Zhou Tuo: Chinese children must visit Artek

On March 8, 2019, representatives of China’s educational community visited the Artek International Children's Center. Zhou Tuo, head of the international exchanges department at Zhengzhou University, came to discuss prospects for cooperation between Artek and Chinese educational institutions in the organization of linguistic training and recreation for Chinese schoolchildren at the legendary Russian children's center.

Acting Director of Artek Konstantin Fedorenko noted in his welcoming remarks that as an international center, Artek has its door open to the whole world.

According to Fedorenko, the business agenda of the meeting with the Chinese guest is to discuss the technical aspects of the planned exchanges. He expressed the hope that Chinese children would be selected on a competitive basis and priority would be given to those who wanted to learn Russian: “Today we are discussing the details of the planned exchanges and selection of children from both sides. We would like the admission criteria to include some knowledge of the Russian language and culture.”

Zhou Tuo said he admired Artek and it would certainly be attractive to Chinese schoolchildren: “As soon as we saw Artek, we thought it was the most beautiful place on earth, and Chinese children should definitely visit it. The purpose of my visit is to promote cultural and educational exchanges between the youth of China and Russia.”

The visiting official confirmed the growing role of the Russian language in China and expressed hope that first groups of Chinese children would come to Artek to learn Russian this summer: “The popularity of the Russian language is growing in China. In high school, many students take Russian and pass exams. We hope that in August, we will be able to bring the first group of children from China to Artek.”

Zhou Tuo's acquaintance with Artek began with Artek Arena, during which a major event – the Russian Children's Book Fair – was held. The Chinese visitor delivered a welcoming speech to the 2,000 young Russians from various regions of the country staying at Artek, as well as a thousand of students from Crimean schools who came to check out the novelties of the book market. “The internet is growing rapidly around the world. Of course, our children prefer reading on smartphones and tablets. So Chinese educational institutions and regulators are pursuing a special policy to promote paper books – as treasures of culture and civilization,” he told the book fair participants.

Konstantin Fedorenko noted that “adults should set an example with their attitude towards books – they should be holding books in their own hands.”

Zhou Tuo highly appreciated the Artek teachers’ efforts to foster children’s enthusiasm for reading books, and invited his colleagues to China: “We invite all Artek teachers to China, we will be glad to see you there!”

During Zhou Tuo’s visit to Artek, he was given a tour of the children's center, and he greatly appreciated its modern infrastructure, educational opportunities and the level of medical support and child safety.