NTU professor and microbe expert Roland Kirschner shares love for traditional arts

NTU professor and microbe expert Roland Kirschner shares love for traditional arts

2023-12-04

There’s a German professor at NTU whose love for classical Chinese culture makes him really stand out. Professor Roland Kirschner is an expert on microbial ecology and fungi. Taiwan’s rich ecosystem was part of what led him to settle here. But perhaps even more than that, it was his love of calligraphy and painting, and the warmth of Taiwanese people. Students say he always comes to class at NTU wearing traditional Chinese clothing. We caught up with Kirschner to hear how this “new immigrant” has made Taiwan his home.

Wearing a Tang suit and speaking fluent Chinese, Roland Kirschner answers his student’s questions. The NTU forestry school professor was born in southern Germany. His interest in Chinese culture led him to start studying Mandarin at university. He first visited Taiwan more than 20 years ago, and soon fell in love with the country.

Roland Kirschner
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
I spent half the day learning Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University Mandarin Training Center. Then in the afternoon I would come and do research at the botanical department of NTU. After a year of that, I was meant to go home, and I felt so sad, because I already loved this place.

Kirschner eventually moved to Taiwan to work here. He teaches in Mandarin and practises calligraphy. His research lab is covered in spring couplets that he wrote himself, as well as his own Chinese-style paintings.

Roland Kirschner
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
I paint when I have time. I found a teacher for calligraphy, because I think it’s a very advanced art. I go to my calligraphy class every week, and I’m gradually learning.

When his research and teaching duties are fulfilled, he spends his free time practicing with the brush. He’s won many prizes in calligraphy competitions.

A ceramic cup is adorned with paintings of lingzhi and umbrella mushrooms, reflecting Kirschner’s research expertise. As for what led him to settle in Taiwan, he cites the rich and diverse ecosystems here as well as the friendliness of Taiwanese people.

Roland Kirschner
NTU School of Forestry and Resource Conservation
People are very warm towards Westerners. If I’m standing on the street and obviously looking for something, people will come up and ask, “Can I help you?” That doesn’t happen so often in Germany.

After 12 years here, Kirschner calls himself a “new immigrant.” In the future, he wants to continue exploring Taiwan’s beautiful natural landscapes and classical Chinese arts.

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愛台灣! 台大森林系教授愛唐裝.書法還會國畫

2023-12-04

台大森林系有一位來自德國的教授，他的中文名字叫羅南德，每天都穿唐裝出門，說著一口流利中文，還會畫國畫、寫書法，在台灣多次參加書法比賽，榮獲特優獎。從小就對中華文化有興趣的他，12年前搬來台灣，就此愛上這塊土地。

穿著唐裝，說著一口流利中文，耐心回答學生問題，來自德國南部的羅南德，是台大森林系的教授。對中華文化有興趣的他，大學開始學中文，20多年前第一次來台灣後，就愛上了這裡。

[[台大森林系教授羅南德]]
“半天在師範大學國語中心學中文，下午來台大的植物學系做一些研究，這樣1年以後，我要回國，我心裡很難過，因為已經很喜歡這邊的地方”

因緣際會，他搬來台灣工作生活，不只能用中文教課，還寫了一手好字，研究室門口的春聯就是他親手寫的，也到處掛著他的國畫作品。

[[台大森林系教授羅南德]]
“（國畫）有時間自己畫，書法方面還是有找一個老師，因為我覺得這是很高級的學術，每個禮拜去書法的課程，然後都是慢慢在學習”

忙完研究和教學，有空就會練習，他還多次參加書法比賽獲獎。

陶瓷杯上畫著精美的靈芝、傘菇圖樣，出自羅南德之手，這正是他的研究專長。會來台灣，除了豐富多元的生態環境，也因為台灣人的熱情。

[[台大森林系教授羅南德]]
“對西方的外國人非常熱心，如果我站在路上，然後很明顯找什麼，然後就會有人過來問一下，可以幫忙嗎，這個在德國比較少會發生”

來台12年，羅南德稱自己為新住民，未來將持續探索台灣這塊土地和東方藝術之美。

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This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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