Pancakes and dancing: how Russia and China are trying to take cultural ties to new heights

He said he became interested in Russian culture at the age of 15 after seeing The dawns here are calma film based on Boris Vasilyev's novel about a group of female soldiers during World War II.

I was immediately drawn to the song Katyusha and the feeling of strength it gave, Yan said. The more I learn about Russia, the more I feel the power of its history, its literature and its music.

More than 1,000 residents attended the Maslenitsa celebration, organized by the semi-official Russian-Chinese Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development.

Yang Cheng, executive chairman of the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Regional Studies, said that while there was a lot of interaction between countries' governments, that was not the case for their people.

Cultural exchanges are more about people-to-people relations, which do not fully correspond to the so-called hot politics between the two countries, Yang said. This is why it is useful to further strengthen cultural exchanges.

He said that by emphasizing cultural ties, it shifts the focus of bilateral relations from high-level politics, including political or security issues, to people-to-people interactions.

It's actually as important as the [political] relationship between countries.

Yang said it could also help reduce misunderstandings given the cultural and historical differences between China and Russia. People naturally have distinct views on certain issues, for example on history, the concept of territory and the idea of ​​international order, he added.

Palpable affinity: banned in the West, Russian films find fans in China

Another student at the Maslenitsa celebration said most Chinese, especially young people, have stereotypical views about Russia.

Many of my friends just know that Russia is a huge country, said Bean Chen, who studies international relations in Beijing.

But I think there are other aspects to know, for example the diverse cultures, different ethnic groups, renowned literature and cutting-edge art in the world.

Chen said he enjoys watching online videos of Lezginka, a traditional Caucasian dance known for its fast rhythm.

The Cannes Film Festival has notably declared that it will no longer welcome official Russian delegations or accept the presence of people linked to Moscow, while the doors of institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York have been largely closed. closed to Russian artists.

This brought some of Russia's top performers to the country. The St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra, led by Russia's best-known conductor Valery Gergiev, and the Bolshoi Ballet both toured China last year.

An exhibition of works by realist painter Ilya Repins to mark the 180th anniversary of his birth is also planned at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

Putin signed the Years of Culture decree in January, aimed at further developing Russian-Chinese relations and expanding bilateral relations in the field of culture.

A Russian committee has been tasked with facilitating cultural programs with China and, according to the official Sputnik news agency, the Culture Ministry has launched plans to attract Chinese filmmakers to Russia.

An opening ceremony for the Years of Culture will be held in Beijing next month, according to the office of Tatiana Golikova, Russian Deputy Prime Minister.

More than 230 events are planned, ranging from music and theater to museum and film exchanges, in 51 cities in China and 38 cities in Russia.

Cooperation with China is one of the most important areas of our foreign policy, Golikova told Russian officials during a meeting on April 11, according to a government statement. I am convinced that the Years of Culture will deepen cultural cooperation, expand ties between relevant institutions in our countries and open up new promising areas of cooperation.

Moscow also wants more young Chinese to choose Russia rather than Europe or the United States for their university studies.

Russian universities have established partnerships with their Chinese counterparts in fields ranging from arts to physics, medicine, astronomy and technology.

Earlier this month, a group of more than 250 Chinese students, the first graduating class since the pandemic, began a Russian language course at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. After four months of study, they will take exams to enter Russian universities.

Some 40,000 Chinese are currently studying in Russia, while there are more than 12,000 Russian students in China. Moscow will offer 1,000 scholarships this year and next year to Chinese students.

A delegation from 17 Russian universities visited schools and colleges in Beijing, Henan, Shanxi and Chongqing last month in a bid to boost educational exchanges.

At a university fair at the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing, university representatives promoted their enrollment plans, campuses and facilities.

Among them was Moscow's Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, or Skoltech, opened in 2011 in a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Skoltech turned its attention to China last year after MIT ended the partnership to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Skoltech is trying to attract Chinese students with English classes, free tuition, health insurance and monthly scholarships of 40,000 to 50,000 rubles ($437 to $546).

Many of our students came from Europe, but because of the war we are now looking to expand our cooperation with countries in Asia and Africa, said Skoltech representative Elena Smolkova.

Closer political and economic ties are driving interest in studying in Russia, according to Wang Wei, founder of admissions consultancy Kunshu International.

Many Chinese companies in fields ranging from energy to agriculture have rushed to Russia due to sanctions imposed by the West, Wang said. Chinese students with a Russian education background would be the perfect candidates for these jobs.

Many parents are very worried and I think if choosing between Russia and a country with a similar cost of living, such as Malaysia, many families might choose the latter.

However, Li Bingmei, director of the AS Pushkin Russian Language Center in Beijing, said the attack would not deter Chinese students.

In the short term, it's a big shock for everyone, she said. But those who want to go will do so anyway.