Wolfgang Bauer (1930-1997) was professor of languages and cultures of East Asia at the University of Munich. Its popularity led the world on countless occasions as a visiting professor to the United States, Australia and Japan. It was the first professor of Chinese studies in 1961 in Heidelberg and taught in Munich until 1966. He was a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and received the Order of Merit of Germany.
Among his major works are China Glück auf und die Hoffnung (3ª ed. 1989), Das Antlitz Chinas (1990), Geschichte des chinesischen Philosophie (2ª ed. 2006), published posthumously.