Learning about the Chinese culture usually starts in classrooms, but for a group of German gamers, the gateway to the Asian nation was a strategy board game.

Weiqi or Go is a 4,000-year-old strategy game originating from China. In Germany, Go has helped thousands hone their strategy skills, while meeting friends and getting to know a new culture.

Most Go players in Germany start to learn about the Go game in chess clubs, which are popular in Europe. Those who switched to the ancient Chinese game say go is unbelievably simple at the beginning until they dive deeper into its strategies.

"The rules of Go are so simple that [famous chess player Emanuel Lasker] is sure if there is an intelligent life in the universe on another other planet, they must know Go," said Timo Schreiber, vice president of the Go Association in Berlin.

To Schreiber, Go is a form of art, and he tends to get philosophically deep about it.

"It is like a mirror," said Schreiber. "If you allow yourself to look into it, you will see how flawed your plan was and how inconsistent your idea was."

"I'm glad that children actually learn Go – they learn that there is almost always someone stronger, and it's okay. They learn that it's okay to lose, and they learn how to improve from their mistake and say 'tomorrow I'm better than today.'"

According to Schreiber, there are many Go clubs around Berlin, including in a number of universities. Go game enthusiasts do not have to register in advance or pay an entrance fee to have a go at Go.

It has become a way to socialize for many.

Kalli Balduin, a Go game teacher from the Go Association in Berlin, said he has met many friends while promoting the game, adding that he's looking forward to attending an upcoming gathering for Go game teachers in Amsterdam where instructors from around the world gather and share expertise.

"We have a 100-year history of Go in Germany. Here in Berlin about 2,000 to 3,000 people know about the rules, and across Germany it's 10 times [that number]," said Andreas Urban, president of the Go Association.

For German Go players, the game is more than just a hobby and a way to meet like-minded people. It's an opportunity to get to learn about a completely new culture.

"It has a nickname 'Hand talk'," said Schreiber. "If you play against someone experienced, it's like you talk to each another, except you cannot tell any lie, or you cannot be unclear."

"The Weiqi game is like a bridge between not only Germany and China, but between people from all over the world. It's a bridge easy to cross," said Balduin.

Playing the game brings us closer together, Balduin added.

Reporter: Ai Yan

Videographer: Ai Yan

Video editor: Wang Yulian

Graphic designer: Gao Hongmei