On the evening of December 28, 2024, the Russian Department of the School of Foreign Languages, Henan Normal University held a New Year’s Russian-themed evening party in the academic lecture hall. Russian teachers of the school and students majoring in Russian participated in this event.
Party Organization and Performance
The event was scripted, planned and organized by the Russian foreign teacher Vilena. Russian major students participated in the performance with great enthusiasm. The theme of the party was based on two main storylines of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden in Russian culture, integrating elements of fight dramas, love stories, plays and comedies. It humorously showed how Father Frost, as the king of the forest, had his authority repeatedly challenged by the New Year Rabbit. The Snow Maiden yearned for human love. After experiencing the beauty of family love, friendship and romantic love, she faced the danger of disappearing in spring. In the end, a miracle of love occurred, and beauty remained in the world. The program included the witty humor of the famous Russian animation “Masha and the Bear” and the amazing grace of Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake”. The whole party was filled with a pleasant and lively atmosphere, with a compact and orderly rhythm, achieving complete success.
Highlight 2: Department Establishment and Student Enrollment
Against the backdrop of the friendly Sino-Russian relations and relying on the university’s status as a founding member of the Sino-Russian Cultural and Art University Alliance, the Russian Department was established. It began enrolling undergraduates in 2022 and currently has 81 students from three grades.
Highlight 3: Study Abroad Opportunities
Since 2024, the university has been approved to join the list of domestic institutions of the “Russian Exchange Scholarship (Sino-Russian Government Scholarship) Program” of the China Scholarship Council. Every year, three sophomores majoring in Russian can get the opportunity to study as exchange students in Russian universities for a year with public funding. For seniors who get an “excellent” result in the TEM4 test, two of them can apply to pursue a master’s degree in Russia with public funding. In addition, the university has signed a framework agreement for cooperative education with the South Ural State University in Russia. Five juniors have gone for short-term study and are about to return. There is also a preliminary cooperation intention with Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, which will enable more undergraduates to study abroad or pursue degrees.
Highlight 4: Faculty and Student Achievements
The Russian Department has a strong faculty, with young Ph.D. teachers accounting for 80%. All teachers are passionate about education and have achieved fruitful teaching results. In 2024, Zhang Zhen, an undergraduate from the class of 2022, won a bronze medal in the national competition of the “FLTRP · Guocai Cup” “Understanding Contemporary China” National College Students’ Foreign Language Proficiency Competition. Jing Zhihui, an undergraduate from the class of 2023, won an excellent award in the National College Russian Competition. Many other students also participated in various competitions held by China and Russia and achieved excellent results.
