青岛午后，柯雪婷照例出门散步。走着走着，就到了海边。她喜欢海，海浪拍打的声音让她觉得踏实。这是她从德国带来的老习惯。但在青岛，这个习惯有了新的意义——海把她和世界连在一起。
On quiet Qingdao weekend afternoons, Kerstin Kaehler loves to walk by the seaside. The rhythm of the waves calms her mind as it always did on childhood vacations in Germany, but now, by the Yellow Sea, it carries an extra meaning: the water connects her to a world far beyond, while living in this coastal city.
柯雪婷今年53岁。她是上海德国中心派驻青岛的总经理，负责青岛德国企业中心。但在当地出租车司机眼里，她是一个“让人失望的德国乘客”。不喝酒、不懂德国车价、不看足球。闲聊到最后，司机总是忍不住问她：“你真是德国人吗？”柯雪婷只能笑笑，在中国生活了27年，她确实很难反驳。
At 53, Kaehler serves as general manager of the Qingdao German Enterprise Centre, a regional outpost of the Shanghai German Centre. To local taxi drivers, however, she is a disappointing German: she doesn't drink, has no clue about German car prices, and couldn't care less about football. By the end of most rides, they cannot help asking, "Are you really German?" She just smiles. After 27 years in China, she knows the stereotype no longer fits — and that her life has long outgrown any fixed label.
1986年，德国汉堡和中国上海结为友好城市。两地的文化交流随之铺开，当地高中特意开设了中文课程，还配套了学生交换项目。正是这份契机，让年少的柯雪婷，一步步奔赴了远方。
1990年，上海，柯雪婷第一次上太极课。
1990年，第一次来华签证。
In 1986, Hamburg and Shanghai became sister cities, sparking cultural exchanges that soon reached local high schools, offering Chinese language classes and student exchange programs.
一次交换，改写了人生轨迹
柯雪婷从小就向往去一个全然陌生、与众不同的远方生活。七八岁时，她喜欢读冒险小说，对书中的世界很向往，“去远方探索”的念头，始终深埋在心底。正巧学校安排学生参与对华交换项目，这成了她圆梦的契机。
1990年，交换班级合照。
第一次来到中国看到的欢迎板报。
1990年，17岁的柯雪婷跟着交换项目，第一次踏上中国上海的土地。那年的上海街头，自行车比汽车多得多。对柯雪婷而言，她是来体验中式风情的，相较于灯火辉煌的东方明珠，她转而对着豫园按下了快门。
Young Kaehler, who had devoured adventure novels as a child and dreamed of exploring unknown lands, saw her chance. At 17, in 1990, she set foot in Shanghai for the first time. Bicycles far outnumbered cars on the streets. Intrigued by the local flavor, she ignored the familiar Western architecture along the Bund and spent her entire film roll on Yu Garden — a small act that spoke volumes about her curiosity.
1990年，参观上海龙华寺。
第一次参观苏州园林。
1990年，上海植物园盆景。
1990年，上海，中德学生们观看武术表演。
这场短暂的交换经历，成为她和中国开启缘分的契机。1999年，她正式来华开启职业生涯，最初在广东工作，2000年定居上海，一晃就是十五年。
2016年，她从上海搬至青岛。搬家那天是1月4日，她父亲的生日，她在这样一个日子开启全新生活，也开启了她和青岛的故事。
That short exchange planted a seed. After university, she officially launched her career in China in 1999, starting in Guangdong, then settling in Shanghai for a full 15 years from 2000. In 2016, she relocated to Qingdao, choosing her father's birthday — 4 January — as moving day. It was a private homage to the man who had always encouraged her wanderlust, even after both her parents had passed away.
家并非只是冰冷建筑
而是和人有关
柯雪婷20岁就离开家，去往500公里外的城市读书。早早独立的她练就了通透的生活心态：只要有落脚的地方、有热爱的事做、生活安稳有序，就能遇见温暖的人，把陌生的他乡过成故乡。
Kaehler left home at 20 to study 500 kilometers away, so she learned early that home is less about a fixed place and more about stability, purpose and human warmth.
1990年，上海，寄宿家庭的客厅。此后柯雪婷在这里度过了近10个春节。
在上海，她拥有了一对至亲般的“爸爸妈妈”——当年交换伙伴的父母。1990年的上海，住房资源紧张，尽管房子面积不算大，这户善良的人家还是特意申请，接她到家暂住了一个周末。“我们的孩子在汉堡住了三个星期，我们也想尽尽地主之谊。”一份简单的双向善意，延续成了跨越半生的温暖情分。
1990年，寄宿家庭的“上海妈妈”在做饭。
In Shanghai, she found a second family — the parents of her former exchange partner. Back in 1990, when housing was extremely tight, the family had managed to host her for a weekend, saying, "Our child stayed with your family in Hamburg for three weeks; we want to return the kindness."
