Round table: “Teaching Russian in China”
At a round table organized by the Booksellers’ Guild and Zlatoust publishers, speakers included Ding Yijun, second secretary of China’s embassy in Russia, and Zhou Zhaohong of Foreign Languages Press...
At a round table organized by the Booksellers’ Guild and «Zlatoust» publishers, speakers included Ding Yijun, second secretary of China’s embassy in Russia; Zhou Zhaohong, editor in the Russian section of «Foreign Languages» publishers; Russian Academy of Sciences corresponding member Yu. L. Vorotnikov, chairman of the Russian Foundation for Humanities council; N. I. Smirnova, vice-rector for international relations at the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute; V. A. Stepanenko, deputy director of Moscow State University’s Center for International Education; A. V. Solovyov, head of international education at the Federal Agency for Education; A. V. Golubeva, editor-in-chief of «Zlatoust»; V. V. Svintsov, editor-in-chief of GRAMOTA.RU; and others.
Chinese and Russian specialists agree that Russian studies in China are experiencing a «second spring». Professor Liu Limin, chairman of the Chinese Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (CAPRYAL), noted that, against the backdrop of global economic integration, prospects for Russian in China depend heavily on Chinese-Russian economic ties. The two countries’ current good economic relations effectively expand demand for Russian-language specialists. According to Xinhua, bilateral trade reached US$33.4 billion in 2006, and about 2.2 million Russian citizens visited China. Trade is expected to reach US$60–80 billion by 2010. Teaching Russian thus serves China’s strategic interests. Many Chinese leaders who studied in our country speak Russian fluently: PRC President Jiang Zemin, parliamentary head Li Peng, and Vice-Premier Li Lanqing, responsible for humanitarian affairs, whose book «Education for 1.3 Billion» was presented at the Moscow International Book Fair in early September.
The Chinese Pushkin Society, the Association for the Study of Russian and Soviet Literature, and CAPRYAL actively promote Russian in China. Russian song culture is highly popular: at least 40 major amateur choirs regularly hold Russian-language song festivals.
Several sociopolitical and business newspapers and magazines are published in Russian in Beijing and the provinces. Xinhua issues a daily news bulletin. China Radio International broadcasts 20 hours daily overseas and one hour domestically. For five years, Beijing Television has aired the weekly program «Russian Pages», rebroadcast nationwide by satellite, with the highest ratings among foreign-language programs. Central, provincial and university publishers have issued hundreds of Russian-language titles over the past ten years, including over 150 textbooks and dictionaries. Nevertheless, supplying existing Russian-study centers with printed and illustrated information materials and curricula remains pressing. Four Chinese journals are devoted entirely to Russian-language issues and translations of Russian literature. Li Jingjie, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, believes China needs an influential Russian-language newspaper comparable to the nationwide English-language «China Daily»; members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference support this view. «People’s Daily» reports that Heilongjiang, in northeast China bordering Russia, has already launched the local Russian-language newspaper «China: Economy and Partnership». The report says this is «a good start, but cannot satisfy existing demand».
According to CAPRYAL, about 70 Chinese universities currently offer Russian as a major, with around 700 teachers and 7,000 students. Over 300 other universities teach Russian as a foreign language to more than 3,000 non-specialist students. Increasing numbers of Chinese wishing to study in Russia, work in science and technology or trade with Russian partners are learning Russian and taking tests for a state certificate of proficiency. However, the number of schools teaching Russian has fallen noticeably: English has replaced it in almost all schools in large and medium-sized cities. Only about 70,000 schoolchildren now study Russian, far fewer than the over 300,000 in the 1980s. Specialists describe the present situation as a period of rational choice. Secondary-school Russian teaching survives mainly in northeastern regions, where Russian learners sometimes even outnumber English learners; in the south, only in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province. Chinese Russian-language specialists attribute this mainly to English permeating all spheres of Chinese life: over 90% of school and university students study it, and the primary-school textbook New Standard English, commissioned by China’s Ministry of Education, has had 105 million copies printed, surpassing recognized global bestsellers including the Bible, Mao Zedong’s quotations and «The Da Vinci Code». Other factors include computerization and Internet expansion in information services, growing Western popular-culture influence, and substantially greater trade and economic relations with English-speaking countries. Schools and universities primarily use Russian textbooks written by Chinese specialists because Chinese education is more traditional. In recent years, however, Russian authors working closely with Chinese specialists have also entered the market. A joint team led by N. D. Litvinova is completing a secondary-school Russian textbook series published by China’s «People’s Education» press. In 2006, Beijing’s «Foreign Languages» publisher bought a license from Russia’s «Zlatoust» for the four-volume «Road to Russia», prepared by Moscow State University’s Center for International Education.
