On June 27, KubSU and Shijiazhuang No. 49 Middle School signed the Agreement on Cooperation in the field of teaching Russian to Chinese schoolchildren, starting from September 2023.
In his welcome speech, Rector Mikhail Astapov stated, «Expanding contacts with educational organizations in China is a priority task for Kuban State University. We have all the necessary prerequisites for successful cooperation with the school in Shijiazhuang, which will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening friendship between the people of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.”
Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Evgeniya Zhirkova, congratulated all participants of the ceremony on this special event and cited examples of success stories of graduates of the Faculty of Philology from China, including mentioning Li Yan, a teacher of Russian at Jilin University of Foreign Languages. This academic year, Li Yan is going to defend her dissertation; she teaches Chinese to students at the Faculty of History, Sociology, and International Relations in KubSU. The meeting from KubSU’s side also included Galina Govorova, Director of of International Affairs Department, Olga Kuznetsova, Associate Professor at the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language, and Nicole Papadopoulos, the KubSU graduate and candidate for the position of the Russian Language teacher at Shijiazhuang No. 49 Middle School.
From the Chinese side, the meeting was attended by Zhao Yuyu — Secretary of the Party Committee of the Education Management Office of Yuhua District, Ne Kai Lin — Chairman of the school, Li Jian Yong — Director of the school, and other staff members of the administration of Shijiazhuang No. 49 Middle School.
The agreement on teaching Russian to Chinese schoolchildren is a new area in cooperation with educational organizations in China. Currently, KubSU’s partners include major universities such as Qingdao City University and Tianjin Foreign Studies University, which long-term student exchanges are implemented with. Joint scientific and educational events are conducted with the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, including summer school programs. The Art and Graphics Faculty of KubSU implements joint creative projects with the College of Fine Arts at Beihua University, the largest university in Jilin Province. Scientists from KubSU actively collaborate with colleagues from other major universities in China, as well as with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Since 2021, Kuban State University, supported by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Russian Federation, has been hosting the Festival of Chinese Culture and Calligraphy. Among the participants of the festival are students from KubSU’s Oriental Studies and African Studies programs, and schoolchildren from the Krasnodar Region who study Chinese as well.
In conclusion, Mikhail Astapov invited all participants from the Chinese side to visit Kuban State University to experience the hospitality of the Krasnodar Region. He also expressed his desire to see graduates from Shijiazhuang No. 49 Middle School among the students of the university in the near future.
It is worth noting that in November 2022, a Memorandum of Intent to establish sister city partnership between Krasnodar and the administrative center of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, was signed by the Mayor of Krasnodar Evgeny Naumov and the Mayor of Shijiazhuang Ma Yujun. The signing was timed to coincide with the annual Chinese International Exhibition on Digital Economy in Shijiazhuang.
