China and Russia Jointly Celebrate The Joyful Occasion

The year 2014 is memorable for both China’s history and Russia-China relations.

It is the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China （PRC）， the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations， the 65th anniversary of the founding of the China-Russia Friendship Association （CRFA） and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the leading organization of non-governmental diplomacy—the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC）.

The CRFA was China’s first bilateral friendship association founded in Beijing 5 days after the proclamation of the founding of the PRC on October 1， 1949.

Over the past 65 years， China has made great achievement in social and economic development， science and technology， education and culture and enjoyed increasing international prestige.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， China has been smoothly carrying out the tasks set forth at the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC； people of all ethnic groups are striving to build the country into a prosperous， democratic， civilized and harmonious modern socialist one to realize the dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation. Besides， the Second Session of the 12th National People’s Congress was held successfully. We in Russia would like to congratulate our Chinese friends for the great achievement made on their way to realize the Chinese dream.

Relations between China and Russia have reached unprecedented heights and set an example for international harmonious coexistence. The two countries play an important part in the world today and jointly promote peace and security in Asia and across the world.

The CPAFFC has played a significant role in the cause of nation building and consolidation of China’s international status. Many well-known Chinese figures and social activists such as Wang Bingnan， Zhang Wenjin， Han Xu， Qi Huaiyuan and Chen Haosu have served as its president.

Ms. Li Xiaolin was elected and became the first female president of the CPAFFC in September 2011. There is a famous Chinese saying： “Women hold up half the sky”. We sincerely hope Ms. Li will make great achievements.

The CPAFFC is also responsible for coordination of people-to-people friendly exchanges of the country’s 46 regional and bilateral friendship associations with other countries. The CRFA （former Sino-Soviet Friendship Association） founded on October 5， 1949， was the first set up under the CPAFFC. It is also a long-term and reliable cooperative partner of the Russia-China Friendship Association （RCFA—former Soviet-China Friendship Association）， the first association set up for friendship between the Soviet Union and other countries in Moscow on October 29， 1957.

Fifty-seven years have passed since the founding of the RCFA. In these years my life， destiny and career have always been closely related to it. The RCFA forms a glorious chapter of the annals of friendly relations between our two countries and our two peoples.

The first time China entered my life was during my high school years. The news of the establishment of the PRC was widely spread and accepted joyfully and enthusiastically by the Soviet People.

Sixty-five years later， I reread the poem written by the famous Soviet poet A. A. Surkov： “We are fortunate， for this nation marches hand in hand with us， together we grow strong， towards tomorrow.”

In those earlier days， the song Moscow-Beijing composed by Vano Muradeli was broadcast almost every day and became a symbol of Soviet-China friendship. Until today， its words still mean a lot to both peoples.

By the time of my high school graduation， I decided to apply for a college specialized in studies of China. I realized my dream of becoming a student majoring in Chinese of the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies. After its reorganization， I was transferred to the Department of Oriental Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations for further study.

Professor Sergei L. Tikhvinsky taught us Chinese history. He is a well-known sinologist， veteran diplomat who has participated in the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China， and now Honorary President of the RCFA. We felt very proud that the Soviet Union was the first to recognize New China， establishing diplomatic relations the second day after the founding of the PRC.

My first contact with Chinese friends was in my college years. At the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students for Peace and Friendship （Moscow）， I got the opportunity to work with the Beijing Experimental Ballet Troupe and the Guangdong National Orchestra， as well as Kuang Jianlian， a famous Cantonese opera master better known by her stage name Hung Sin-nui or Hong Xiannu. In November 1957， when we， the first batch of college students sent to the Soviet Embassy in Beijing for an internship， arrived in Beijing， Chinese friends met us at the platform of the old Beijing railway station situated in the central part of the city. This was my first visit. I still remember vividly the endless streams of bicycles and rickshaws when we entered the city.

Before my departure for China in November 1957， a significant event that greatly influenced my life had taken place in Moscow.

The inaugural meeting of the Soviet-China Friendship Association was held at the auditorium of the Moscow State Conservatory named for P. I. Tchaikovsky on October 29， 1957. More than 2，000 representatives from various circles attended the meeting and unanimously adopted a resolution to announce the founding of the SCFA. I was deeply touched by the wonderful speeches given by participants of the meeting and hoped to join the newly founded organization after graduation. Then， my dream came true.

