Cultural exchanges played a key role in strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between China and Russia, said Tatiana Urzhumtseva, director of the Russian Cultural Center in Beijing.
In recent years, China and Russia have steadily stepped up cultural cooperation. Last year alone, hundreds of events were held, from artifact exhibitions to film screenings.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Urzhumtseva said these cultural exchanges played a key role in bringing closer together the people of the two countries.
"Over the past two years, we have worked hard to bring Russian culture to China, and China has brought its own stories and culture to Russia. But our cultural exchange will not stop there. This year we will continue to work actively, because we believe this is the only truly correct bridge between nations. It takes time to build, it is difficult to build, but it is the hardest thing to destroy – because culture enters people's souls and stays there forever. That is why museum exhibitions, Russian ballet, songs like 'Kalinka' and 'Moscow Nights' matter – as does Beijing opera," she said.
Noting that China-Russia friendship goes back a long time, Urzhumtseva said Russian songs and culture hold deep meaning, especially for the older generation in China. She said traditional cultural exchange also bears crucial meaning on the present day, facilitated by the fast sci-tech development.
"Actually there is a deeper meaning hidden here than what appears on the surface. Of course, our traditional culture – whether ballet, opera, or our traditional cuisines, both Russian and Chinese – will not disappear. It will always be the foundation of our mutual understanding. But today, the world continues to develop – and it is developing very fast. Our young people are standing on the front line – in fact, right at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. And of course, there are also modern trends within culture," Urzhumtseva said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a state visit to China from Tuesday to Wednesday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be his 25th visit to China.
Cultural exchanges strengthen ties between Chinese, Russian people: expert
