Bridge to Chinese language and culture
The “Bridge of the Chinese language” is an annual competition, with the selection round held in St Petersburg University. This year, it focuses on “One World – One Family”.
Chinese poetry, theatre of shadows, violin and jew's-harp music – these are just few of the ways how we told about our love to Chinese language, culture, and history. Among the tasks were performing a monologue that showed proficiency in Chinese, a creative task, and answering three questions about China.
This year, the competition has been held for the seventeenth year in a row and brought together students from SPbU, SPbSTU, Higher School of Economics, Herzen University, and SPbGUP.
The jury consisted of the Education Consul of China Sun Lailin, Senior Deputy Dean of the Faculty of oriental Studies Aleksei Rodionov, Head of the Department of Chinese Philology Professor Aleksandr Storozhuk, Director of the Confucius Institute at St Petersburg University Iulia Mylnikova, lecturer at SPbU Lu Limei, and Doctor of Philology Lian Tsiujen from the Herzen University.
The experts highly evaluated the student performance. The Education Consul of China thanked all the participants and guests for the wonderful evening and said that the Russian scholars in Chinese studies were highly valued both in Russia and in China.
I wish every success to the students in the Russian round of the competition. I am sure that you will be ambassadors of friendship and understanding between our countries.
Education Consul of China Sun Lailin
The winner of the competition is Alena Potekhina, a master student in Oriental Studies from SPbU. It was a piece of luck for her, she confessed.
“I had always dreamt to take part in the competition the “Bridge of the Chinese Language”. I have a bachelor degree in History, and I started to study Chinese culture by myself. When I delved into it, I realized that I loved the Chinese language, — said Alena Potekhina. — This year, I understood that it was high time take part in the competition as I was going to gain a master degree. Al I wanted to get was new impressions and pleasure only”.
The best five participants of the selection round will take part in the Russian round of the competition the “Bridge of the Chinese Language” that is to be held in April 18-21 in Nizhnii Novgorod. Those who win the Russian round will represent Russia in the final round in China.
Among what cement the ties between Russia and China is literature. Our scholars in Chinese studies translate much of the Chinese literature. The competition also presented new Russian editions of the contemporary Chinese writers. “For quite a long time, we knew little about the Chinese literary life. In 90s, each year we published only a couple of Chinese translations, while in 2000s three or four publications a year. Today, Russia published about 20 editions each year, — said Alekdei Rodionov. — I am sure that every one of us can find a book that would open something new”. Aleksei Rodionv presented the books by the outstanding contemporary authors, in particular Liú Zhènyún, who held his literary evening at SPbU, and another edition of the book Midnight by Mao Dun. He particularly focused on translating Chinese poetry into Russia, as it is a hard nut to crack. Among the recent publications of the Chinese poetry is a book of the contemporary Chinese poetry The Outlines of Wind.