Chinese youngsters from quake-hit areas visit Russia

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02:23

Some 40 youngsters from the areas hit by the devastating earthquake in 2008 have been invited to visit Russia again.

The young people, from different areas of southwest China's Sichuan Province, are in the Ocean All-Russian Children's Center where they stayed 10 years ago for a series of exchange activities, including some cultural performances.

After the 8.0-magnitude quake rocked most parts of Sichuan and some neighboring provinces, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited roughly 1,500 children to recuperate in the country, and about 900 of them lived in the “Ocean” center located in the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok.

Some children from the quake-areas learn how to paint during the stay in the All-Russian Children's Center in Vladivostok. /Photo provided ‍by All-Russian Children's Center

“I'm really excited. I never expected to get such an opportunity to go back after all these years,” Yu Guo, one of the visitors, told CGTN ahead of departure. He is now a postgraduate in the city of Nanjing.

“I feel so honored to get this opportunity. I will share with my instructors and interpreters the changes my hometown gone through over these years,” said Ze Meifang, a Tibetan girl who just graduated from a normal college.

For most of them, it was their first time abroad, and the three-week stay there left them with beautiful memories.

The youngsters do rehearsal before they set off to Russia. / CGTN Photo

Dong Lu was 14 back then. She shared one of her unforgettable memories.

“One night after we had called with our parents, one of the kids started to cry because he was homesick. Then an instructor held her in the arms and whispered something. Though the child didn't understand Russian, she calmed down very soon.”

As a typical example of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, this program not only helped the traumatized children recuperate from the catastrophe, it also exerted a far-reaching influence on them in various aspects.

Above: Dong Lu was in the Ocean All-Russian Children's Center in 2008. Below: Dong Lu stay with her students. /Photo provided by Dong Lu

Dong has graduated from a foreign language college, and now works as an elementary school teacher. She said the exotic culture and friendliness she felt in Russia had a great impact on her choice of education and career.

“The Russian friends planted a seed of love in my heart. Now I want to pass down the spirit of peace and friendliness to my students,” said Dong.

Just like Dong, most of the young people prepared some gifts for this reunion. They say friendship of this kind between the two peoples will bring the two neighbors closer.

Two youngsters make preparations for the reunion. /CGTN Photo