后来，她的交换伙伴远赴美国攻读金融专业，每年年初都是工作最繁忙的阶段，从来没有机会回国过春节。从那以后，每年除夕，柯雪婷都会陪着上海的父母过年，这一陪就是十几年。一家人围坐在一起吃饭、闲聊、看春晚。她笑着调侃：“妈妈的八卦永远比春晚有意思。”
柯雪婷妈妈与中国寄宿家庭儿子的合照。
That simple mutual goodwill blossomed into a bond spanning decades. Her exchange partner later moved to the US for studies and a career in finance, and his year‑end workload never allowed him to return for Chinese New Year. So, every Lunar New Year's Eve for over a decade, Kaehler joined her Shanghai parents for dinner, gossip and the televised gala — always joking that "Mum's stories are far more entertaining than the show."
那时候还没有网约车，每到午夜时分，“上海爸爸”总会亲自陪她下楼，站在路边看着她坐上出租车，才安心转身回家。回望这些温暖的时刻，柯雪婷始终笃定，这就是家的感觉。
At midnight, her Shanghai father would walk her downstairs and wait until she got into a taxi before heading back inside. Those moments, she says, are what home truly feels like.
父母离世后，她和姐姐没有保留汉堡的老宅。在她眼里，房子只是冰冷的建筑，人才是牵挂的意义。“有些人对从小长大的房子很有感情，可对我来说，那只是一栋房子。如果父母当年搬去别处、把房子卖了，我根本不会再回汉堡那一带。因为我回去，是去看人，不是看房子。”
After her biological parents died, she and her sister chose not to keep the family house in Hamburg. To Kaehler, a building is just bricks; it is the people that matter. She would never return to her old neighbourhood for the sake of the structure itself — only to see those she loves.
有人问她，上海、南京、青岛，哪座城市最好。她从不会给城市排名，在她看来，每一座定居过的城都有独特之处。而最动人的风景，永远是她遇见的那些真诚温暖的人。
When asked which Chinese city she prefers — Shanghai, Nanchang or Qingdao — she never ranks them. Each has its own charm, and the most beautiful landscapes, in her memory, are always the sincere people she has met.
搭桥是一件
长期主义的事
柯雪婷的工作常被人称作“建桥”，但她始终觉得这个说法太过宏大。她工作的青岛德国企业中心是一栋办公写字楼，为外资企业提供办公场地，但在她和团队眼里，这里的价值远不止于此。
Her work is often called "bridge‑building", but she finds the term too grand. The Qingdao German Enterprise Centre (GECQ) is essentially an office complex for foreign firms, yet she and her team see it as far more: a hands‑on service hub.
她不会刻意做所谓的“招商引资”，也不笼统地解读中国市场。在她看来，是没有一个统一的“中国市场”的，所有合作与研究，都要落地到具体行业、具体产品。她和团队做的是“琐碎但暖心的实事”——外企落地缺办公室，她们全力对接服务；企业员工安家落户，她们主动调研推荐优质幼儿园；有人需要律师、牙医等本地资源，她们也会倾尽多年积累的人脉网络，对接靠谱的服务商。
They never engage in generic investment pitches. Instead, they work sector by sector, according to each prospective tenant's needs. Once their tenants are settled in the GECQ's office space, they may even connect employees with kindergartens, and recommend trusted lawyers or dentists from years of local networking.
三年时间里，青岛德国企业中心累计接待了5000多位海内外官方代表团员，这还不包含日常上门咨询、考察、对接合作的普通访客。凭借一点一滴的深耕，她和团队让青岛西海岸的中德合作优势被更多人看见。她曾获得琴岛奖，也获得过青岛西海岸新区成立五周年“突出贡献人物称号”，五十位获奖者中，她是唯一的外籍人士，也是仅有的五位女性之一。
Over the first three years alone, the GECQ hosted more than 5,000 visitors from official delegations from home and abroad – on top of countless daily visitors seeking advice or partnership. Her efforts earned her the title of "Outstanding Contributor to the Development of West Coast New Area", where she stood out as the only foreign recipient and one of just five women among 50 honorees.
她这样解释自己的定位：“你没法把一座桥预制好、整个搬来安上。你只能一天一天、一步一步地搭。别人对你留下的每一个好印象，就是桥上的一块砖。”
在她看来，国家层面的官方合作，是两国之间恢弘稳固的大桥，而真正让桥梁经久稳固的，是普通人日复一日相处中的善意。高层的合作构建起大框架，而每一次沟通、每一次帮扶、每一次理解，才是筑牢联结的基石。
For Kaehler, a bridge cannot be prefabricated and shipped. It has to be built day by day, step by step. Every positive impression left on others is a brick in that structure. While high‑level government cooperation draws the grand blueprint, it is the everyday goodwill, understanding and mutual help between ordinary people that make the foundation solid.
