Students of Confucius Institute of ISU took part in the online concert dedicated to the Winter Olympic Games and the Lunar New Year celebration. The concert was organized by the Consulate General of China in Irkutsk.

Russian students and schoolchildren from schools of Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, as well as Chinese students studying at Irkutsk universities, took part in the event in person and online. Chinese students from different cities of China joined the live broadcast as viewers.

Mr Cao Yunlong, Consul General of China in Irkutsk, congratulated the participants on the coming Spring Festival. During his speech, he also reminded us that the Beijing XXIV Olympic Winter Games would officially open on February 4 and called on everyone to support the athletes of both our countries. He noted that close cooperation between China and Russia is the key to the stability and safety of the international community.

In response, Dr Konstantin Grigorichev, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation of ISU, highly appreciated the productive cooperation between universities of Russia and China. He also expressed the hope that, despite the pandemic restrictions, the development of reliable and healthy relations between our countries will continue.

During the concert, Russian and Chinese students and schoolchildren exchanged congratulations in the Chinese language and made a spectacular performance dedicated to the New Year.

Dr Svetlana Bayramova, Director of the ISU Confucius Institute comments on:

“I would like to express our gratitude to Mr Cao Yunlong, Consul General and Mr. Zhang Xiao Dong, Consul for Education, for the invitation of our students to participate in this festive event. The students prepared artistic performance with great responsibility: they read poems, sang songs, made a cartoon about the history of the holiday. Students of the ISU Confucius Institute of all ages got a great opportunity to practice their listening skills, got acquainted with the daily life of Chinese students in Irkutsk, and learned first-hand news about the Beijing Olympic Winter Games preparations”