World Poetry Day Celebrated at VVSU

The Institute of Pedagogy and Linguistics at VVSU hosted a vibrant event dedicated to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, featuring a literary evening and a traditional calligraphy contest. The event brought together Russian and Chinese students in a shared space of poetry, language, and the art of writing.

Zhang Xingjoran, the contest organizer, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vladivostok and the Association of Chinese Students, wishing the participants good luck.

Participants included international students studying Linguistics, Economics, and those enrolled in the preparatory department, as well as Russian students from Business Informatics. The evening was hosted by Inna Ismailova, a specialist from the Russian Language Department.

The event began with poetry readings. Chinese students took the stage to present Russian poetry:

• Jia Zixuan recited “Native Language” by Gabdulla Tukay.
• Xiao Chuanxiang recited “There Are Values That Have No Price” by Rasul Gamzatov.
• Su Qidi recited “They Asked Me to Say ‘I Love You’ in Rome” by Rasul Gamzatov.
• Tang Shujian and Zhou Yue performed “Tatyana’s and Onegin’s Letters” by Alexander Pushkin.

This was followed by a calligraphy contest where participants wrote quatrains from the selected poems. Each letter was said to reflect the soul of both the author and the performer.

The jury included specialists from the IPL departments Roman Tolkach, Daniil Konoplyov, and Maria Gruzkova, as well as Artyom Kovalev, chairman of the theatrical and poetic association "Rhymes and Forms."

While the jury deliberated, Russian students read works by poets from Russia''s ethnic minorities. Poems by Kosta Khetagurov (Ossetian), Nikolai Kuular (Tuvan), Ekaterina Rultynout (Evenki), and Shamil Uzdenov (Chechen) were performed.

Artyom Kovalev noted that he had often seen how much Chinese students love the Russian language as they recite poetry, but this time he saw them in a new light—as calligraphers whose flawless work proved that friendship is growing stronger every day.

The winners of the calligraphy contest were:

• Yang Guangyuan
• Jia Zixuan and Cao Kaiyue
• Wang Jiaxing, Ma Min, and Zhao Jishan

Students Su Qidi, Liang Zhengmin, and Lezhina Yulia were awarded for neatness and clarity of writing. Gong Shengwen, Gamayunova Kira, and Zinkina Anastasia were recognized for impeccable literacy.

The winners received letters of thanks from IPL Director Yulia Konovalova and gifts from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vladivostok.

Yulia Konovalova concluded that the goal of such events is to show foreign students the breadth and richness of Russia''s literary heritage. She noted that 2026 has been declared the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia by the President, emphasizing that a Russian poet is not necessarily an ethnic Russian poet, but can be Chechen, Dagestani, Ossetian, Chukchi, Tatar, or Yakut. This unity is reflected in poems written in national languages and then translated into Russian.