The Confucius Institute in Orsha and Belarusian teachers of Chinese. These are the prospects for cooperation between the region and the Embassy of the PRC

Further prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of education, culture, and trade were discussed during the visit of representatives of the diplomatic mission of the People's Republic of China, led by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the PRC to Belarus Cui Qiming, to the Orsha region with the leadership of the Orsha District Executive Committee.

– Thanks to the leaders of the two states, Belarusian-Chinese relations have entered the best period of their development in the history of bilateral ties, – emphasized Cui Qiming at a ceremonial reception at the District Executive Committee. – Strategic partnership has moved to a qualitatively new level. Cooperation in various spheres is developing ever stronger and yielding more and more results. China and Belarus are good friends, our relations are characterized by a special degree of trust and mutual respect. In China, Orsha is known as the center of Belarusian flax production, and I have long dreamed of seeing the legendary "Katyusha". We are grateful to the district leadership for their desire to maintain friendly ties and for the opportunity to get to know the region better.

The head of the diplomatic mission noted that culture is a bridge for mutual understanding between the two peoples. In particular, during the meeting, the issue of making the culture of the Celestial Empire closer to the residents of the Orsha region through further

of Chinese language studies. Currently, it is being studied in schools No. 16, 3, and Gymnasium No. 2 of the city, with 180 children studying the language as an elective.

– We cannot stop here, – emphasized during the visit of the PRC delegation to the specialized classes the Head of the Education, Sports and Tourism Department of the Orsha District Executive Committee, Andrey Zagursky. – Volunteers are, of course, a good option, but our foreign language teachers themselves must teach Chinese at a professional level. Then it will move from the category of elective subjects to the main studied foreign languages.

To this end, a group of 17 teachers is already completing the first stage of Chinese language training. According to Cui Qiming, upon reaching the third stage, they will be able to undergo further internships in China at the expense of the host party. In the near future, an agreement on cooperation with the Minsk Linguistic University is planned for the two-year retraining of Orsha teachers with the qualification of a Chinese language teacher. The prospect of opening a Confucius Institute in Orsha is also not ruled out.

The fact that the teachings of this ancient thinker and philosopher are familiar to the residents of Orsha was demonstrated to the guests from China at school No. 16. With the participation of the Ambassador, advisors, secretaries, and attachés of the PRC Embassy in Belarus, the opening of an oriental rock garden took place here.

 Also, representatives of the diplomatic mission, together with children from Orsha, took part in an engaging Chinese language lesson at Gymnasium No. 2. It was conducted using the latest teaching technologies by the Chinese volunteer teacher of the educational institution, whom everyone calls simply Faina.  

The two-day visit of the foreign delegation continued with excursions to the Orsha Linen Mill and the "Vitebsky Linen" store, where guests from the Celestial Empire gladly made purchases. The impressions were complemented by visits to the Ice Arena and the new sports complex, the Jesuit Collegium, and the city's museums.

– I am convinced once again,– summed up his stay in the Orsha region Cui Qiming, – that we have something to discuss and work on further. The main thing is that there is mutual interest and the results are visible.

 The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Belarus gratefully accepted the invitation of the chairman of the district executive committee, Nikolai Lisovsky, to visit the next republican investment forum, which will be held in Orsha from April 27 to 30, and to get acquainted with the products of Belarusian manufacturers. The head of the district is confident that this will be another step towards comprehensive cooperation between the Dvina region and the PRC.

Olga Lebedeva, "Vitebskiye vesti". Photo by the author.