At Vladivostok State University (VVSU), an annual meeting between students, staff, and colleagues from the Celestial Empire was held. The international program "Culture of Jilin Province – to Universities!" brought together more than 130 people within the walls of VVSU. Participants got acquainted with the millennial traditions of their Asian neighbors. The event united everyone interested in Chinese culture. The majority of participants were students from the Institute of Tourism and Creative Industries and the College of Information and Creative Technologies of VVSU future industry specialists. It is they who will continue the cooperation between Primorsky Krai and Jilin Province.
"We are happy to welcome our friends here at VVSU for more than the first year now. Our students always eagerly await this day, wanting to join the master classes as soon as possible. Such meetings directly determine how the relations between the two states will develop for many years to come. We are very pleased that our friends from China and our youth share a common cause here today — exchanging cultural traditions," said Galina Gomilevskaya, Director of the Institute of Tourism and Creative Industries, greeting the guests.
Chinese masters, the bearers of intangible cultural heritage conducted live workshops for the attendees. Participants learned the secrets of manual therapy and wellness massage, tried their hand at Manchu paper cutting from the Changbai Mountains, and went through the process of creating a morin khuur — a traditional Mongolian musical instrument.
"We are very pleased to hold an event about the culture of our province at your university during this warm and bright time. We would like to express our gratitude to the Rector of VVSU and our Russian colleagues for their support. Folk craft masters have arrived with our delegation today, and we hope you will find them truly interesting," said Liu Dawei, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Jilin Province.
Participants of the meeting showed particular interest in the gastronomic and health-improving traditions of Jilin Province. Students evaluated the medicinal phyto-extracts of the Pin family, prepared according to ancient recipes, and became familiar with the coffee culture of Yanji city, where ancient customs organically intertwine with modern trends.
As a follow-up to the event, a business meeting between the delegations of the province and the university took place. VVSU was represented there by Olga Baturina, Vice-Rector for Academic Policy; Galina Gomilevskaia, Director of the Institute of Tourism and Creative Industries; Olga Severianova, Deputy Director of the Department of International and Cultural Affairs; as well as ITCI lecturers Ekaterina Dudchenko, Artem Kononov, Olga Tugovikova, and Ilona Oleinikova.
"Our Institute of Tourism and Creative Industries is one of the leaders in the Russian educational market, ranking seventh in the graduate employment rating. We are interested not only in joint educational projects with our Chinese colleagues but also in partnership in the fields of culture, art, science, and tourism. Being at the crossroads of cultures, we form unique projects beneficial for both regions," noted Olga Baturina.
The delegations discussed opportunities for developing and implementing joint educational programs, student mobility projects, and the realization of initiatives in the spheres of tourism and creative industries.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the head of the Chinese delegation, Liu Dawei, expressed confidence that Jilin Province and VVSU will continue fruitful cooperation. The event that took place is not a one-time cultural action, but an important step in building a long-term partnership. Experience exchange in the sphere of intangible cultural heritage, educational practices, and applied crafts will become a solid foundation for joint projects: from student internships and scientific research to large-scale intercultural events.