"I personally think that traditional Chinese culture is quite popular in Western countries," said Ingo Nentwig, a sinologist and ethnologist,citing Confucianism, traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts and classical literature like The Dream of Red Mansions as examples.Meanwhile, China's modern culture is also becoming an attraction for many, Nentwig said.

"As China becomes more important in the fields of economy and politics, more people get interested in modern Chinese culture," he said.The scholar noted that China's cultural influence has been enhanced in the field of Chinese language in recent years."More and more people, especially young people in Western countries start to learn Chinese. This is the first step to get deeper into Chinese culture," said Nentwig."Learning the language also means to learn something about the country, its culture and traditions. Having mastered Chinese language, these people will certainly spread knowledge about China, about its history, its traditional and modern culture among those who did not learn Chinese," he said.

The scholar also suggested that China do more to promote its modern culture abroad, saying the Confucius Institutes are now doing a good job in this regard.Nentwig's opinion is echoed by Thomas Heberer, a professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies of University Duisburg-Essen.The ancient Chinese culture "is highly cherished by many Europeans and Germans," said Heberer, who also called for more efforts from China to promote its contemporary literature, arts and philosophy abroad.He said some German foundations have published collections with articles of Chinese intellectuals on various issues of social development in recent years, but this is far from being sufficient."I believe that the Confucius Institutes can function as a bridge trying to narrow this gap," Heberer said.

"Confucius Institutes are a very useful instrument. Their capacity to arrange exhibitions and publish books on modern Chinese thought should be enhanced.""If more Chinese artists and scholars would be able to come to foreign countries and give lectures or speeches in a foreign language -- for example English -- this might also contribute to making China's modern culture better known," he added.