Manser Mathias, a Swiss engineer who has been living in China for nearly a decade, said that he is impressed by the country's advancements in ecological conservation and improvements in people's quality of life, and is eager to share his authentic experiences of China with Western friends.
Mathias first arrived in China in 2012 as a die casting machine engineer assigned by his company. He made Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province his permanent home four years later.
As a fan of Chinese tea culture, Mathias frequently visits Dingshu Town of Wuxi, globally renowned for its purple clay teapots. To share this experience, he brought his mother to witness the traditional craftsmanship involved in creating these teapots.
Mathias noted that the process of making teapots is much like his work as an engineer, as both fields demand precision, patience and an obsessive pursuit for high quality.
"When I did the clay pot with the master step by step, I actually saw many similarities to my daily work. Basically, in my job as a quality manager, we want to ensure the quality and we have a lot of people involved to get at the end the highest quality whatever we are producing. So, for to ensure this quality output, we need to have kind of a quality system and to really control this quality. So, when we look at making a clay pot, for me it was really interesting to see that each step needs so much attention of this craftsmanship. To pay attention about the details, that at the end each step is perfect, that you have at the end a super nice and beautiful clay pot," he said.
Mathias occasionally goes cycling with friends along the Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake in Wuxi. Having lived in the city for nearly 10 years, Mathias has witnessed firsthand the environmental changes in the area.
"China makes really big progress and huge development also in terms of environment like the air quality. It's much more better than few years before," he said.
At the end of 2023, Mathias was among the first group of foreigners to receive a foreign permanent resident ID card in China.
That batch of cards was issued to residents from over 20 countries, including the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Russia, who have made outstanding contributions to China's socio-economic development.
"I'm very thankful for that. It has many uses. So, it can be used to book a hotel, to buy an airplane ticket, to use it for a sightseeing spot. It has actually so many uses which makes my life in China much more convenient," said Mathias.
Mathias said he is eager to share his perspective on the authentic China with his foreign friends.
"I always tell them China is a great country because they maybe get the wrong picture from the media. It's really a safe country to live as a family here in China, to experience different tastes, different flavors of food. China has really a rich culture, many traditional aspects in China which you see every day. So overall it's an amazing country with a high living quality," he said.
Swiss engineer aspires to introduce real China to Westerners