常年深耕中德交流一线，柯雪婷见证着中国的飞速成长，也深谙中德两国的沟通差异。中方介绍中德生态园时，常会强调这是两国前总理共同见证的项目，意在体现国家层面的重视，让外资企业安心落地。但德国企业家更看重实际落地细节。
而她的核心工作，就是消解这份认知偏差：“我做的就是把字面意思翻过去，更把背后那层意思也翻过去，让对方知道你到底想说什么。”
She has also learned to navigate cultural communication gaps: Chinese officials often emphasize top‑level endorsement to reassure investors, while German entrepreneurs want practical details. Her real job, she says, is to translate not only the literal meaning but also the intention behind it — so that each side truly grasps what the other is saying.
这片海连着所有人
对柯雪婷来说，生活和工作是密不可分的。懂得停下脚步、沉淀思考，才能更从容地奔赴前路，这是她在中国二十余年习得的生活智慧。
在她住处的同一条地铁线上，有一家常去的面包店。冬日闲暇时，她总喜欢坐在店里，听柴火在石炉里噼啪燃烧。她习惯随身带一本书、一个小本子和一支笔，兴致来时，就随手写下几行小诗。跳动的炉火温暖治愈，总能让她找到松弛与安稳。
For Kaehler, work and life are inseparable. Over her 27 years in China, she has come to value the art of pausing — stepping back to reflect, so that she can move forward with clarity. Along the same metro line as her apartment, she has a favorite bakery. On winter weekends, she loves sitting there, listening to firewood crackle in the stone oven, always carrying a book, a notepad and a pen to scribble short poems whenever inspiration strikes. The dancing flames bring her a quiet, comforting peace.
而柯雪婷所在的青岛德国企业中心位于青岛西海岸新区中德生态园。2014年，青岛西海岸新区获批设立，坐拥胶州湾与黄海绵长的海岸线，让新区成为对接欧洲开放合作的核心承载地，高端制造、科创与跨国企业纷纷在这里落地。同时，沉淀着厚重的齐鲁人文，青岛的现代化产业与滨海街巷交织，让国际化格局与本土生活气息完美交融。
The German Enterprise Centre is located in the Sino‑German Ecopark within Qingdao West Coast New Area, a district established in 2014. With its long coastline along Jiaozhou Bay and the Yellow Sea, the area has become a prime gateway for Europe‑oriented cooperation, attracting advanced manufacturing, tech innovation and multinational corporations. Yet it is also steeped in Shandong cultural traditions, blending modern industrial parks with old coastal lanes — a place where international dynamism meets authentic local life.
在青岛定居十年，柯雪婷用两个词形容这座城市：松弛（laid-back）和温和（friendly）。这份温柔，是她在其他大城市从未感受过的。在游客众多的大城市，本地人见到外国人，常会默认对方听不懂中文，不敢主动搭话。但青岛人格外坦率热忱，哪怕是第一次见面，也会用中文和她交流，认定她能听懂、能共情。这份真诚消解了不同国家、不同民族的人之间的隔阂，让她格外心安。
Having lived in Qingdao for a decade, she describes the city in two words: laid‑back and friendly. Unlike in larger tourist cities, where locals may hesitate to speak Chinese to foreigners, Qingdao people are refreshingly open. They address her in Chinese from the very first meeting, assuming she will understand — and she does. That unreserved sincerity dissolves cultural distance and gives her a sense of belonging.
二十七年前，一次交流，让青涩的柯雪婷和中国结下缘分；二十七年后，她守在青岛海边，踏踏实实地生活、做事。旁人总爱给她贴上“中德交流使者”这类标签，可她从不在意。在她眼里，真正的联结从来不是声势浩大的工程，而是日复一日的真诚交谈、彼此包容理解。
就像她常说的，桥梁是一砖一瓦慢慢垒起来的，青岛人直白温和的相处方式，也让这份跨洋相处多了几分松弛。岁岁往复的海风，静静记录着她二十七载的停留与相守，让跨越山海的相遇，简单、真切又温暖。
A single exchange trip sparked Kaehler's bond with China 27 years ago. Today, she still lives and works quietly by the Qingdao shore, unfazed by labels such as "cultural ambassador" or "bridge‑builder". To her, genuine connection is never a monumental project; it is built through daily conversations, mutual respect and small acts of kindness. The sea breeze, blowing year after year, quietly bears witness to her long stay — making a cross‑continental encounter feel simple, authentic, and deeply warm.
记者：李涵萌
实习生：文瀚
供图：柯雪婷
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