Yan Li

DW-WORLD: How is Germany doing in your opinion?

Yan Li: By and large I like the country very much. People have attitude and are very cultured. But, yes, the economy is struggling -- in Berlin you find unemployment rates of some 20 percent. The other thing I noticed is that there are so few kids and young people here. It gives you the impression that Germany is quite an "old" country and lacking in vitality.

What needs to happen in Germany to help speed up the country's recovery?

That's a difficult one. Germany has long been a country with high levels of social welfare provided by the state. People have come to depend on this and live too much off the state. A reform in the social sector is necessary.

Schröder or Merkel? Who is your personal choice for chancellor? Why?

I don't have a preference. But whoever gets to govern the country needs to commit to reforms. But maybe for Schröder it's already the end of the road.

What do you like about Germany?

For me it's always the beer, culture and history of the place.

What do you dislike about Germany?

Nothing actually. I have not experienced any of the so called Ausländerfeindlichkeit (enmity towards foreigners). I also haven't found Germans to be cold towards foreigners as some people say.