Chinese Maslenitsa in the Baikal region
Chinese students celebrated Maslenitsa for the first time! They visited the fascinating ethnographic museum "Taltsy" in the Baikal region. First-year students and undergraduates of BI BRICS went here to get acquainted with the unique culture of the Baikal region.
They immersed themselves in the atmosphere of old architecture and the history of Russia. They visited most of the architectural monuments and expositions. The students learned about the history of the museum, studied the drawings of old architectural structures. Each exposition seemed to be a living story, opening up new facets of the culture and worldview of the Baikal region to them.
Chinese students paid special attention to traditional entertainment. They were happy to try out stilts – special wooden poles for walking tall.
And the most memorable was the old Maslenitsa’s fun – tug of war. Everyone liked this entertainment. It was an exciting experience for the students, especially for those who met this tradition for the first time.
«It was wonderful. I like to get acquainted with Russian culture because I am from China and study in Irkutsk. And this, of course, is amazing and pleasant for me. I took part in a tug of war competition with my classmates. That's what I liked the most. I also tried Russian pancakes. It's very tasty. I think it's similar to many Russian fried dishes. The most memorable and exciting thing for me was that we could just jump in the snow, play snowballs and it's all connected with the festive atmosphere» – said graduate student Chen Xuanyi.
Of course, no trip can do without local food. A short trip to Taltsy coincided with Maslenitsa’s Week, and pancakes are an integral part of the holiday. The students enjoyed tasting real Russian pancakes, staged a snow battle, and then took many memorable photos on the ice of the Angara River.
«It was a pleasure to spend time here. Russian culture is valuable to me, as is the experience of staying in this city and in this museum. I think it was great. I just went to the river, to the ice. I was afraid that I would fall into the river, but everything was fine. It's really very interesting. And I also tried Russian pancakes. This dish is different from Chinese food. The taste is completely different. Pancakes are delicious, sweet and soft. I liked. I was also surprised by all these old buildings, how people used to live there, how they cooked and slept. I was interested in learning more about Russian culture» – said first–year student Kuang Jianquan.
Accompanying tutors also played a big role in this trip, who not only organized the trip, but also did everything possible to make every student feel comfortable and get the most out of this excursion.
«There were mixed emotions, because it's always difficult to organize an event, and you don't seem to be so happy anymore, if you were justa participant. In general, it would be great if there were more such trips with students. And, of course, it was useful for the guys from China to go. They learned what Maslenitsa is, they tried pancakes, tried Sugudai, played games. They really liked it. They saw old, stylized buildings. They saw how they used to live in Russia and they saw our nature. In general, they liked it. They would also like to go there again» – tutor Balzhima Turtueva shared her impressions
The trip to Taltsy united two cultures. For Chinese students, it remained a bright and memorable event, thanks to which they first got acquainted with this unusual part of Russian culture. They saw and experienced live all the beauties of Maslenitsa and the museum itself: architectural monuments, traditional food, fun Russian games and fascinating winter landscapes. This adventure was a small contribution to the development of intercultural understanding and friendship between China and Russia.
