Dear Sir or Madam,

being born and raised in Germany as a child with asian background, I naturally was interested in asian culture ever since. At first primarily Vietnam, given that this is the country my parents originated from. But later, as I grew up, I developed more and more interest in East Asia as a whole and ultimately in China through music and art, in which I am passionate about. At age 14 I started listening to chinese music and at 16 I watched chinese dramas regularly. It became only logical, for me to study in this particular field after graduating from high school. This is why I started in 2012 studying "Moderne Ostasienstudien" (Modern East Asian Studies) at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The attention of my academic studies belongs to China and its society, politics and economy. Three years later I want to finally meet the country I researched, studied and loved for so long. I want to extend my knowledge about its characteristics and its people, as well as deepen my Chinese. After spending months of researching every bigger city in China, I eventually fell in love with Qingdao and its beautiful scenery. The attractive coastal city has beaches, where you can actually go swimming or just take a relieving walk in the sand. The temperatures and the climate in general throughout the year are not too extreme and the air is mostly clean. The city is big enough to have fun, but small enough to not get too confused in downtown, yet it still has plenty of nature to show off. The great combination of quietness and activity is highly appealing and makes Qingdao the perfect city for me to stay. Out of all the universities Qingdao has to offer, I liked the "Ocean University of China" the most. Not only did my friends, who studied here, too, liked the university very much, but its Chinese language program is also very convincing to me, which is the main reason I want to study here. The concept seems carefully thought out and, from what I heard and read, the teachers are kind and teach well.

I would love to receive the chance of studying at this great university within this great city in this great country. I would be able to see the beauty in Chinas culture with my own eyes, catch sight of Chinas everyday life, because I am living it, too and try everything this city has to offer and I would be honored and thrilled to do all of the above at your university.

I am excitedly anticipating your, hopefully positively, answer.

Sincerely yours,

Nhung Tran