The 8th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Cultural Cooperation held in St Petersburg on September 3, 2007 agreed to declare the year 2009 as the Year of the Russian Language in China and 2010 as the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia. The decision was included in the joint Communiqué on the Results of the 12th Meeting of the Russian and Chinese Prime Ministers (Moscow, November 6, 2007), approved by the countries' presidents in the Joint Russian-Chinese Communiqué on the Results of a High Level Meeting in Beijing (May 24, 2008), and mentioned in the introductory passage of the Action Plan for Implementing the Russian-Chinese Treaty of Friendship, Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation for 2009-2012 (approved on November 15, 2008).
The Year of the Russian Language in China is one of the most important events in Russian-Chinese relations in 2009. It is crucial for promoting the Russian language and culture in China, and strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the two nations, in particular, among young people. It is also aimed at developing the whole spectrum of Russian-Chinese relations, and building up social and spiritual base of bilateral strategic partnership and cooperation.
The Russian Federal Education Agency and the Chinese Education Ministry are in charge of organising the events.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov was appointed chairman of the organising committee for the events both in Russia and in China.
The Chinese organising committee is chaired by Liu Yandong, member of the Chinese State Council, chairman of the Chinese-Russian Commission on Cultural Cooperation.
On March 25-27, 2009, Alexander Zhukov visited China to attend the official ceremony to open the Year of the Russian Language in China which took place on March 27, 2009. Over 6,000 people attended the ceremony in the Main Hall of the National People's Congress.
Mr Zhukov also attended the opening of China's first Russian Language Centre established by the Russian World Foundation, at the Beijing Foreign Languages University.
In the first half of 2009, over 70 events related to the Year of the Russian Language in China took place in most of China's regions. They included designated weeks for the Russian language and literature, various conferences, seminars and forums, Russian history quizzes, contests of research works on Russian literature and language, song and poetry contests, screening of Russian and Chinese movies and publishing books by modern Russian authors in Chinese.
The Week of the Russian Language that took place on March 9-15 at the Beijing Second University of Foreign Languages, the Lesson in Memory of Yury Gagarin at Beijing's Luhe High School (April 17), the contest To Russia with Love: China Sings Russian Songs (May 26), the Pushkin Readings at Beijing University of Foreign Languages (June 1-30), a conference of Russian compatriots on preserving and studying the Russian language in China's Russian communities (June 1-2), a meeting with Viktor Slipenchuk, a member of the Russian Union of Writers, and the presentation of his book in Russian and Chinese (June 26) received intensive coverage in the mass media.
The Children Paint Outer Space contest (April 17 - May 17) in Beijing's Luhe High School developed into a contest of drawing logos for the Soyuz TMA-16 crew, organised by Roskosmos. One of the students won the chance to visit the Baikonur Space Centre.
A wide range of large-scale events which were not included in the official list of events of the Year of the Russian Language in China, were initiated by our Chinese partners. The contest To Russia With Love: China Sings Russian Songs became widely popular.
Russian regions actively participated in the events of the Year of the Russian Language in China. In particular, Hulunbuir University hosted a week of the Russian language, which was organised by the authorities of the Trans-Baikal Territory and the People's Government of Inner Mongolia. 30 students from Manzhouli University of Inner Mongolia were provided a 10-day course of training at the Zabaikalsk Chernyshevsky Humanitarian-Pedagogic University.
Many local Russian communities contributed to the Year of the Russian Language in China. The Coordination Council of Compatriots Living in China organised a contest entitled "Children Paint Pushkin Fairy Tales" in Shanghai, and children's art contests in Hong Kong and Urumqui. Bilingual books of Russia's eminent children's writer Eduard Uspensky were published to promote the Russian language and literature among young people in China.
The Year of the Russian Language in China has boosted interest in Russia and its language, even in remote parts of China. The government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region arranged many events promoting Russian culture. The Russian-speaking communities of Urumqui proposed establishing language courses at Xinjiang University for Chinese students who were interested in studying in Russia, and the opening of the Russian Language Centre under the auspices of the Russian World Foundation.
It is expected that most events will take place in autumn, timed to the forthcoming 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and China and a regular meeting of the two countries' leaders. Many of the events will continue also after the official closing of "The Year."