The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which was re-established in 1953, is dedicated to promoting academic cooperation between outstanding young scholars from Germany and other countries. In the 1970s, new changes in the international situation provided an opportunity for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to renew contacts with China, which had been broken, but this process did not happen overnight. The diplomatic relations were confusing; Chinese scholars who had studied in Germany played a "butterfly effect"; the Federal German co-instructors were unable to deduce the scientific potential of the long-isolated Chinese scholars from international publications, and the German expert representatives were completely unaware of the Chinese scholars they would be working with. The language barrier was also a problem.

In the end, China sent the first group of students to Germany in 1978, after the reform and opening up of the country, which quickly led to the training of a group of scholars who met the requirements of scientific and technological construction; these scholars quickly grew up to become the backbone and leaders of their disciplines, and were tasked with key scientific research and construction projects. These scholars will quickly grow into leaders in their fields of study and will be responsible for key research projects. At the same time, they provided human and scientific support for the transfer of science and technology between Germany and China.

This paper will attempt to trace the history of the resumption of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's funding programme in mainland China, taking into account the relevant diplomatic background and study abroad policy, and will focus on the process of communication and negotiation between China and Germany, inferring the role played by important figures in the event and the image of the state behind it. It concludes with a preliminary commentary on the impact and significance of the event.