BY VALERYIA KRYVASHEYEVA TSIMAFEYEVA
Journalist of Communication Agency ‘AGT-Media’, Belarus
“Without accumulating half a step, one cannot reach a thousand li; without gathering small streams, one cannot form seas and rivers”.
Xunzi (Xun Kuang), “Encouragement to Study”
The average Belarusian’s image of modern China often begins to form long before their first visit to the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 20 years, this image, gleaned from thousands of small streams of information, has transformed into a broad river of mutual interest and shared values.
Even fleeting contact with the culture, traditions, technologies, and news reports from China encourages and stimulates Belarusians to a deeper and more systematic study of our all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership. Most importantly, the image of China in Belarusian society and the media is not static or frozen. Every new step in relations, every large or local project, every public or private visit to China expands our knowledge of China’s great culture, supports humanitarian exchange, and creates new facets of the Chinese image in Belarus.
Interestingly, unlike other countries, China’s image is free from contradictions between the high level of political and diplomatic relations between governments, strong business ties between governments, experts, and business communities, and the public perception of the benefits and opportunities that every Belarusian encounter in their daily lives. In this sense, China’s image in Belarus is unique. It combines the global initiatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping on the world stage, which are supported by the Belarusian authorities and society; major infrastructure projects such as the Great Stone Industrial Park, which arose thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative; educational and innovation programs of Confucius Institutes, leading Chinese universities, and major technology companies; Majestic social facilities in Minsk, such as the National Football Stadium and the Olympic Swimming Pool, built with Chinese assistance; the heartfelt Chinese cultural festival “Tea for World Harmony” in the historic center of the Belarusian capital; small restaurants serving traditional Eastern cuisine; and even the animated film “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King”, which played to sold-out theaters in Belarusian cinemas.
In the past year alone, China’s image in Belarus has been enhanced by the tourist appeal of Hainan Island, which has become more popular than Turkish and Egyptian holiday destinations for many Belarusians; the launch of the first electric Belarusian‑Chinese crossover, the Geely EX5, at the BelGee plant near Minsk, which has been hailed as a people’s car; and the introduction of Chinese as the first foreign language taught in many primary schools in Belarus. Parents’ desire for their children to begin learning Chinese and engaging with Chinese culture from an early age, between ages 4 and 7, testifies to a quiet yet profound and revolutionary shift in attitudes toward China in Belarusian society. In practice, this means that parents no longer doubt that Chinese education, economics, science, technology, and innovation will lead the world in 15 to 20 years, setting global development trends and becoming an integral part of the personal success of young professionals. Just 10 years ago, English and studying at American or British universities were considered the universal equivalent of competence. But after knowledge of Chinese and training in Belarusian-Chinese programs began to guarantee success in the labor market in Belarus and neighboring countries, and also double the salary offers for young employees, China’s leadership in education has firmly established itself.
My son, Nikita, is only three years old. His first encounter with China was educational cartoons, which he prefers to the aggressive Japanese ones. It was the Chinese Culture Festival in Minsk, where he first tried on the head of a golden dancing dragon. It was the revolving round table with Chinese delicacies at the Yangtze restaurant in the historical center of the Belarusian capital, where we love to relax with the whole family. It was the family BelGee car, a joint Belarusian-Chinese production, which Nikita affectionately calls “Geeleek. ” With each passing day, such vivid and important images of Greater China will only become more present in the lives of my son and every Belarusian. And as a journalist and mother, I am infinitely happy about this. A journey of a thousand li begins with the first half-step.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.