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Babel Mic at PSU Garden: Dive into Chinese Poetry and Tea

02.06.2023 / , , , ,

On 6 June, the Babel Mic project, a flashmob and a public reading event will take place at Perm State University, uniting PSU Botanical Garden, Academic Library and Department of Public Relations.

As part of the Babel Mic format, students, staff and graduates of the University, residents of Perm city and other territories get together both on campus and digitally to read poems by their favorite poets, prose or archive documents. This is the eighth event of the kind since February 2019; three out of seven Mics have been held online.

The recent venue will be held in the Oriental Yard of PSU Botanical Garden. Dr. Boris Kondakov, director of the Center for East Asian Studies, PSU, will give a lecture on Chinese classical poetry. Tatiana Margina, head of the Merchant Tea Co, will talk about tea varieties and its cultural phenomenon, including the history of Chinese tea in Perm territory – followed by a tea brewing ceremony at the Garden.

The audience will read poems both in Chinese and translations, accompanied by the sounds of the Garden and world music. Original poems will be accompanied by comments in Russian, so that the listeners could comprehend their meaning, along the rhythm and melody of the Chinese originals. Personal translations will also be made by PSU students and poetry fans.

The venue will be held on 6 June from 5pm till 8pm, Perm time (3pm – 6pm Moscow time). For a detailed program, please see here. For participation, please register here.

Interested in participating or other events of the kind? Got ideas or want to share practices? Please, contact Svetlana Solaryova, Head of PSU Academic Library, at solar@psu.ru, VK page or by phone: +7 (342) 2 396 505.

On the Roots of the Babel Mic

While the Tower of Babel traditionally serves an image of misunderstanding, it’s image picked by PSU community to explain the roots of multiple languages, praising identities and overcoming  communication failures.  

According to the myth, the generations of humanity following the Great Flood spoke a single language. Uniting their efforts, people agreed to build a city and a tower tall enough to reach Heavens. The builders gradually lost communication, and were scattered around the world.

Challenging the opportunity, the University staff, including international and Russian students, present extracts of their favorite works in various languages and topics – paying tribute to national identities and unifying values.

PSU Students from China Present Perm on Regional Contest

10.05.2023 / , , , , ,

PSU postgraduate students Dong Ziteng, Li Xinjie, Tan Yunxiao, Jiang Yuying and Yu Ping (China) from the Faculty of Philology took part in the 5th Regional Forum “The Journey Across Perm Lands”, becoming the finalists of the competition.

Supervised by Professor Maria Shirinkina and Associate Professor Natalya Solovieva from the Department of Russian Language and Stylistics, the students have developed an audio guide on Perm city local culture. In 2023, the competition received 235 applications from 35 territories of Perm region. The winners’ projects served a basis for a set of TV documentaries. 

Within the Forum framework, the contestants presented the tour “Perm Through Foreign Students’ Eye” in the nomination “Youth Tourist Route”. The contestants described seven cultural attractions of Perm city in Russian: Perm City Planetarium, the “Happiness Is Not Far Off” installation, Perm Museum of Local Lore, Perm State Art Gallery, St. Nicholas the Miracle monument, Perm Opera and Ballet Theater and the Church of St. Mary – each object accompanied by photo and audio guide support.

The Forum participants intended to show Perm in many ways, including science, culture, art and religion.

“Building a story around famous Perm attractions allowed us to deepen and expand the current historical and cultural knowledge, as well as appreciate their location and natural sights in general, allowing us to feel the charm of Perm. This also helped us to develop our Russian language and intercultural communication skills,” says Li Xinjie, 2nd-year postgraduate student.

“The Journey Across Perm Lands” competition has been held since 2017, supported by Chief Federal Inspector for Perm Krai, the Ministry of Education and Science of Perm Krai, the Ministry of Tourism of Perm Krai, the Agency for Youth Affairs of Perm Krai and the Council of Young Teachers at All-Russian Trade Union of Education, Perm Krai branch.

Center for East Asian Studies Launches at PSU

20.01.2023 / , , , , ,

The PSU Academic Council has made a decision to launch a Center for East Asian Studies, as a part of the Faculty of Philology, PSU. The Center will be led by Dr. Boris Kondakov, a known researcher of Chinese literature and culture, and a Professor at Perm State University.

