Social Event
Sunday Brunch - Mashed Potatoes with Chopsticks
Stories from "Afu" Thomas Derksen
Thomas Derksen
German Influencer in China
January 23, 2022
10-11 AM (CET)
Webinar
Zoom
Being an influential person in an entirely different country from your hometown seems impossible for most of us. Let alone being influential, to live abroad also needs some courage, knowledge, and good adaptation skills. If there is a chance to live and work abroad, do you dare to take it? Then, we need to learn the country’s language and culture. What does it take to blend in with the locals? If we live long enough abroad, we also may get homesick. How to handle homesickness?
These questions can be answered by Thomas Derksen. Thomas Derksen a.k.a. ThomasAfu is a prominent German influencer in China. He is also known as the unofficial German Ambassador to China, considering his popularity and his past projects with the German Embassy in China. This time, we are having Thomas Derksen for an AES virtual Sunday brunch, talking about his experience in China and other interesting topics related to the most populous country in the world.
Thomas Derksen, popular with the name of ThomasAfu/Thomas (阿福) is a German influencer living in China. Thomas was first introduced to China and its culture during his high school years. He was a professional bank clerk for a few years before he pursued his interest in East Asian Studies at the Ruhr-University of Bochum. During his studies, he was sent to Fudan University in Shanghai with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service for a year. After graduating in 2014, he worked for a German company in China. In March 2016, Thomas published his first videos on YouTube that immediately went viral. Since then, he has received several awards for his videos, including the “German-Chinese Ambassador of Friendship” title from the largest social media platform in China, Sina Weibo. Thomas also has been invited as a guest on numerous television programs and worked with the German Embassy in China on various projects. In April 2019, he debuted as an author with his book “Und täglich grüßt der Tigervater”. He is now living and working in Shanghai with his wife.