New platforms and achievements in the field of cultural exchanges between China and Russia
-The activity of "China-Russia Mutual Evaluation of Ten Outstanding People in the Field of Humanities Exchange" was announced.
editorial comment/note
????Guangming Daily and Russian Tass news agency co-hosted the activity of "Top Ten Outstanding People in Humanities Exchange between China and Russia" from 2018 to 2019. During the state visit of Supreme Leader of China president to Russia in June this year, the announcement ceremony of the selection activity was held at the Moscow Grand Theatre on June 5, which made a great contribution to the humanities exchange between China and Russia in the new era. This newspaper hereby introduces this selection activity to readers in the form of a special edition, hoping that more people will participate in cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
The unveiling ceremony of "China-Russia Mutual Evaluation of Top Ten Outstanding People in the Field of Humanities Exchange" was held. The picture shows some winners and judges from China and Russia. Photo courtesy of Tass
A new milestone in the field of cultural exchanges between China and Russia
-Speech by Zhang Zheng, editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily, at the unveiling ceremony
Dear Mr. mikhailov, President of TASS,
Distinguished guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening, everyone! Thank you for witnessing another grand event of Sino-Russian cultural exchange with us in this beautiful and warm land of Russia.
Culture is the soul of a country and a nation, and it is the most intuitive reflection of human mind. As Tolstoy, a great Russian writer, once wrote: "There is an inner and spiritual connection between the two great nations, Russia and China, and they should walk hand in hand." Today, with the joint efforts of the two peoples, China and Russia are not only good neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, but also good friends who help each other and cooperate sincerely.
Culture keeps its vitality forever because of communication, and friendship lasts forever because of communication.
China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership needs the support of cultural exchanges between China and Russia, and cultural exchanges play an increasingly important role in promoting the communication between the people of China and Russia. Since the signing of the exchange visit agreement in 2000, Guangming Daily and Tass have worked together to play an active guiding role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and Russia, and regard it as the common responsibility of the mainstream media in China and Russia.
In 2016, during the "China-Russia Media Exchange Year", we jointly held the activity of "Ten Most Influential Literary Works of China and Russia Mutual Evaluation", and the Chinese and Russian prime ministers attended the unveiling ceremony held in Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg. The activity has received enthusiastic response from readers in both countries, achieved very good social effects, and condensed new strength for the exchanges between the two countries in the humanities field.
On this basis, we decided to jointly hold the "China-Russia mutual evaluation of the top ten outstanding people in the field of humanities exchanges" activity. On June 5 last year, the launching ceremony of the event was held in Guangming Daily. After that, Guangming Daily and Tass respectively set up a jury to conduct mutual evaluation. After the Secretariat solicited opinions from more than 40 institutions engaged in cultural exchanges between China and Russia, Guangming Daily held a jury meeting on August 3 last year according to the selection criteria. During this period, Tass also carried out the selection work. After strict selection by the jury of China and Russia, 10 outstanding figures in the field of humanities exchange between China and Russia were selected. In addition, three deceased people who have made outstanding contributions to Sino-Russian cultural exchanges were selected. We will never forget their outstanding work.
People’s hearts are connected and civilizations learn from each other, which is our original intention to hold the "China-Russia mutual evaluation of the top ten outstanding people in the field of humanities exchange". Among the winners, there are educators who are committed to the educational exchanges between China and Russia, writers and translators who use books as a medium to promote cultural exchanges between China and Russia, painters who focus on showing Sino-Russian humanistic customs, conductors and translators who use music to convey Sino-Russian friendship …
Here, I would like to thank the Tass news agency, the Chinese and Russian jury, the steering committee of the Chinese jury and the expert committee of the Russian jury for their excellent work in the selection activities.
It is the first time that the mainstream media of the two countries have held such a selection activity. We hope that this activity is not only a new measure and a bright spot to promote cultural exchanges between China and Russia, but also a new platform and a new starting point, with more and more people from both countries participating in it.
President Putin once compared Russia-China relations to a building, saying that this building is "painted with ever-changing colors every year and constantly built into new floors. The higher the building is built, the stronger it is built." All of you present here and all the enthusiastic people who are constantly contributing to the cultural exchanges between China and Russia are adding more gorgeous brilliance to this building.
When describing the future of Sino-Russian relations, the Chairman of the Supreme Leader once said: "The task of consolidating Sino-Russian friendship for generations has a long way to go, and there is no rest." We believe that under the cordial care of the heads of state of China and Russia, the people-to-people cultural exchanges between the two countries will converge into a mighty river of Sino-Russian friendship for generations, flowing endlessly and inexhaustible.
Let’s join hands and work together!
Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the guests for coming!
Sino-Russian mutual evaluation activities promote the common people’s hearts
-Speech by Sergei mikhailov, President of Tass, at the unveiling ceremony.
Dear Chief Editor Zhang Zheng, colleagues and dear friends,
Good afternoon everyone! It gives me great pleasure to welcome you here to attend the unveiling ceremony of "Top Ten Outstanding People in Humanities Exchange between China and China" jointly sponsored and hosted by Russian Tass News Agency and Guangming Daily.
Please allow me to pay tribute to the respected editor-in-chief Zhang Zheng and thank you for your suggestions. With our joint efforts, our activities were successfully held. I would also like to thank you for your support for the cooperation between Tass and Guangming Daily.
As a famous wise man in China said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". For our cooperation with Guangming Daily, this is not the first step.
During the "Russian-Chinese Media Exchange Year" held in 2016, our two sides successfully held the activity of "Russian-Chinese mutual evaluation of the top ten most influential literary works". That activity attracted the Russian and Chinese people’s keen attention to each other’s literary works and writers, and promoted the joint literary creation between Russia and China and the reading of books from each other’s countries.
