As she talked about her role in the economic， political and culturalexchanges between China and India， Dr. Schuppert smiled and said，China-India relations have always been one of her main tasks duringher ten-year working experience in Asia.
In recent years， she was invited several times by top Chinese officialsto visit Indian cities like Bangalore， Bombay and New Delhi，and also helped to invite Krishna， the former governor of Karnataka，to pay a personal visit to China. As the “Father of the Asian SiliconValley”， Krishna outlined a development plan for Bangalore as earlyas 20 years ago， which led to it becoming the famous “Silicon Valley of Southeast Asia.
On September 27 ， 2006， the “China-India Cultural Exchange &Discussion Conference” was held in Lijiang， Yunnan Province. Delegatesfrom both sides made speeches suggesting possibilities for ajoint project between Yunnan University and Bombay University to establishthe China-India Cultural Exchange Institute. This is only one ofthe economic and cultural exchanges which have taken place betweenthe two countries with Dana’s help. She is eager to create opportunitiesand provide as much help as possible to advance the friendly cooperationbetween China and India， because the two countries have similarcultural origins and have successfully cooperated in the past.
Dana still clearly remembers the first time she traveled to Yunnanand Sichuan. She said， “They were located in the southwest of China.
Unlike other cities which are more commercialized， the people hereare pure and honest. I’m quite impressed by the diversity of culturesand ethnic groups， the abundant natural resources and the beautifulscenery here.” Dana described Lijiang as “a place like heaven”。 Shetreats her beloved Yunnan and Sichuan provinces as her own “children and tries to do her best for their future development.
What she has done has crossed national and regional boundaries，and beyond the normal feelings of human beings. All she has is lovefor China and India， especially for the western area of China.
She surprised me when she told me what she does in her sparetime， “I don’t have any spare time， and I even don’t know what sparetime is.” She is fully occupied by her work every day， and never feelsidle， with nothing to do. “Donating herself to work” is her entire life.
Of course， this does not mean that her life is boring. In fact， shecombines her interests with her work and enjoys life while working.
She has studied astrophysics， history， cosmology， nerve science， quantumphysics and bioscience. She trained as a ballet dancer for 20 years，and loves to play piano and cello. She is also interested in interiordesign， and spent two years designing her office for a better workingenvironment for her colleagues.
In the eyes of others， Dr. Schuppert leads an unusual life. She isfull of love， but her love is not for particular people — no marriageand no children — but for different countries and provinces. She hasenough money to enjoy life， but she donated the funds to the developmentof different regions， and their mutual exchange.
When asked whether other people understood her lifestyle， shesaid， “When I was an associate professor at the University of Bonn， Irealized that everyone had his/her own lifestyle， and mine was differentfrom others. I’ve never expected everyone understand me. I feelsatisfied as long as I follow what is in my mind and what I value.” “Thewealth of knowledge， the enjoyment of perfection， the pursuit of wisdomand passion for study” are the mottos of her life.
Faced with such a successful business woman， I naturally wantedto know Dana’s suggestions for Chinese women. Without hesitationshe said， “Read， study and do research. Don’t spend time on window290 shopping or make-up！” She advised Chinese women to have theirown correct attitude of life， to respect themselves highly and keep truethoughts in their mind， to enjoy life and pursue knowledge， and makeevery minute significant and valuable. “Chinese women should increasetheir knowledge by going more often to the library， not going toparties. Wu Yi， vice-premier of China， is the lady that Dana respectsmost， because the courage， frankness and resolution displayed by WuYi are necessary elements of success for everybody.
After the interview， Dr. Schuppert showed us around her delicatelydecorated office， and I was deeply moved by the strong sense ofart in the office. The special design creates a harmonious atmosphere，decorated with cut flowers， bamboo， and beautiful pictures of Qinghaitaken by herself. In addition， she told us that she was considering writinga book named China， I Love You based on what she had seen andexperienced in China. She has stopped writing several times simplybecause of her busy work， but we believe this book， containing her understandingand recognition of China， as well as her own dreams， willbe published soon！
By Ma Xinjing
Translated by Xu Lin