Polina Sokolova, a Russian master's student at NKU, recently won the Best Creativity Award at the finals of the 2025 Oracle Bone Script Cup International Student Speech Contest My Story with Chinese Characters, held in Anyang, Henan. In her speech, titled Chinese Characters Connect Eurasia, Bridging Past and Present Civilizations, she recounted a fascinating journey of Chinese characters across Europe and Asia, highlighting the structural similarities between oracle bone script and Russian.
Having moved from distant St. Petersburg to Tianjin with her parents at a young age, Polina has developed a unique personal bond with Chinese characters that bridges Europe and Asia.
From the Banks of the Neva to the Shores of the Bohai Sea: A 25-Year Bond with China
Born into a musical family in St. Petersburg, Russia, Polina, at just two and a half, moved to Tianjin with her parents due to their work, marking the beginning of her deep connection with China.
From kindergarten to her master's degree, Polina spent 25 years studying and living in Tianjin. Over time, she has come to regard the city as her second hometown—with its familiar streets, dear friends, and cherished memories all intertwined with her growth. I remember playing with my Chinese friends as a child. Adults around us would often watch and say that this foreign girl was like a ‘little doll' who spoke fluent Tianjin dialect, Polina said with a smile.
During elementary school, Polina learned calligraphy and martial arts. With every brushstroke and movement, she was deeply impressed by the richness of Chinese culture and developed a strong interest in learning more about it.
In a way, I also grew up at Nankai University. When I was in elementary school, I would come here every weekend for Russian lessons with a foreign teacher and take strolls around the campus with my parents. Nankai has truly witnessed my growth, Polina recalled, reflecting on her early connection with the university. From that time, the dream of studying at NKU had quietly taken root in her heart.
In her final year of high school, Polina was admitted to her dream university, NKU, and began her undergraduate studies there. At first, I followed my parents' advice and chose international relations as my major. But my passion for Chinese language and culture was so strong that I ultimately decided to follow my own dream and applied for a transfer, she explained.
After setting out on her journey, she won second prize in the English-to-Chinese category of the international students at the 2021 SFLEP Cup Tianjin Translation Contest of Colleges and Universities. In 2024, she joined the Walking in Xi'an: From Tradition to Modernization multilingual translation program, further enhancing her cross-cultural communication skills to better understand Chinese culture and share China's stories with the world.
From Chongqing to Leningrad: Heroic Legacies to Remember
People's Daily Overseas Edition (July 13, 2024, p. 7)
July 13, 2024, was a significant day for Polina, as her article, Impressions of Dadukou (A Glimpse of China), was published in the People's Daily Overseas Edition.
In her piece, Polina delicately described her visit to the Chongqing Industrial Culture Expo Park, drawing a connection between her distant hometown of St. Petersburg and Chongqing. Though separated by a thousand miles and culturally distinct, both cities share an indomitable spirit and optimism, building a brighter future through the hard work of their people.
The article was inspired by a five-day trip to Chongqing. Chongqing is a heroic city. Immersed in its history, my thoughts turned to my hometown, St. Petersburg—once called Leningrad. My hometown is home to Lake Ladoga, Europe's largest freshwater lake, which served as a crucial evacuation route during the Great Patriotic War and is still remembered today as the 'Road of Life,'' Polina said, explaining that she wrote the article to commemorate this unforgettable history.
From NKU to the World: Serving as an Ambassador of China-Russia Friendship
Having grown up in China, Polina jokingly calls herself half a China hand. She hopes to use her language skills to share China's rich history and culture, as well as its rapidly evolving achievements, with her fellow Russians and friends from around the world.
As a host for NKU's online Chinese program, China Cloud Experience Course, Polina took part in outdoor filming and interacted with international students via live streaming. She provided detailed insights into the daily life of studying in China, vividly showcasing the country's open, diverse, and inclusive culture.
In addition, Polina has gained internship experience in various roles at multiple organizations, including an international logistics firm, a sports media company, and a new energy technology company, continuously broadening her perspective and accumulating valuable industry experience. She lives by the bilingual adage, Live and learn (Век живи – век учись), steadily moving toward her goals. Without taking small steps, one cannot travel a thousand miles; without gathering small streams, they cannot form rivers and seas, Polina said with determination.
Looking ahead, Polina is determined to devote herself to the forefront of China-Russia cultural exchange. Whether working on cultural exchange programs as a planner and promoter or applying her expertise in China-Russia journalism and communication, she hopes that through her relentless efforts, she can deepen mutual understanding and inject new energy into the enduring friendship and people-to-people ties between China and Russia.
A just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions gets far. Polina delightedly mentioned that her younger sister, upon returning to Russia, has also continued learning Chinese and won first prize in the Chinese Language Olympiad. Today, Chinese language education is thriving across Russia. Chinese children's books are widely available in bookstores, and an increasing number of Russian children and young people are getting closer to China. They represent the country's future and will become a new generation of bridges connecting China and Russia, Polina said. She is confident that as long as generations stay connected and move forward together, the bond between China and Russia will continue to flourish for generations to come.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be held in Tianjin this autumn. Polina is eager for international guests to experience this culturally rich and dynamic city, where they can enjoy the charm of its rivers and seas, discover the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, and carry China's fascinating stories to every corner of the globe.
