Richard Wilhelm (1873–1930) went to Tsingtao in the German protectorate of Kiautschou in 1899 as a Protestant missionary. As he himself wrote, he never baptized a Chinese person, but he studied Confucian and Daoist classics and translated them into German. In 1924, he came to Frankfurt as a well-known sinologist, founded the China Institute, and was appointed as the first professor of Sinology at the young university. The theologian, who had acquired his sinological knowledge with the support of Chinese scholars, previously taught German literature and philosophy at Peking University starting in 1922. Wilhelm introduced German intellectuals and educated citizens of his time to Chinese culture and philosophy through his still-popular translations, promoting a positive image of China. Even more than 120 years after his arrival in China, he continues to bring Germans and Chinese together: in the ongoing engagement with his portrayal of China, he lives on as a cultural mediator.