Tools and Mechanisms for the Implementation of Chinese Cultural Diplomacy towards Russian Federation

Yan Tszye Postgraduate, Department of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University 191060, Russia, Saint Petersburg, str, Smolny str., 1/3. ziye657579889@gmail.com

In its interaction with foreign countries, China pays great attention to the implementation of cultural diplomacy and the development of cultural exchanges as allowing to create a favorable environment and an atmosphere of trust, understanding and respect, so necessary for successful interstate cooperation. After the normalization of bilateral relations with Russia in the 1980s, when building relations with Moscow, Beijing began to pay great attention to the development of cultural and humanitarian contacts. After Beijing adopted the concept of "soft cultural power" in 2004, China's efforts in this direction intensified.

The main means and mechanisms of China's cultural diplomacy towards Russia include the following. Firstly, China pays great attention to teaching Chinese in Russia and joint educational projects. Confucius Institutes have been established in many Russian universities. Having founded the first Confucius Institute in 2006 at the Far Eastern Federal University, by the end of 2022 China had opened a total of 19 Confucius institutes and 4 Confucius classes in Russia^[1]. In addition, in 2016, as part of the trilateral cooperation between the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Beijing Polytechnic University and Lomonosov Moscow State University, the MSU-SPI University in Shenzhen was established. This university introduces and absorbs the advanced philosophy of education, teaching content, teaching methods and disciplinary advantages of both universities for the joint management of the university, which can be considered a milestone in the history of education development in both countries, linking educational and cultural initiatives of both countries. In 2019, Chinese was officially included as a foreign language subject in the Unified State Exam in Russia, which further contributes to the rapid development of education in Chinese in Russia. Currently, Chinese language courses are taught in almost 170 primary and secondary schools in Russia, and more than 17 thousand school-age children study this language throughout the country. "There is a growing interest in learning Chinese among the Russian public," says S. F. Sanakoev, Deputy chairman of the Russian?Chinese Friendship Society^[2].

Secondly, China has strengthened the exchange of talents and academic knowledge with Russia. The total number of Chinese students studying in Russia is growing, as is the number of Russian students accepted to study in China.From 1992 to 2004, China sent a total of 1,584 students to Russia on official state study trips and received 1,575 Russian students in China; China sent about 40 Chinese language teachers to Russia and hired more than 100 Russian language teachers to study in China.By the end of 2019, the number of Russian students in China increased by 36% and exceeded 20 thousand people^[3]. By 2022, 32.6 thousand students of all categories were registered in the education department of the Chinese Embassy in Russia^[4].

Thirdly, China pays great attention to the organization of exhibitions and scientific forums in the field of higher education together with Russia. For example, the Forum of Rectors of the Northeastern Provinces of China, the Siberian and Far Eastern Regions of the Russian Federation in 2010 brought together representatives of 25 Russian universities. In addition, a Chinese-Russian Forum on Teacher Education was held in Beijing in 2019, and an online Forum of the Chinese?Russian Alliance of Similar Universities was held in December 2022.China has trained many talented educational personnel for Russia who are fluent in the languages of both sides and are familiar with the national conditions and experience of both countries. This has made an important contribution to the development of Russia and China in the field of education and research. Educational cooperation has become the basis for material and spiritual ties between the two sides, contributing to the development of cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in the economic, scientific and cultural fields at all levels, as well as deepening the foundations of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership.

Fourth, Beijing pays great attention to translating its best literature into Russian, summarizing and correcting some of the problems that previously arose during translation and distribution. The translation of Chinese literature in Russia in the late 1990s was characterized by the following features. Thus, a large number of Chinese classics have been translated. In 1995, the Russian publishing house Radomir published a re-translation of The Dream in the Red Chamber by V.A. Panasyuk, in which some footnotes were removed compared to the 1958 edition, which made the book more accessible to Russian readers. A large number of contemporary Chinese literary works have also been translated and published. For example, "The Task of Three Bodies" by Liu Cixin, "Big Breasts, Wide Ass" by Mo Yan, "Live" and "Brothers" by Yu Hua, etc.^[5]. In recent years, the governments of Russia and China have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on the project of mutual translation of classical and modern literary works, and the project has progressed successfully, the Russian side has published a number of works by contemporary Chinese writers. In December 2018, Russian newspapers reported that Chinese literature has a growing readership in Russia, and only the St. Petersburg publishing house "Hypelion" has published more than 10 literary works by Chinese authors over the past two years^[6].