The Center will perform research in linguistics, literary criticism and cultural studies of East Asian region,  as a part of the Faculty of Philology; it will also run educational activity in those fields. The Center staff, who come from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, and the Department of Russian Literature, PSU, have been already teaching Chinese and Japanese languages, and Eastern Oriental literature and culture. The Center plans to employ post-graduate students from Japan and China studying in Perm, as well as promote cooperation with Chinese and related Russian universities.

“The Center will focus primarily on the study of Chinese and Japanese languages, culture and literature. There will be several new master’s programs in Philology and Pedagogical Education. For masters’ we will also offer several programs which incorporate studying Chinese. This year, we are planning to open admissions for the new program “Chinese and Japanese Languages” within the core course in Linguistics. We are also about to obtain a license for running the “Oriental and African Studies” program, shares Dr. Boris Kondakov, Head of the Center for East Asian Studies.

The Center will continue teaching two popular bachelors’ programs in Pedagogical Education – “Russian as a Foreign Language and Chinese language” (available for Russian and other students in Russian), and “Management in Education” (for Chinese students in English). Preparations for the master’s program “Pedagogical Education”, implemented with universities from Anhui and Shandong provinces (China), are also being made.

A series of meetings and workshops by teachers and partners of the Center addressing both applicants and students from PSU and other universities, will start in February, 2023.

PSU Opens Turkish Language Course, Plus to Chinese and Korean

14.09.2022 / , , , , ,

The Regional Institute for Continuing Education at Perm State University (PSU) has launched a new course of Turkish language for the study year 2022-2023, concentrating on writing, oral speech and everyday communication.

As part of the course, the students will master the basics of Turkish grammar, learn to understand native speakers by ear, and initiate dialogue. Attention will be paid to the development of listening comprehension through the study of the culture, traditions and history of Turkey.

“In class, we will analyze TV-series and films, as well as music, contributing to our vocabulary. Through our telegram channel we hope our students to discover Turkish literature, as well as learn to understand speech patterns used in songs, poems and films,”

says Medina Akhverdova, Turkish language teacher.

PSU did have previous fruitful collaborations with Turkey. In 2017-2019, Uğur Yılmaz, a student from Erciyes University (Kayseri, Turkey) studied the concept of Eurasianism and its reflection among Russians, Americans, Western Europeans and Turks – as a part of his master’s course at the Faculty of History and Political Sciences, PSU.  

“We are both different and the same. Unlike other Islamic countries, similar of Middle East, Turkey is a secular state, and somehow a part of Europe. Turkish youth is less ‘traditional’ today: for instance, we all enjoy international pop hits and wear fashion clothes. The feature typical of Turkish students is their mobility: we enjoy travelling a lot. And, Russia offers much in that respect, with your beautiful lands and long distances,”

admitted Uğur when asked about similarities of Turkish and Russian cultures.

Besides Turkish language, the “Littera” Language Center at PSU offers courses of Chinese and Korean. Chinese is one of the most complex languages in the world; Korean is considered to be most logically organized. Not only will course participants be able to master their basics, but also to get acquainted with the oriental culture and etiquette.

“In addition to the basics of grammar and vocabulary Korean, our students enjoy the opportunity of discovering Korean traditions and common life, the basics of communication and behavior, including social expectations and things to avoid,”

says Alena Meyler, teacher of Korean language, graduate of the Faculty of International Relations, Ural Federal University (Yekaterinburg, Russia).

To study Turkish, Chinese or Korean, invited are adults and children 12+. For more information, please turn to dedicated Littera link, or call: +7 (342) 237-63-35.

The Regional Institute for Continuing Education at PSU, established in 2004, remains one of the largest centers for additional education and professional orientation in the Perm territory – providing courses for all kinds of audiences, from college and university students to civil servants and practicing professionals. The institute is based at Perm State University campus and draws qualified teachers for its educational projects.

Academic Reference and Cochrane Library Open Access to PSU

23.08.2022 / , , ,

Academic Reference and Cochrane Library will provide access to electronic resources for PSU students and staff. The subject of the Academic Reference resource covers all major disciplinary areas and divisions – from technical sciences to the humanities and arts. The Cochrane Library is aimed at scientists involved in medical research.

