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In today’s increasingly interconnected academic world, intercultural understanding is no longer optional—it is essential. Moving to Cross Culture is an experiential workshop that invites participants to explore cultural diversity through embodied experience, theater pedagogy, and creative expression.

With a special focus on the dynamics between Chinese and Western cultural perspectives, this four-hour workshop offers a safe and stimulating space to reflect on cultural assumptions, communication styles, power relations, and unspoken social norms. Through movement-based exercises, collective storytelling, and interactive theater techniques, participants are encouraged to literally and metaphorically step into each other’s worlds.

The workshop aims not only to raise awareness of intercultural differences but also to deepen empathy and foster new ways of engaging in academic contexts. Whether you are a staff member navigating intercultural communication, a professor working with international students, or a student living between different worlds—this workshop offers tools to promote understanding: through the body, through dialogue, and through shared creative experiences.

Three potential takeaways for participants:

• Gain embodied insights into cultural differences—with a particular focus on Chinese and Western perspectives.
• Explore personal and collective experiences through movement and creative expression.
• Develop awareness and sensitivity in dealing with intercultural communication in academic and social contexts.

Facilitator

Dr. Man Fang
P.A.; M.A. Psychology
Affiliate Scholar at the Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS-Potsdam)
Founder of the Mindful-Transculture Community
Website: www.drfangman.com

Man Fang is trained as a psychologist and psychotherapist in both China and Germany. She has developed integrative methods that combine elements of psychodynamic group therapy, Satir-based family therapy, body and movement therapy, and drama therapy. Her nine years of experience as a researcher and policy advisor in risk management in Beijing enrich her work, which she applies in diverse contexts for personal development, participatory dialogue, organizational learning, and global sustainability projects.

Her work bridges psychological and artistic approaches to foster communication, identity, and relationship development across cultural and disciplinary boundaries. As a facilitator, she is committed to strengthening interdisciplinary competencies and supporting the integration of multicultural identities.

She is the initiator of the East-West Dialogue: Science and Art Salon Series in Berlin and Potsdam, and facilitator of the project Space for Reflection and Dialogue: Artistic Expression Experiences at COP26, COP27, and COP28. Additionally, she has been a guest lecturer on intercultural communication at UDK Berlin, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, and Charité Medical School in Berlin.

In collaboration with DaMOst e.V. (Umbrella Association of Migrant Organizations in Eastern Germany) and the Chinese-German Center (CDZ e.V.), she actively supports migrant communities in matters of anti-racism and social justice.