekamp and Dr. Dai Yi of the East Asia Institute. The visit to the southern Chinese city of Foshan resulted in a partnership between the East Asia Institute and Foshan University.
Subsequently, in a festive act, Professor Dr. Barbara Darimont awarded honorary membership to Lord Mayor Jutta Steinruck and warmly welcomed her to the association. In addition, she presented her with the book "Economic Policy of the People's Republic of China", which she had written together with students of the East Asia Institute, as a welcome gift.
Professor Dr. Norbert Egger, retired first mayor of the city of Mannheim, used the occasion to recount the exciting history of the teahouse, which now spans 20 years. The teahouse was manufactured in the 1990s in the Chinese city of Zhenjiang by master craftsmen and then erected in Mannheim. A significant contribution was made by the association members StS (ret.) Professor Dr. Siegfried Engler and Dr. Dai Yi.
Detailed report and further photos under: https://foerderverein-oai.de/events/eigene-veranstaltungen/verleihung-der-ehrenmitgliedschaft-an-oberbuergermeisterin-jutta-steinruck/
Further information at: https: //foerderverein-oai.de/
