Muted Celebrations

Chinese in Germany celebrate the lunar new year on Sunday the way ethnic Chinese do all over the world -- with family gatherings, visits to friends and lots to eat -- but this year the celebrations have been overshadowed by the still-unexplained killings of seven Chinese, who were found shot to death in a Chinese restaurant near Hamburg last week.

"People were horrified by this terrible event," said Yu Ming Chu, chairwoman of the Chinese gastronomy section of the German Federation of Hotels and Restaurants.

But Yu and other members of the Chinese community were more upset by the way the German press seized on the story, linking the slayings in the small town of Sittensen to gangsters and protection rackets.

Will customers come back?

"Of course there are such cases, but they are very few," said Yu, whose organization represents 62 of the estimated 150 Chinese restaurants operating in Hamburg.

"Some of our members reported a sharp drop in business" after the killings, she said she expects customers will return for Chinese New Year celebrations when many restaurants offer special banquets.

Her own restaurant in the suburb of Niendorf will be offering a 10-course Year of the Pig menu that includes Shanghai-style "nian gao," a New Year's cake made of glutinous rice.

There are up to 80,000 Chinese living in Germany, about 0.1 percent of the country's total population. The largest Chinese communities are located in Hamburg and Berlin.

With its huge Elbe river port and centuries of tradition in the export trade, Hamburg has also become a major hub for Chinese firms trying to establish a foothold in Europe.

About 10,000 Chinese live in Hamburg, whose links to China date back to the 19th century. Today there are about 400 Chinese companies based in the port city, more than any other German or continental European metropolis.

"Chinese are very well-liked abroad," said Liu Jen-kai of the German Institute for Asian Affairs. "They go about their business and are inconspicuous."

Chinese part of everyday European life

Chinese restaurants are today part of the architecture of almost every German city and a growing number of Chinese-owned shops are sprouting up, selling Chinese trinkets and other cheap goods.

There has also been an influx of students from the People's Republic, making Chinese the biggest group of foreigners studying at German universities.

"Germany is the most popular destination for Chinese students after the United States," Liu said. "Most of them stay two to three years before returning home."

In the run-up to Chinese New Year celebrations, the Chinese consulate in Hamburg has thrown a reception and the Taipei representative office is planning to do the same.

The port city's Chinese Association is hosting a major function at the plush Hamburg Conference Center, complete with music, dancing and a raffle -- but not until Feb. 24.

Chinese from Taiwan, the People's Republic, Malaysia, Vietnam and other South-East Asian nations are expected to attend.

"The Chinese community is very close," said Yu. "Everyone knows everyone else."

Unlike other countries, there are no Chinatowns in German cities. But this does not bother the Chinese community, according to Yu. In fact many of them are happy about it.

"There are often protection rackets in such places, and many undesirable elements hang out there," she said.