In March， 1960， I was invited to work as a counselor of Chinese issues in the Department of Oriental Socialist Countries of the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries （USSFCRFC） founded in February， 1958. I gradually moved up from a common cadre to department head， from SCFA Secretary General to SCFA Vice President until the USSFCRFC sent me to work as a counselor at the Soviet Embassy in China in December 1989.

I became the First Vice President of the RCFA when I returned to Moscow in 2001. Today， I am still working wholeheartedly for the cause without reward.

Decades of working at the RCFA have given me privileges to witness the great achievements of our great neighbor and the significant changes in its people’s life.

When Premier Zhou Enlai， President Soong Ching Ling of the China-Soviet Friendship Association and First Secretary Hu Yaobang of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League met with the RCFA delegations， I attended the meetings and can never forget such memorable moments. Marshal Chen Yi， who was Foreign Minister at the time， received a delegation sent by our association in the difficult period of Sino-Russian relations.

What I least expected was that many years later， I got acquainted and became good friends with his son Chen Haosu， who headed the CPAFFC for many years.

Working at the association has brought me opportunities to have close contacts with prominent representative personages of Chinese literature and art circles， such as Mei Lanfang， Ge Baoquan， Cao Jinghua， Ye Shuifu， etc. Unfortunately， these masters have passed away. However， others carry on the work. For example， Gao Mang has been tirelessly devoting himself to the studies and popularization of the Russian literature and arts for six decades； Professor Li Mingbin， Professor Zhang Jianhua， Professor Ren Guangxuan and many other Chinese literary representatives have made continuous efforts to nurture talents for Russian literature and art.

Among all these precious contacts， the most unforgettable one was when Mei Lanfang， a world-renowned maestro of Peking Opera， led a CSFA delegation to visit the Soviet Union. Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein， a famous Soviet film director， called him “wizard in the theatrical world” before the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe’s performance tour of the Soviet Union in the spring of 1935. A quarter of a century later， Mei visited the Soviet Union again. It was my great honor to accompany him to the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre where he once performed. Then the ballet Le Corsair （The Pirate） was being staged. During the intermission， he was so excited to see the stage photos of his last visit being placed on the background wall of the theatre together with those of the Soviet theatrical masters such as Nemirovich Danchenko， Vsevolod Meyerhold and A.L. Tairova.

Before the second act， the conductor turned to the audience and told them that the famous Peking Opera Maestro Mei Lanfang was present. A standing ovation ensued. Mei tearfully rose to express his thanks. After returning to his hotel， he repeatedly expressed his wishes of leading his opera troupe to perform in Moscow again， because he believed that cultural communication helped promote good-neighborly and friendly relations. But life is full unpredictability. Maestro Mei passed away soon after returning to China. However， the Beijing Peking Opera Theater still exists and has been attracting Peking Opera lovers with unparalleled charm of elegance and has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. I treasure the picture given to me by Maestro Mei with his warm inscription on it.

Xue Fan， a famous translator， composer and writer， is another figure worthy of praise. Despite being wheelchair-bound due to illness from childhood， he has always been committed to introducing Soviet songs and Russian contemporary pop music to the Chinese people， as well as bringing the most popular Chinese folk songs and contemporary music to Russia.

Besides， Professor Guo Shuzhen， a famous Chinese soprano， Wu Zuqiang， an artist and promoter of Russian classical music in China， and Zheng Xiaoying， China’s first female conductor， among others， are all extraordinary people we rate most highly.

I will never forget the experience of getting acquainted with these outstanding people and making friends with the Chinese students （offspring and family members of Chinese revolutionary martyrs） of the Interdom （Ivanovo International Boarding School）， including Li Min， daughter of Mao Zedong， Zhu Min， daughter of Zhu De， and Li Tete， daughter of Li Fuchun and Mrs Cai Chang， who regard Russia as their second homeland.

During the 55 years of my work at the SCFA （now RCFA）， I have had many opportunities to participate in great events and meetings attended by state leaders of China and Russia.