This time, we will promote the humanities cooperation projects between the two countries to focus on specific people.
More significantly, the unveiling ceremony was held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China and the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China (PRC). Over the years, facing common challenges, Russia and China have firmly maintained and strengthened their friendship.
At this exciting moment, we are particularly honored to pay tribute to all the people of the two countries, people who are dedicated to the development of Russia-China relations, and experts who are enthusiastic about friendship. It is precisely because of these people that we can proudly draw the conclusion that "Russian-Chinese relations are in the best period in history" today.
After careful study and discussion, Tass news agency formed the Russian jury and expert committee for the activity of "Top Ten Outstanding People in Humanities Exchange between China and Russia". The expert committee covers almost all the most famous sinologists, diplomats, social activists and scholars in Russia. It is because of their responsible, selfless and hard work that this list of candidates has finally come into being.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the jury and expert committee of Russia and China for their work. Through their voting, 10 finalists from Russian and 10 finalists from China were selected.
At this time, in this hall, we are gathered with the winners. Here, I would like to congratulate and thank these people who have dedicated their intelligence and excellent work to the cultural exchanges between Russia and China! Your hands, your heart and spirit are writing the history of Russia and China and the history of the world!
Your books, film and television works, artworks and unique humanities projects have made great contributions to the development of Russian-Chinese relations, bridged mutual misunderstandings and shortened the spiritual distance between people. It is these achievements that have prompted the Russian and Chinese peoples to better understand each other and move towards the future side by side.
We are honored to be the organizer of this project. I wish all the elected people health, longevity and career success! I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the experts who participated in the selection and all those who have helped the cooperation project!
May the friendship between us be more indestructible! As the China people say, "Friendship lasts forever!"
Speech of elected representative
Liu Limin, President of China Education International Exchange Association and former Vice Minister of Education
People-to-people exchanges are absolutely indispensable, which is precisely an important measure to connect the people of our two countries. Guangming Daily has done a lot of meticulous work in the early stage. On this basis, the Chinese judges put forward the representative figures of Russia in the field of Sino-Russian cultural exchanges. Including Chen Yuan, President of the China-Russia Friendship Association, Zhang Zheng, Editor-in-Chief, and myself, were strictly checked, carefully selected and repeatedly discussed, and finally these 10 outstanding Russian representatives were introduced. I have always believed that people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation are equivalent to the two wings of a bird in Sino-Russian cooperation and complement each other. The deeds of these representatives will profoundly affect the field of humanities exchange in China at present and even in the future.
The mutual evaluation activity has made a good start, and it can be said that it is making a brand. If we continue to promote Sino-Russian exchanges along this line of thinking and through the continuous efforts of Guangming Daily, similar good activities will emerge one after another.
Russian Ambassador to China andre Denisov
Guangming Daily has a deep relationship with me. In 1970s, Guangming Daily, like People’s Daily and People’s Liberation Army Daily, ranked among the most famous newspapers in China and played an irreplaceable role in the establishment of China’s reform and opening-up policy. Nowadays, Guangming Daily is cultivating fertile ground for Russian-Chinese cultural cooperation, which shows how important it is for a newspaper to have a profound foundation! Here, I wish Guangming Daily better and better.
Galina Kurikova, First Vice President of Russia-China Friendship Association
I have been engaged in Russian-Chinese friendship all my life. In order to realize my girlhood dream, I later joined the Soviet Union-China Friendship Association, the predecessor of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Association. On October 29th, 1957, the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association was established. It was in this institution that I heard people from the Soviet Union and China tell touching stories of the two peoples fighting side by side against Japanese fascism. I had more contacts with China, and further strengthened my belief in working in this institution. I work every day, writing articles and giving speeches. I love my career, and I will be engaged in Russian-Chinese friendship all my life until the last moment of my life.
Professor Li Yanling of Qiqihar University
Guangming Daily and Tass took the initiative to actively promote the construction of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in the new era with practical actions. The activity jury awarded me the title of outstanding person, which is a great encouragement and spur to me. I will definitely continue to make greater efforts for the humanities exchange between China and Russia.
Sergei Shakhrai, Vice President and Former Deputy Prime Minister of Lomonosov Moscow State University
In my opinion, the 10 outstanding Russian figures in the field of Russian-Chinese cultural exchanges elected by Guangming Daily are well-deserved, and the time and place of the event during the state visit of the Supreme Leader Chairman to Russia and the Moscow Model Theatre are of special historical significance.
Alexei Denisov, Director of History Channel of Russian National Television
Although Russia and China are two big countries with different cultures, they are the two largest neighbors in the world, and no other country can be as close as Russia and China. The more we communicate, the more we can feel each other’s hearts. At present, I am filming and making a documentary reflecting the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, which will be dedicated to Russian and Chinese audiences in September this year.
Liu Xiao, a researcher at the Art Research Institute of Renmin University of China.
During my study and life in Russia many years ago, I walked through more than 100 towns and villages in western Russia, and I have a lingering memory of Russia. "Good neighbors can’t move away, but good friends can’t be separated." I will continue to work hard for the friendship between the Chinese and Russian people, paint the beautiful scenery and happy life of the two countries with a brush, and show it to the two peoples in the form of an exhibition to fulfill the responsibility of a painter.
Xie Miao Mihailovski, President of Russian Repin Academy of Fine Arts.
For me, it is a great honor to be selected into the list of outstanding people this time. At present, many China teachers and students studying in Repin Academy of Fine Arts are very artistic. I firmly believe that they will succeed in the field of painting and become famous artists in China and even the world.
Guangming Daily (10th edition, July 6, 2019)
?
