Published on: 2026-04-29
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Irkutsk /Russia/, April 29 /Xin Hua/ — The Cross Years of Education between Russia and China, which will be held in 2026-2027, will contribute to the further growth in the number of Russians studying the Chinese language. These expectations were shared in an interview by correspondent Xin Hua with the co-director of the Confucius Institute of Irkutsk State University /ISU/ on the Russian side, Svetlana Bayramova.
“We expect that the number of people studying Chinese will continue to grow,” she said.
According to S. Bayramova, about 350 listeners are currently studying at the Confucius Institute of IGU. These are not only students, but also schoolchildren and adults who have a certain specialty: doctors, lawyers, engineers. “They study the Chinese language within the framework of their specialty, we provide them with this opportunity,” explained the interlocutor of Sin Shu’a.
Based on the Confucius Institute of IGU, an international qualification exam in the Chinese language — HSK, is conducted, as well as various master classes on Chinese culture, including calligraphy, Chinese painting, and paper cutting.
S. Bayramova has been heading the Confucius Institute at ISU since 2007. According to her, in recent years interest in China and the study of the Chinese language has grown significantly. “A huge number of schoolchildren are now actively studying Chinese. Schoolchildren have a dream — to go to study in China and receive an education there. Many parents ask us how to do this, whether such an opportunity exists. We tell them. Everyone now wants to study in China,” she noted.
Such interest from the deputy director of the Confucius Institute of ISU is explained primarily by the economic successes that China demonstrates to the whole world. “Everyone should watch this ‘Chinese miracle.’ But how to watch it? You must definitely study the language, because learning the language is the key to understanding. Accordingly, people study the language, after that they must definitely go to China to see everything with their own eyes,” said S. Bayramova.
She emphasized that she herself is a witness to how China has changed. Having graduated from the Irkutsk State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages with a specialty in Chinese, S. Bayramova first went to China in 1995. Since then, she has repeatedly had to visit the country, participate in various conferences, and she was able to personally assess the ongoing changes. “The first time we just went on an excursion, I remember what China was like in 1995 — those small houses with stone floors… And in 2026 — how sharply China has changed, beautiful skyscrapers appeared, beautiful parks,” noted the interlocutor from Xinyu.
In her opinion, the secret to China’s successful development lies in the diligence of the Chinese people and the desire to live well, as well as in the leadership’s commitment to caring for the population and doing everything for their benefit. “Everyone is trying to find out this secret. Everyone studies the Chinese language to understand what the breakthrough is, how this breakthrough happened, but so far we do not know,” she added.
S. Bayramova is convinced that studying only the language is not enough; it must be studied together with the profession. “We hope that at the Confucius Institute we will be able to teach Chinese to students who receive some kind of specialty as much as possible, so that in the future Russia and China can cooperate in various fields. Cooperation is the most important thing that holds our two friendly countries together. We have been friends for a long time and remain friends to this day. That is our strength,” concluded the co-director of the Confucius Institute of IGU.
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