Department of Chinese Language

The Department of Chinese Language of the Center of European and Asian Languages is a specialized department of the Center, which prepares students for intellectual competitions in Chinese language and culture of China, including the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren, supervises educational and methodological support of all additional and basic programs of the CPP, APO, CA Coalition and the CPM School and develops a line of authoring educational and methodological materials on Chinese language and linguocultural studies of China.

The Department was established on June 29, 2016, during the Summer Olympiad School for Chinese Language Studies, which was held in Moscow in June-July 2016. Among first four teachers at the department were V. V. Kruglov, E. O. Sycheva, E. Y. Yanovskaya, and M. S. Vinogradov. The teaching process was divided into a practical course on Chinese language and Chinese linguistic and regional studies. In addition, students prepared group projects as part of their research work. 

After the success of the first Olympiad site in Chinese, the leadership of the Center for of pedagogical proficiency decided to open a coaching headquarter of the Moscow team to prepare for the All-Russian Olympiad in Chinese for students. In October 2016, the first full-time course to prepare for the All-Russian Olympiad in Chinese began at the Center for Pedagogical Skills. The course was divided into aspects corresponding to the sections of the Olympiad – “Listening”, “Reading”, “Lexical and grammatical aspect”, “Linguocountry study of China”, “Writing skills”, “Speaking skills”. Later, various special courses were taught, including “Hieroglyphic and Grammatical Aspects”, “Lexicology of Chinese Language”, “Phonology of Chinese Language”, “Confucianism: History and Modernity” and others. 

At different times representatives of different universities and schools taught at the department. A great contribution to the formation of the Olympiad methodology and teaching Chinese in the Department was made by T.A. Uryvskaya, Y.G. Lemeshko, O.N. Semenova, E.A. Drozdova, Y.A. Kuznetsova, A.A. Sergeeva, M.D. Brakunov, D.A. Zhigulskaya, Holkina L.S., Banar D.A., Gorbunova A.A., Yanovskaya E.Y., Sycheva E.O., Starodubtseva N.S., Kushnar A.A., Bondarenko A.S, Maslovets V.A., Bayramova K.A., Kazakov N.A., and Zhelokhovtsev A.I., as well as Chinese teachers Gao Juyan and Zhou Yi. 

The department constantly conducts educational and methodical work, goes on the development of textbooks. By the present time 6 textbooks have been already published:

• All-Russian Olympiad of Chinese Language Students. Getting ready for the lexico-grammatical test. Collection of tests / Compiled by. Dondokova M.Y., Kruglov V.V., Maslovets O.A., Kamaeva E.A.; ed. by Senina E.V.. – Moscow: VKN Publishing House, 2019. – 80 с.
• Kruglov V.V. et al. Theory and practice of teaching writing. How to write a perfect essay in Chinese / V.V.Kruglov, Y.G.Lemeshko, I.M.Mikheeva, A.A.Shahaeva / Ed. by V.V.Kruglov. – Moscow: Publishing house VKN, 2020. – 228 с.
• Kruglov V.V., Sergeeva A.A. China: History and Modernity. Textbook of Linguistic and Country Studies. In 2 parts. Ч. 1 / V. Kruglov, A. Sergeeva. – Moscow: VKN Publishing House, 2020. – 170 с.
• Kruglov V.V., Sergeeva A.A. China: History and Modernity. Textbook of Linguistic and Country Studies. In 2 p. Part 2 / V. Kruglov, A. Sergeeva. – Moscow: VKN Publishing House, 2020. – 160 с.
• Kruglov V.V. Linguocountry study of China. The textbook for the preparation of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren – Moscow: ICNMO, 2020. – 80 с.
• Kruglov V.V., Uryvskaya T.A., Antomonova Y.A. All-Russian Olympiad on Chinese language. Kruglov V.V., Uryvskaya T.A., Antomonova Yu. – Moscow: VKN Publishing House, 2020. – 276 с.

The staff of the department has written a vast number of articles devoted to various issues of preparation for intellectual competitions in Chinese. 

In 2019 the department together with the International Children’s Center “Artek” became the organizer of the First All-Russian Chinese Language Competition “Golden Dragon”. In August 2019 and January 2020, Artek hosted a program to prepare talanted youth to participate in intellectual competitions in Chinese language, the educational and methodological part of which was fully provided by the Department staff, as well as guest lecturers, in particular – Professor A.G. Storozhuk. 

One of the department’s outstanding projects in 2020 was the educational project “Sinology Online”, which attracted a huge audience across Russia. The lecturers at the project were Russian and foreign Chinese scientists. 

At the moment the important strategic directions of the department’s work are:

• organization of innovative programs in Chinese language and regional studies of China;
• high-quality preparation of students for intellectual competitions in Chinese language and culture of China;
• development of new generation of educational-methodical aids;
• development of scientific and methodological potential of the department staff.

The department also has partnerships with specialized departments of such universities as MGIMO MFA of Russia, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow State Linguistic University, Saint Petersburg State University, Russian State University for the Humanities, Kazan Federal University, Irkutsk State University, Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University.