Recently, in the application of the “2024-2025 ‘Sino-Russian Cultural Year’ Chinese Activity Plan Project” organized by the Ministry of Education, the “Harbin Russian Spring” Russian Language Contest for Chinese and Russian University Students, which has been hosted by Harbin University of Science and Technology and Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University for 7 consecutive years, has been officially included in the activities of the “Sino-Russian Cultural Year” and been authorised to use the logo of the Sino-Russian Cultural Year. Founded in 2017 by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education and the Ministry of Science and Education of Amurskaya Oblast, the competition has been held for seven consecutive years, aiming to strengthen linguistic and cultural exchanges and interaction between Chinese and Russian university students. The fact that the event was officially included in the “Sino-Russian Year of Culture” at the national level is a gratifying result of the university's active international cultural exchanges over the years, as well as another great achievement of the university in promoting people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia.
Currently, the “Harbin Russian Spring” Russian Language Contest for Chinese and Russian University Students is the Russian contest with the most forms and the largest coverage in China. The contest consists of team and individual competitions which are mainly conducted in a online and offline format of Russian song, drama, dance and Russian recitation. At the same time, the contest also includes a series of exchange activities such as the International Seminar on Teaching Russian Language, the Student Symposium, and the Russian Cultural Festival “Creative Arbat”. In recent years, the contest has attracted nearly 10,000 college students and junior high school students from more than 60 universities and junior high schools in more than 10 countries at home and abroad, and has become an important platform for language and cultural exchanges between Chinese and Russian universities and junior high schools.
Sino-Russian Cultural Year: On the morning of 16 May 2024, talks between President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin were held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. President Xi pointed out that the year 2024 was a milestone in the history of China-Russia relations. China hoped both parties could create more cultural exchange highlights, jointly host the “Sino-Russian Cultural Year”, strengthen local cooperation, and continue to strengthen the bond of the people of the two countries. Putin said that Russia was willing to implement the Joint Statement on Pre-2030 Development Plan on Priorities in China-Russia Economic Cooperation with China, hold the “Sino-Russian Cultural Year” this year and next, and strengthen the docking between the Eurasian Economic Union and the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” initiative. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Li Qiang met President Putin. Li Qiang stated that China and Russia were able to deepen cooperation in culture, tourism, sports, young people, medicine and health by means of Sino-Russian Cultural Year. Putin stated that Russia was willing to work with China to further strengthen cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure construction via the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, hold the “Russia China Cultural Year” well, deepen cultural exchanges in education, culture, health, sports, young people and other areas, and promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China to a new level in the new era.
