BEIJING: On a sunny morning in early November, young Russian Sinologist David Kolosov, on behalf of 61 young Sinologists from 51 countries, picked up his pen and carefully wrote each Chinese character stroke by stroke on paper, hoping to share with President Xi Jinping the experiences and insights gained through China studies.
“In this digital era, handwritten lines show the authenticity of communication, and allow the recipient to feel the human touch between the words,” he said.
The authors of the letter were invited to attend the 2025 World Chinese Language Conference held in Beijing about two weeks ago. The three-day event was attended by around 5,000 people from over 160 countries.
“We (young Sinologists) are not foreigners who only know how to say a few phrases in Chinese. Many of us are studying and living here, researching both today’s China and its past, and we want President Xi to know this,” Kolosov said.
That is why they decided to write a letter to the Chinese president and express their willingness to deepen their study and facilitate cultural exchanges through this special format.
They soon received a reply from Xi, who expressed his delight that the young Sinologists not only cherish the Chinese language and culture, but also actively foster the progress of Sinology and mutual learning among civilizations.
In his letter, Xi emphasized that Sinology represents a common heritage shared by all humanity.
Xi encouraged these young Sinologists to continue to present a true, multidimensional and panoramic image of China to the world, contributing their wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
“The reply letter deeply inspired me and strengthened my confidence in the future study and promotion of Sinology,” Kolosov said.
A PhD candidate studying comparative political science at Peking University, Kolosov said that Sinology is not only about exploring traditional Chinese thought, but also about digging into the wisdom of humanity.
“Just like studying Aristotle and Plato, researching the thought of Confucius and the Four Books and Five Classics (the core carrier of Confucianism) is equally important, as these thoughts can also contribute to the development of world civilizations,” he said.
Kolosov’s passion for Chinese culture began with a zest for the characters. “It’s so different from other countries’ writing systems, full of charm,” he said, adding that Chinese characters have preserved the wisdom of China for thousands of years.
Kolosov said that his supervisor at the university, who is well-versed in both Western theory and Chinese tradition, helped to expand his horizons.
“This perspective allowed me to understand different cultures and ideas from more angles,” said Kolosov, who is also active on social media and television shows, sharing his observations about China from day-to-day experiences.
“I’ve been in China for about 15 years and the reason that keeps me in the country is not the skyscrapers or asphalt roads, but the people,” he said.
“In the beginning, we might be labeled as ‘Russians’ or ‘Chinese’. Once we really get to know each other, we realize that shared values and common interests matter far more than nationality,” he said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