Academic Reference is the unified search platform of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) project, publishing publishing Chinese research papers, and the most complete polythematic English-language database. The resource combines more than 1,400,000 full-text documents and bibliographic data, including:

The Cochrane is a non-profit organization, a network of medical and public health researchers and professionals from over 130 countries who publish their works at the Cochrane Library.

The platform allows to find information on clinical trials, Cochrane reviews, non-Cochrane systematic reviews, methodological studies, technological and economic evaluations on a specific topic or disease.

For more information on the Cochrane Library resource, visit PSU Academic Library website. In addition, a series of webinars will be held with a representative of Wiley, who will explain more about the source itself and related capabilities:

24 August (Perm local time: 13.00; GMT: 8am) – https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3172736884275578124

24 August (Perm local time: 17.00; GMT: noon) – https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4669915479541635852

The Academic Reference и Cochrane Library platforms will be available until 31 December, 2022 – through IP-addresses and VPN access.

The corporate operator of the centralized (national) subscription to scientific information resources is the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.

PSU Exchange Students Participate Olympics Opening in China

11.02.2022 / , , ,

First year students of the “Information Systems and Big Data” module, Faculty of Economics, PSU, have attended the Opening Ceremony of the XXIV Winter Olympic Games on 4 February, 2022 in Beijing (China).

Relations the countries in sports and education are part of the Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on International Relations Entering a New Era and Global Sustainable Development, officially published and approved by both parties.

According to Mikhail Gorodilov, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, PSU, “China has been our strategic partner for many years, and we are always happy to develop bilateral equal and mutually beneficial forms of cooperation.”

“The Faculty of Economics is now successfully implementing undergraduate programs in English,  as well as summer school programs – enjoyed by international students, including 56 Chinese students in 2020-2022. Our partner universities from China have been successfully cooperating with the Faculty of Economics in various directions for many years,”

says Ekaterina Chuchulina, Assistant Professor, Head of the International Cooperation Project Office, head of PSU-China exchange programs at the Faculty of Economics, PSU.

China is now famous for having organized the Olympics at the highest professional level, overcoming the pandemic and global challenge. Perm State University is thrilled have its students in a heart of a world class event, attended by both Russian and Chinese Presidents, sharing positive vibe with the University. In 2022, PSU is expecting new exchange students from China and getting ready for new educational programs at the Faculty of Economics, PSU.

Step Into Chinese New Year – Singing Song About a Snowflake!

02.02.2022 / , , , , , , , ,

Song Tianyao (China), a graduate of Perm State University has recorded an unusual congratulation on the Chinese New Year. (As a sleeve note: Song Tianyao has recently defended her PhD (candidate of sciences) thesis in philology at PSU, congratulations!). Today, singing the famous Snowflake Song, she addressed all those Chinese and international students interested in East Asian culture – wishing everyone a happy holiday:

“… The New Year’s on the way,

Will make your dream come true:

As long as snowflakes are not melting,

Don’t let the snowflakes keep on melting –

Until the clock tower ends the tune,

Until the clock tower ends the tune…”

For the Chinese people, the New Year is not just a change of dates, as it marks the start of spring and so blossoming of nature. The astrological sign of 2022 is the Tiger, who shows respect to beauty and people following it. While the Tiger prefers the red color, the tradition in general supports fires and loud noises, believed to scare evil forces away. On the night of 31 January to 1 February, fireworks were around the University campus – the Chinese students celebrating the entry into a new life cycle.

“I would like to congratulate all those Chinese students currently studying in Russia on the Spring Festival,” says Song Tianyao. “We all know the severe virus situation makes us hard to follow it. Yet, I believe together we can overcome this challenge.”

The holiday begins a week before the event itself – started with a general cleaning, for the Tiger loves clean houses and hardworking people. Despite the distance from their homeland, each student strives to decorate a hostel space with bright colors – using lanterns and symbols of the year as decor. Students call their parents, yet refrain from communal celebrations around a broad dinner table with dumplings:

“For me, this New Year is quite unusual, as I am celebrating it alone, trying to stay safe and escape the potential illness. With the completion of my studies, I am planning to get back to China, so I have to limit my social contacts,” Song Tianyao admits.

