At the entrance, the children were offered to choose a book to remember. The essays were devoted to the history of Russian-Chinese relations, various aspects of the multifaceted culture of the Celestial Empire, and the diplomatic trajectory of the People’s Republic of China. What attracted the most attention was the book by President Xi Jinping, presented in three languages: Russian, English and, of course, Chinese.
In the great hall the guests tried various trades. The fellows were engaged in needlework, cutting intricate patterns on paper, mastering calligraphy and wood engraving, and acquainted with Chinese painting. Each one could make an original souvenir and take it home.
The solemn part was opened with a welcome address by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Russia, Zhang Hanhui.
“The stable and sustainable development of our relations and cooperation opens up new horizons and a promising prospect for our students. You will be a new force and an active participant in advancing Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction entering into a new era “They will be worthy successors of the traditional friendship between our peoples,” the diplomat addressed the scholarship recipients.
Zhang noted that in addition to receiving a quality education, the students will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the original culture of the Heavenly Empire, witness the country’s economic miracle and feel the warm attitude of the Chinese people towards the Russians. The Ambassador expressed his hope that the time spent in China would be happy for the fellows.
“When you feel happiness, tell your family and friends. When you encounter difficulties and difficulties, tell me,” the diplomat concluded.
After the head of the Chinese diplomatic mission, Andrey Denisov, a senator and former ambassador of the Russian Federation to China, took the stage. The diplomat recalled that forty years ago, the USSR and China resumed student exchange after a long pause. Among the fellows who then traveled to the Celestial Empire were acting Russian ambassador to China Igor Morgulov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Denisov noted.
“It is no coincidence that one of my sinologist colleagues, who now holds a high embassy post in one of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, once said that the choice of a foreign language by a young person or a young woman is a choice of profession, a choice of career orientation, and the choice of the Chinese language is a choice of fate,” the diplomat shared.
Finally, Denisov remembered the popular Chinese expression: “Let the happy wind fill your sail!”
He congratulated the scholarship recipients and the Vice-Rector for International Affairs of Moscow State University. MV Lomonosov Yuri Mazey. He spoke about various projects in the field of education, carried out through joint efforts of the Russian and Chinese sides. According to Mazey, in the next few years the number of common colleges and universities will double and even triple. Meanwhile, heads of higher education institutions are in constant contact with each other through 13 specialized associations of Russian and Chinese universities and propose new initiatives for students.
Vice-rector of Moscow State University MV Lomonosov wished the fellows to become “the conductors of those ideas, of those grandiose plans that now exist between Russia and China in the field of education.”
After the solemn part, the guests were able to enjoy a concert of students and schoolchildren from Russia and China. Spectators enjoyed the fascinating technique of kung fu masters, listened to “Katyusha” in two languages, Russian and Chinese, and got acquainted with traditional Uyghur dances.
Then the “hosts of the evening” invited the fellows to the table. Guests enjoyed traditional Chinese dishes, including the unsurpassed Peking Duck.
