We’re off to China!🏮

Fourth-year SPbU student Aruzhan Smagulova was attending a summer school at BIT — Beijing Institute of Technology. There, she was studying Chinese martial arts and happily shared her experiences with us.

When I chose kung fu, I didn’t expect such a reaction from people — no one saw it coming! Not even me! But every day of training convinces me it was the right decision. Through the movements and philosophy of kung fu I’m getting to know China on a completely different level. It’s a truly fascinating and unique experience!

🥡Every building has countless food spots: from traditional Chinese to Muslim and even some European cuisine. There’s even a buffet-style stall where you can serve yourself.

👯‍♀️Personal space is a relative concept here. In queues, public transport, and even elevators, people stand really close — it’s completely normal.

🏮People are very friendly but don’t always speak English. Still, they often try to help, even using phone translators. Some might just come up and ask to take a photo — especially if you’re a foreigner.

💟Shanghai is probably one of the most vibrant places in the country. The contrasts are incredible: ancient tea houses stand in the shadow of skyscrapers, and temples peacefully coexist with super-tech centers. The city is truly impressive — and not just because of its architecture.

We're here to bring you some useful information! To never be late for classes, you need to:

1️⃣ go to bed earlier
2️⃣ always set an alarm
3️⃣ plan your route in advance

And for convenient travel around the city, you can get a student transport card.

Sometimes love for language and science turns into an amazing adventure

📷 Just look at these cool photos captured by our philology students. The guys discovered the town of Danilov and got acquainted with the local culture.

Unknown proverbs, sayings, omens, sententias, and formulas of speech etiquette — SPbU students studied all of this as part of their dialectological fieldwork.

"During conversations with the local informants, I realized how much knowledge and tradition could be lost if we don't preserve it in time. My personal achievement is that it became easier for me to talk to strangers, and there were also many fun moments with my own groupmates," — noted first-year SPbU student Ekaterina Shumeikina.

Such trips help students choose their priority areas for professional training and enrich their knowledge✨

🇫🇷Russian khorovod and Cossack songs in Paris🇷🇺

At the kind invitation of the Russian Embassy in France, a cultural and humanitarian mission from SPbU led over two thousand Parisians in masterclasses on Russian folk culture.

Full venue every time! There is tremendous interest in Russian culture in France [...] This 'cultural landing party' engaged at least 2,000 people and, with it, gained Russia more friends, — Artur Gavrilenko, leader of the University’s cultural and humanitarian mission

🫰The mission received a warm welcome both from locals and Russian expats, with Parisians throughout the city expressing solidarity and goodwill towards Russia.