The Snowflake Song was first performed in “The Magicians” Soviet film in 1982 by Olga Rozhdestvenskaya and the Good Fellows band. Although not a holiday hit, it became a favorite choice among many later artists, from pop to punk – seeing several remakes in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2016.

“I came into this song completely by accident. Immediately since I heard it, I liked it. Our New Year’s songs are not related to winter, as we have a different climate all across China. And, in some parts, like the South, we don’t have snow at all,” the Chinese graduate shares.

On her arrival back home, not only Song Tianyao will be able to chat with her family at a holiday dinner, set fireworks and make a traditional family photo; she will also launch a paper lantern, lifting a card with her wishes up into the skies. Meanwhile, Perm State University will remain in touch with her and other alumni, waiting for new students and hoping for a brighter new year.

For reference:

For three years, Song Tianyao has been working as an assistant for the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, PSU and teaching Chinese language to students of three faculties – Philology, Geography and Modern Foreign Languages and Literature. In December 2021, Song Tianyao defended her PhD (candidate of sciences) thesis on Artistic Reception of B. Vasiliev’s Military Prose in China.

In the academic year 2021-2022 at PSU, 28 people, including 22 foreigners (21 students from China and 1 native of Japan), are enrolled in the 1st year postgraduate course in Linguistics and Literary Studies – mostly due to another PSU alumnus from China, who currently teaches at the Chengdu Institute of the Sichuan University of Foreign Studies.

The Chinese Experience: Study Russian and Get New Job Prospects!

26.11.2021 / , , , ,

Why studying Russian brings you profits and boosts career? Some of our successful graduates know the answer! For, whatever disciplines you gain while studying abroad, besides new skills, you bring back home your knowledge about the foreign culture and its language. Why not make money from that?

22 international students out of 28 have been accepted to PhD programs of the Faculty of Philology at Perm State University (PSU), in 2021. 21 Chinese and 1 Japanese postgraduates will study Linguistics and Literary Studies – as 24 full-time students, and 4 part-time ones.

This is a small, yet meaningful record for the Faculty of Philology at PSU, which teaches a wider variety of courses – such as journalism, media communications, advertising and public relations, philology, pedagogics, informational and library studies, languages and literature criticism.

15 students came as future teachers of the Russian language from the Chengdu Institute of the Sichuan University of Foreign Languages. Notably, they were encouraged to apply by their young teaching professor Li Wenxu, who graduated from the Faculty of Philology, PSU in 2018.

“In their research, students from China particularly compare Russian and Chinese literature, examine the influence of the former on the latter, and study the literature of ‘eastern’ Russian emigration in 20th century,”

says Ekaterina Klyuikova, Deputy Dean for International Affairs, Faculty of Philology.

“Here at PSU, I learned to appreciate Russian military prose and rural writers. In Perm, I felt a real Russian spirit I missed to appreciate in the capital cities. The local culture brings us closer to nature and tradition,”

says Song Tianyao, PSU post-graduate student in Philology.

Academic exchanges and mobility programs with partner universities help to reduce the price of courses, studied at PSU. In 2021, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of Russian Federation has provided scholarship support to four foreign citizens from Georgia, Columbia, Syria and Tajikistan.   

PSU School of Philology, founded in 1916 as a part of the Faculty of History and Philology, has passed a long way through transformation to the Faculty of Philology in 1960, and separation from modern foreign languages and literature in 2003, growing and getting recognition on national level, and beyond.  

During its century-long history the Faculty served a launch pad for more than 6000 graduates in philological sciences: linguists and journalists, publishers and literary critics, teachers and writers, media managers and specialists in public relations.

The Faculty partners with universities from China, Korea, Macedonia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Great Britain, France, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and the Baltic countries – extending international collaborations in study and research.

PSU Experts Participate Volga-Yangtze Youth Forum

19.11.2021 / , , , ,

Perm State University discussed the prospects for scientific cooperation between universities in Russia and China at the Volga-Yangtze Youth Forum. At the Forum, PSU students and teachers presented several reports, covering the history of Perm Society of Friendship with China, the creation of tourist routes for Chinese students and the creation of a common academic network.

