Chinese pop culture has been rising in popularity among the younger generations in Russia, no matter they are original Chinese works, or Russian adaptations of classic tales and myths, or Chinese music.
Hlebozavod, a former bread factory, has now been transformed into a cultural center hosting many creative shops. Chook and Geek, one of Russia's oldest comic stores, settles there.
The comic store used to sell mainly comics, manga and graphic novels in English and Russian languages, but now the sales of Chinese literature are gaining the momentum.
"We mainly sell textbooks by Chinese authors, manhua -- which are Chinese-language comics -- and figurines made in China. These items are incredibly popular," said Victor Toplanov, manager of Chook and Geek.
"Our new series, Chinese Parables, features Russian artists reimagining Chinese myths and history in comic form. The series has been very popular," said Olga Marycheva, an employee of Bambook Publishing.
Some parts of the Russian society are fascinated by the Chinese music, Chinese literature, Chinese comics, Chinese fantasy books.
Aleksandra Zeifert, a security analyst, loves to sing Chinese songs in her spare time, and she has a dream of performing at a Chinese music festival.
"I really like the Chinese singer Zhou Shen. I would love to perform with him at a festival or just meet him. I would be very interested in performing at a Chinese festival," said Zeifert.
Zeifert and her friends also engage in cosplay, where she creates and wears costumes from some Chinese fictional books or just Chinese historical characters.
She has no regrets with the money she spends on cosplay costumes, music studios and videos, as she’s trying to live her Chinese dream.
Chinese pop culture gains traction among Russian youth
