"Best writers come from academic institutions": Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun awarded honorary doctorate by St Petersburg University

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that this event would strengthen active cooperation with Chinese partners.

"The potential accumulated by the University’s sinologists is utilised across all areas of student education," remarked Nikolay Kropachev. "Particular attention is paid to the study of the Chinese language. Today, over a thousand students across approximately 100 educational programmes study Chinese at St Petersburg University. I am particularly pleased to award the title of Honorary Doctor to Liu Zhenyun, who has made a significant contribution to the development of Russian‑Chinese cultural ties, especially this year, in 2024, which has been declared by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, a graduate of our University, as the Year of Culture in Russia and China".

The University has long-standing partnership relations with the author. Liu Zhenyun visited St Petersburg University in 2017 for a literary discussion titled "My Characters and I". Six of his novels published in Russian were translated by Oksana Rodionova, Associate Professor at St Petersburg University (Department of Chinese Philology). These have already achieved cult status in Russia and include "Cellphone", "The Cook, the Crook, and the Real Estate Tycoon", "I Did Not Kill My Husband", "Someone to Talk To", "The Era of Watermelon Eaters", and "One Day Three Autumns".

"My works have been translated into more than 20 languages worldwide, but the Russian translation holds a very important place", said Liu Zhenyun. "These must be very good translations, otherwise the books would not have achieved such popularity in Russia. I cannot rule out the possibility that they might be even better than the originals".

Liu Zhenyun is not only a graduate of Peking University, a partner of St Petersburg University, but also works as a professor at the People’s University of China in Beijing, in cooperation with which the University has established the Centre for the Study of China and Russia.

Upon receiving the diploma and gown, the writer expressed his gratitude to the University, calling the awarding of the honorary doctorate a special honour.

It is a great honour for me to become an Honorary Doctor of St Petersburg University in the year of the University’s tricentennial. I am convinced that the best writers come from academic institutions because a literator must have deep knowledge in various fields, see the differences in cultures, and be able to adapt works for different audiences. If science becomes your way of life, you will achieve much.

Liu Zhenyun, Chinese writer, Honorary Doctor of St Petersburg University

Following the ceremony, as part of the III Youth Forum "Culture Code — 2024″, Liu Zhenyun, together with Russian writer and Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St Petersburg University, Professor Andrey Astvatsaturov, and First Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at St Petersburg University, Professor Alexey Rodionov, discussed how Russian readers perceive Chinese literature.

The title of Honorary Doctor of St Petersburg University is awarded to outstanding figures in science, education, and culture, as well as state and public figures who have made a contribution to the development of international scientific, cultural, economic, and political cooperation.

An Honorary Doctor of St Petersburg University has the right to participate in the meetings of the University’s Academic Council with a consultative vote, to give lectures and conduct scientific research, as well as to participate in conferences, symposia, and scientific readings held by St Petersburg University.

In total, there are 141 Honorary Doctors at St Petersburg University. Among them are nine representatives of the People’s Republic of China: Chairman of the PRC Xi Jinping, politician Li Lanqing, writers Cao Jinghua and Liu Zhenyun, mathematicians Chen Guanrong and David W. K. Yeung, and President of Harbin University Yang Baofen.