“During the preparation for the Forum, we worked closely with the Ministry of Tourism and Youth Policy of the Perm krai. The projects of our University were highly appreciated. In the future, we plan to hold a series of events to discuss the plan and algorithm for the implementation of projects that were developed at the Forum,”

comments Vyacheslav Tereshenko, PSU International Department.

The Forum, which lasted 2 days, consisted of four sections:

  • education;
  • science and innovation;
  • youth entrepreneurship;
  • tourism, culture and art.

PSU delegates presented the following reports:

1. “The Introduction of Chinese Students to Perm Territory: Tourist Attractions and Routes” by Anna Sterlyagova, undergraduate student, Faculty of Geography, PSU (academic adviser: Svetlana Myshlyavtseva, Associate Professor, Department of Tourism);

2. “Perm Society of Friendship with China: History, Formation, Modern Development” by Mikhail Kamenskikh, Associate Professor, the Department of Culture Studies and Social-Humanitarian Technologies, PSU;

3. “Russia and China: Creating a Common Educational Space” by He Tingting, postgraduate student, Faculty of Philology, PSU.

“I was quite excited to participate in the Forum. We discussed new educational technologies as a tool of international cooperation, the mission of young teachers in education and international exchange, the cooperation of Nanchang University with Russian partners, and the importance of student mobility programs. It was interesting to ask questions to speakers both from China and Russia,”

comments Meilis Tuvakov, undergraduate student, Faculty of Economics, PSU.

The Forum has been attended by representatives of Universities located in the Volga Federal District, Russia, and the provinces of the upper and middle Yangtze River: Anhui, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, as well as the city of central subordination Chongqing. The event is part of the program of the Year of Russian-Chinese Scientific, Technical and Innovative Cooperation.

In June 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed the Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on the Development of Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Interaction Relations Entering a New Era. According to the Statement, 2020 and 2021 were declared the Years of Russian-Chinese scientific, technical and innovative cooperation.

During the Years of Cooperation, over 1000 joint events are taking place both in Russia and China, including scientific projects, conferences and exhibitions, as well as intensive exchange between scientific institutions, universities and innovation centers.

Delegations of Perm-based universities have been taking part in the Forum for several years already, promoting academic exchange and opportunities for international students. In 2017, PSU delegates attended lectures at Hefei universities, took tours to local enterprises, visited classes on Chinese history, culture and arts, and planted a tree in the Friendship Alley of Anhui University.

PSU Alumnus Gets a PhD in Russian, Teaches at a Chinese University

11.08.2021 / , , , , ,

What do you become after the University? Yin Jiejie (China), our alumnus from the Faculty of Philology, talks about the reason he had chosen education in Russia, his achievements and discoveries during the student years, and his prospects after the graduation.

A passion to literature might be one’s pass to a university – Russian and Chinese, in Jiejie’s case. To compare them, he decided to study in Russia. “I was eager to see your country, meet Russian people, experience your culture and raise the language level,” confirms Yin Jiejie. “I also heard much about the beauty of Russian women.”

Jiejie had chosen Linguistics and Literary Studies as primary subjects. “To be honest, I’ve never heard of Perm before. A friend of mine recommended Perm State University, as she used to study here,” Jiejie recollects. “I remember my first steps on campus as a touch of a centenary history. Each building has its own story, resembling wisemen. I also liked the university sculptures. Most importantly, I received a scholarship by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. “

Russian writers Viktor Astafiev and Valentin Rasputin, widely known in China, served a research source for Jiejie, who studied ‘ethical space’ of their novels. During his spare time, Jiejie worked as a Chinese language teacher and translator, and was also engaged in arts and sports. He danced during performances at the PSU Student Club, and played basketball with the University team. In the countryside, Jiejie learned to take a steam bath, cook Russian dishes, and skate.

Recently, Jiejie teaches at one of the universities in China. “Russian education helped me find a reliable and respected job back home. I teach the Russian language, which I love, at Shandong Women’s University,” he comments. “Staying with students makes you feel young, task-oriented and learn new things.”

Today, a greater amount of foreign students at Perm State University come from China, followed by those from Iraq and Turkmenistan – choosing the Faculty of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Faculty of Philology, and Chemistry, as a primary choice.
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