About 15,000 Chinese students currently study at Russian universities each year. Around 120 receive state scholarships; the rest pay tuition. Notably, Chinese graduates of Russian institutions have no difficulty finding jobs upon returning home. Three years ago, the two countries’ education ministries established three Russian-language centers in China and three Chinese-language centers in Russia. Negotiations are also underway to increase state scholarships for Russian learners to 500 by 2008.
Experts expect new impetus for Russian teaching in China from implementation of the agreement on studying Russian in China and Chinese in Russia, signed in autumn 2005, and recent bilateral economic cooperation agreements.
Chinese and Russian specialists agree that Russian studies in China are experiencing a «second spring». Professor Liu Limin, chairman of the Chinese Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature (CAPRYAL), noted that, against the backdrop of global economic integration, prospects for Russian in China depend heavily on Chinese-Russian economic ties. The two countries’ current good economic relations effectively expand demand for Russian-language specialists. According to Xinhua, bilateral trade reached US$33.4 billion in 2006, and about 2.2 million Russian citizens visited China. Trade is expected to reach US$60–80 billion by 2010. Teaching Russian thus serves China’s strategic interests. Many Chinese leaders who studied in our country speak Russian fluently: PRC President Jiang Zemin, parliamentary head Li Peng, and Vice-Premier Li Lanqing, responsible for humanitarian affairs, whose book «Education for 1.3 Billion» was presented at the Moscow International Book Fair in early September.
The Chinese Pushkin Society, the Association for the Study of Russian and Soviet Literature, and CAPRYAL actively promote Russian in China. Russian song culture is highly popular: at least 40 major amateur choirs regularly hold Russian-language song festivals.
Several sociopolitical and business newspapers and magazines are published in Russian in Beijing and the provinces. Xinhua issues a daily news bulletin. China Radio International broadcasts 20 hours daily overseas and one hour domestically. For five years, Beijing Television has aired the weekly program «Russian Pages», rebroadcast nationwide by satellite, with the highest ratings among foreign-language programs. Central, provincial and university publishers have issued hundreds of Russian-language titles over the past ten years, including over 150 textbooks and dictionaries. Nevertheless, supplying existing Russian-study centers with printed and illustrated information materials and curricula remains pressing. Four Chinese journals are devoted entirely to Russian-language issues and translations of Russian literature. Li Jingjie, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, believes China needs an influential Russian-language newspaper comparable to the nationwide English-language «China Daily»; members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference support this view. «People’s Daily» reports that Heilongjiang, in northeast China bordering Russia, has already launched the local Russian-language newspaper «China: Economy and Partnership». The report says this is «a good start, but cannot satisfy existing demand».
According to CAPRYAL, about 70 Chinese universities currently offer Russian as a major, with around 700 teachers and 7,000 students. Over 300 other universities teach Russian as a foreign language to more than 3,000 non-specialist students. Increasing numbers of Chinese wishing to study in Russia, work in science and technology or trade with Russian partners are learning Russian and taking tests for a state certificate of proficiency. However, the number of schools teaching Russian has fallen noticeably: English has replaced it in almost all schools in large and medium-sized cities. Only about 70,000 schoolchildren now study Russian, far fewer than the over 300,000 in the 1980s. Specialists describe the present situation as a period of rational choice. Secondary-school Russian teaching survives mainly in northeastern regions, where Russian learners sometimes even outnumber English learners; in the south, only in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province. Chinese Russian-language specialists attribute this mainly to English permeating all spheres of Chinese life: over 90% of school and university students study it, and the primary-school textbook New Standard English, commissioned by China’s Ministry of Education, has had 105 million copies printed, surpassing recognized global bestsellers including the Bible, Mao Zedong’s quotations and «The Da Vinci Code». Other factors include computerization and Internet expansion in information services, growing Western popular-culture influence, and substantially greater trade and economic relations with English-speaking countries. Schools and universities primarily use Russian textbooks written by Chinese specialists because Chinese education is more traditional. In recent years, however, Russian authors working closely with Chinese specialists have also entered the market. A joint team led by N. D. Litvinova is completing a secondary-school Russian textbook series published by China’s «People’s Education» press. In 2006, Beijing’s «Foreign Languages» publisher bought a license from Russia’s «Zlatoust» for the four-volume «Road to Russia», prepared by Moscow State University’s Center for International Education.
About 15,000 Chinese students currently study at Russian universities each year. Around 120 receive state scholarships; the rest pay tuition. Notably, Chinese graduates of Russian institutions have no difficulty finding jobs upon returning home. Three years ago, the two countries’ education ministries established three Russian-language centers in China and three Chinese-language centers in Russia. Negotiations are also underway to increase state scholarships for Russian learners to 500 by 2008.
Experts expect new impetus for Russian teaching in China from implementation of the agreement on studying Russian in China and Chinese in Russia, signed in autumn 2005, and recent bilateral economic cooperation agreements.
Source: www.gramota.ru
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