Tatiana Urzhumtseva, director of the Russian Cultural Centre in Beijing (6th from right) with delegates at its 15th anniversary in Beijing on May 15, 2025 Photo: Dong Feng/GT

The Russian Cultural Centre in Beijing hosted a celebration for the 15th anniversary of its establishment in Beijing on May 15. Meanwhile, the center also marked the 100th anniversary of people-to-people diplomacy between the Russian and Chinese people, inaugurating an art exhibition of Chinese calligraphy and painting.   

Tatiana Urzhumtseva, director of the Russian Cultural Centre in Beijing, said that the center's headquarters - Russia's Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, or Rossotrudnichestvo - has been a bridge between our cultures for a century now. 

"Over the 15 years of work in Beijing, the Russian Cultural Centre has become a platform for dialogue, a keeper of traditions, a creative laboratory where projects like today's are launched," said Urzhumtseva. 

Giving some examples of people-to-people exchanges, Urzhumtseva noted that even in times of political storms, culture, and education remain the "golden bridge" between the two countries. 

People's diplomacy today is new challenges and new opportunities. It preserves humanity in the world of numbers and algorithms, she said.

"I am sure that in 100 years our descendants will say: 'They laid the foundation for a world where culture is more important than conflicts,'" Urzhumtseva concluded. 

Liu Chunyang, editor-in-chief of the Public Diplomacy Network, said that friendship between the two peoples is the foundation of Chinese-Russian relations. "Over the past 15 years, the Russian Cultural Centre in Beijing has organized a large number of outstanding events in the field of public diplomacy and cultural exchanges."

Chinese artist Chen Ruiqi said that "as a calligrapher, presenting my works to you today, I must say that they are filled with great enthusiasm, which is directly related to the close cultural ties between China and Russia."

In the past 15 years, the cultural center has been hosting a number of interesting and versatile events designed to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the people of Russia and China. These include performances by popular Russian and Chinese ensembles and cultural figures, presentations of the scientific, economic, and investment potential of Russia's regions, numerous forums, art exhibitions, and poetry recitals.