CHIINA AND I
I have fallen in love with China when I ate Chinese food for the first time in my life. It happened at my friend¡¯s family in Moscow in 1973. My friend¡¯ mother was a Chinese, a very nice and kind woman, working as a chief in Beijing Hotel in Moscow. We were very hungry because as students we were send that autumn to work at the collective farm near Moscow to collect the potato harvest, and returned to Moscow just for a day rest; we with my friend ate Chinese dumplings, cucumbers with onion, fried rice with mushrooms, drank a little bit baijiu (Chinese liquor) and were happy. A small secret: by that time I already studied Chinese language and Chinese literature at Moscow University for a year, but it was so difficult, that sometimes I was in despair: too many Chinese characters to be learned, too much hours to be spend on pronunciation with 4 tones¡ But that happy dinner encouraged me a lot, I enjoyed the food and my friend¡¯s family atmosphere and I thought, that there is at least one reason not leave Chinese studying.
A lot of years have passed since that windy and rainy September evening. My life is connected with China all the way. It is my profession, my love. I graduated Moscow University and in 1984 came to Beijing first time as a journalist of Soviet Information agency. China has just 5 years of reforms, started by Deng Xiaoping, but the life in China had been changing for better very fast. Then I worked in Moscow State Library Asian Department, then as an editor of Russian Publishing House, where we published a lot of Chinese classic literature (Dream in Red Mansion, Tang and Song poetry) and modern literature (Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Lao She). I myself translated some poems of Song dynasty period and still proud of it, because it was really a challenge: to express in Russian the sole and thoughts of Chinese poets living 1000 years ago. I also translated modern short stories.
In 1999 I came to Beijing to start classified ads business. It was completely new in China, we were the first at the market, and we brought a new technology and business ideas. Together with our Chinese partners, very professional and hard working people, we established Beijing Hand To Hand (Shou Di Shou) Information Technology Company, to create databases for private ads to be printed in papers. Our company with 300 people has good reputation; we are providing information service in Beijing, Shanghai and Harbin, most important is that for these 8 years we helped thousands and thousands of people to solve their life problems (to rent/buy house, to find job, to find a friend, etc.) Free of charge for private people, it is essential for those, who are not rich, and we think that we make our efforts in establishing the harmonious society, which is one of the aims put forward lately by Chinese leaders.
I do not forget my translation work, for example, translated into Russian a book ¡°A Primer Of Beijing Opera¡± and another one - ¡®Chinese culture¡±.
I couldn¡¯t work in Beijing successfully if there were no support of my wife Katya. She loves China, its people and culture. She is a professional conductor and in 2003 she founded Beijing Hand To Hand (Shou Di Shou) amateur choir. It consists of 36 singers from different social circles (teachers, workers, managers). They sing Chinese and Russian folk songs, European classic, the choir gave concerts and festivals in China, Russia and Republic of Korea, take part in charity events, for example in Beijing Songtang Hospice for older people.
We with Katya think that a person should not only talk about friendship between countries and peoples, mutual understanding, etc. it is much better to do something real, even small things and steps make different peoples better understand each other. Olympic games in China is a big event, not only for China but for the future of the world, that is why I will be happy to run 400 meters (or even 40 meters) with an Olympic torch, to show my gratitude to China and Chinese people, who are opening to the world more and more. If we know each other better there will be less fear and more joy in the world.