On July 16， 2001， President Vladimir Putin and President Jiang Zemin signed a Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation in Moscow. It was such an exciting scene when leaders of the two countries met with the teachers and students of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and members of the RCFA at the auditorium of the university. The two leaders praised the treaty as a milestone in the history of Sino-Russian relations， a guiding document and legal basis for building friendship and mutual trust， and a strategic partnership of coordination in the 21st century. It legalized the concept that the people of the two countries shall be friends generation after generation and never be enemies.

I clearly remember these words induced thunderous and prolonged applause， because they called on the two peoples to be “good neighbors， friends and partners” and the youth of the two countries to carry on the tradition of the older generations.

President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia from March 22 to 24， 2013. The fact that Russia was the first country he visited after assuming presidency eight days before showed the high level and special nature of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia and was testimony to the great importance China places on its relations with Russia.

The presidents of the two countries signed the historic Joint Statement on Deepening the Bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the PRC and the Russian Federation.

As stated in the Joint Statement： Sino-Russian relations have reached an unprecedented high level…… The two countries will elevate to a new stage their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination featuring equality and trust， mutual support， common prosperity and lasting friendship， and make it priority of their overall diplomacy. The statement also points out that youth exchange shall be given the priority in cultural and people-to-people cooperation， for young people are the future of bilateral relations. To ensure the long-term and steady development of bilateral relations， exchanges between the young people are imperative.

The best example of it is President Xi’s cordial meeting with the students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations subordinated to the Russian Foreign Ministry， where he also delivered a speech entitled Follow the Trend of the Times and Promote Peace and Development in the World， elaborating on China’s official stand on global issues and Sino-Russian relations.

“The China-Russia relationship is the most important one in the world， and also the best one between major powers. President Putin has said that Russia needs a prosperous and stable China and China also needs a strong and successful Russia. I cannot agree more.” His speech received warm applause.

On the eve of the important festive occasion of the anniversaries of the founding of the PRC， the CPAFFC and the CRFA， we have every reason to say that RCFA has never stopped organizing activities even at the most difficult period of bilateral relations. More than 300 activities from 1966 to 1988 are clear evidence of its efforts to maintain Soviet society’s respect for and friendly sentiment toward the people， the heroic history and splendid culture of thousands of years of China.

After the resumption of exchanges between various circles of the two countries， the RCFA， the CPAFFC and the CRFA participated in a series of major activities of the Year of China and the Year of Russia， the Chinese Language Year， the Russian Language Year， and the Tourism Year and the Youth Friendly Exchange Year held in each other’s countries.

The RCFA takes it as its duty to help the Russian public understand China and the Sino-Russian relations objectively， enhance mutual trust and expand social basis of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Each year in Moscow alone， it holds 25 to 30 large-scale commemorative activities of various kinds， including the anniversary celebration of the signing of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation， celebrations of birth anniversaries of well-known personages and social activists of both countries and famous Chinese writers and artists. It has local branches in more than 20 cities and frontier regions across Russia， from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad， from Saint Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don.

The RCFA also held a series of seminars in commemoration of the 120th birth anniversary of Soong Ching

Ling， the 115th birth anniversary of Zhou Enlai， the centenary of the birth of the outstanding revolutionary and statesman Xi Zhongxun， as well as a birthday party for the-95-year-old Academician Sergei L. Tikhvinsky who is Honorary President of the RCFA， and commemoration for the 95th birth anniversary of M. I. Basmanov， a noted diplomat and translator of Chinese poems.

This year， the RCFA will organize a number of activities to celebrate the various anniversaries mentioned at the start， and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Qi Baishi， a great Chinese painter of the 20th century. It will host a party to celebrate the 80th birthday of Wang Meng， a contemporary Chinese writer.

President Putin and President Xi Jinping declared 2014-2015 as the Year of China-Russia Youth Friendly Exchanges. The RCFA will， together with the CRFA， take an active part and organize youth and children art troupes and science groups to visit each other’s countries， hold the Russia-China Youth Forum， send youth representatives to participate in local cooperation activities between the basins of the Volga River and the Yangtze River， etc.

Young people are our future. What needs to be passed on to them is not only the baton of friendship， but also the firm belief that common development is the only way to successfully solve future problems between our countries and people. Only thus， can our two great countries live in friendship generation after generation， and be good friends， neighbors and partners forever.

March 20， 2014