Fifth, China is paying more and more attention to cooperation with Russia in the field of painting, photography and museums. Museum cooperation between Russia and China is developing, with China actively organizing exhibitions of paintings, photographs and artifacts in Russia. In September 2001, an exhibition of paintings and photographs "Magnificent China", organized jointly by Russia and China in honor of the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, opened at the N.A. Ostrovsky Cultural Center "Integration" in Moscow. The exhibition lasted two weeks and attracted more than 3 thousand visitors^[7]. In 2007, as part of the Year of China in Russia, the Association of Chinese Artists and the St. Petersburg State Academy of Fine Arts organized an exhibition of works of contemporary Chinese art.In 2016, the Central Exhibition Hall of Artists in the Russian capital hosted the exhibition of Chinese painting and calligraphy "Ink Focus ? 2016 in Russia". Such exhibitions allow an increasing number of Russians to see Chinese painting and thereby get to know China better.

In June 2018, within the framework of the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road", the International Alliance of Silk Road Art Museums was established, promoted by the National Art Museum of China. National art museums and key art institutions from 18 countries and regions participating in the "One Belt, One Road" project, including the Russian National Academy of Arts, participated in the alliance, opening an important channel for artistic exchanges between countries. Russia is China's main partner in this project, so cooperation in the cultural sphere is gradually expanding. The 2018 exhibition "Treasures of the Ming Dynasty Art from the Shanghai Museum", which opened at the Kremlin State Museum, included 156 exhibits of the Chinese Ming Dynasty and was well received by Russian visitors. In 2022, the Russian State Museum of the East hosted a series of events dedicated to Chinese culture, including an exhibition of porcelain artifacts and an exhibition of Chinese terracotta warriors and horses, terracotta statues of warriors and war horses.In 2023, the museum also plans to hold two thematic events dedicated to China, namely: the thematic exhibition "Chinese New Year" in February and the exhibition "Club of Lovers of Chinese Brush Painting" in September^[8]. Such events, which increasingly show people's lives, allow residents of Russia and China to learn more about each other's cultures. As a traditional tool of Chinese cultural diplomacy in Russia, international museum exchanges play an active role in relations between the two countries.

Sixth, with the continuous development of technology and the emergence of new media as an important factor of influence on society, China has begun to pay attention to the development of cooperation between the new media of the two countries. As part of the Year of Russia in China in 2007, China International Radio and TASS jointly organized the event "Friendship of Russia and China ? a Tour of China", during which journalists from 12 Russian and 4 Chinese media visited 15 provinces and cities of China, filming and covering local culture and customs^[9]. In 2017, China International Radio and the international news agency "Russia Today" jointly launched a bilingual mobile client application "Russia-China: the Main thing". Currently, Russia-China: The Main Thing has become an open, portable and multifunctional two-way platform with a high level of public awareness in both countries.

In addition to the coverage of major international events in Russia and China and the daily dissemination of news about China in the Russian media, the broadcast of Chinese films and TV shows in the Russian media also contributed to the spread of Chinese culture. As of 2017, at least 33 recently filmed Chinese films have been shown in Russia. In 2022, 6 films with Chinese participation were shown in Russia, while only three of them were shot without the participation of the United States. In the first half of 2022, 32.3 billion rubles were spent on films with Chinese participation, which is slightly more than 2.2% of the total film collections^[10]. From the point of view of distribution, the Chinese film festival in Russia has become an important means of popularizing Chinese cinema and television in Russia, as well as a "window" through which Russians can learn about China. The Chinese film festival "Meeting with Russia" was held in Moscow from January 23 to 28, 2023. The festival showed several films that received high box office receipts and critical acclaim in China, such as the fantasy thriller "Wandering Earth", the drama "Me and My Homeland", the animated film "Nezha", the action thriller "Over the Cliff" and the documentary "The Moon is in Your Hands"^[11].

In general, the tools and mechanisms by which China conducts cultural diplomacy towards Russia vary depending on the scope of their application. In the field of education, China pays more attention to teaching Chinese in Russia and joint educational projects. This makes it possible for an increasing number of Russians who have not studied Chinese to get acquainted with Chinese culture. In addition, China has also strengthened humanitarian and academic exchanges in Russia.In the field of literature, China pays more attention to translating Chinese literature into Russian, not only by re-translating some classical works already translated and published in Soviet times to make them more accessible and understandable, but also by increasing the number of translations and publications of modern literature on various topics to make different styles of writers and diverse Chinese culture accessible to the Russian people. In the field of art, museum cooperation between Russia and China is growing, with China actively organizing exhibitions of paintings, photographs and artifacts in Russia. China uses cultural diplomacy as a way to convey the history of its country in paintings, photographs and historical relics, which is an effective way to demonstrate the "soft cultural power" of the country. New media are an important means of presenting the country's culture. Using new media to develop cultural diplomacy in Russia, China uses the possibilities of technology and the Internet to help Russians get a more intuitive and complete understanding of Chinese customs and culture.

China uses cultural diplomacy as a means of spreading its culture in Russia, effectively presenting the image of modern China and bringing the Russian and Chinese peoples closer together. Cooperation between China and Russia in the field of culture is of great strategic importance for the development of relations between the two countries.