Sausage or Neighbor? Chinese Student Finds Home in Russia

Zhu Jiahao, or as he is now called, Zhora, came to Russia eight years ago on a student exchange program. The vast country appealed so much to the young man that he decided to stay after earning his higher education and becoming a translator. Now Zhu teaches Russians Chinese, has written a book, and runs a blog about life in Russia. MSK1.RU spoke with him about the similarities and differences between the two cultures, cuisine, the Chinese auto industry, and more. And they were surprised: Zhu-Zhora turned out to have excellent Russian humor!

“I came, I saw, and I liked it, and decided to stay in Russia,” Zhu Jiahao begins his story. “At our university, there were two exchange directions — England and Russia. But England, naturally, is very expensive, and we decided to check out Russia — we went to Khabarovsk, where we had fun for a whole month.”

However, the Chinese delegation was unlucky with the weather: it was early spring, and Zhu, unaccustomed to Russian temperatures, froze a lot after coming from China’s east coast.

“It was April. I remember, it was just cold for me, very cold!” Zhu doesn’t hold back his emotions. “In April, it’s usually already warm in China, we wear spring clothes. In our city, it’s already +15–20°C (59–68°F), but in Russia in April, there’s still snow. I remember, it was -1 or -2°C (about 30°F), and I was very surprised that it was cold. I, of course, brought warm clothes with me, but didn’t expect such cold!”

“In Lyublino, it’s basically comfortable”

In the end, Zhu chose a university in southern Russia and studied for several years in Rostov-on-Don to become a translator, and then — in Moscow.

“I moved to Moscow because it’s the capital after all. I had a dream: to see Red Square every day. And in the end, I came, but only went there a couple of times, and that’s it,” Zhu smiles. “I lived in Lyublino. If you don’t know what it’s like there: prestigious, not prestigious, basically, it’s very comfortable to live there, normal for us, because the dormitory cost just pennies. I remember, the dorm cost 600 rubles (about $8 at current rates). Per month! There, in short, everything is there: a store, a metro — I really liked that. And what else do I need in student times?”

Zhora-Zhu learned Russian excellently over eight years in Russia and speaks very fluently. I’ll say right away, the interview text barely needed editing. Although he admits that the language was really difficult for him: “Russian is an unfamiliar language for us. I think Asians find Russian and other European languages, like French, the hardest. It was difficult, and it’s still difficult now. I still learn something new every day: words, some facts about Russia or Russian traditions.”

In mastering the great and mighty language, there were also amusing incidents. Once, Zhu accidentally insulted a neighbor, without meaning to.

“There were a lot of funny moments. One very hilarious story comes to mind now. When we just arrived in Russia, we really liked the healthy sausage in dough, and we often bought it. And in one lesson, we learned a new word: neighbor (female). I don’t know why I mixed up these words, and when I saw our neighbor, I addressed her as ‘sausage.’ But ‘sausage,’ ‘neighbor’ — they sound so similar! She looked at me and laughed. And then I realized I said something wrong.”

“Salty, fatty, and fish inside”

By the way, not all Russian food appealed to the Chinese man. Zhu admits that he simply doesn’t understand some products.

“Adaptation has already begun, but when I first arrived, I didn’t really understand kefir. Well, it’s like yogurt, but without sugar, sour and a bit salty,” Zhu grimaces. “And also cottage cheese, I don’t really get it: it’s bland, like tasteless! In our Chinese cuisine, the taste is more intense. There’s bright pepper, lots of seasoning. And in Russian cuisine, the tastes are very mild, so you really love that milky, creamy, and delicate flavor, which we don’t really understand.”

However, he has come to love simple home cooking, like pasta with sausage or a cutlet, if you add a little ketchup, and sandwiches. But one traditional Russian dish Zhu simply can’t stand: he had a bad experience.

“When I first came to Russia, once I went into a store and saw: something beautiful was being sold in the refrigerator. So orange, red, different colors. I decided to try it — and they gave me a cup. I thought it was a cake. And when I took the first bite, there was something salty, fatty, and fish inside. It turned out it wasn’t a cake, but herring under a fur coat (a layered salad). I had such a terrible impression, and I can’t look at herring under a fur coat anymore, I just hate it,” Zhu laughs.

And yet, he misses Chinese food, so he cooks favorite dishes at home or goes out to eat somewhere. Zhu said that in Moscow, there are actually many Chinese restaurants, some adapted for Europeans, some aimed at Chinese people.

“Together we eat Olivier salad”

Over eight years, Zhora has adopted Russian traditions. He admits that he more often celebrates New Year from December 31 to January 1 and enjoys the long holidays, although he doesn’t forget Chinese holidays either.

“Everyone is resting anyway, so there’s more time to celebrate the Russian holiday,” he says. “We take a good tradition from Chinese and choose a good Russian tradition, then mix everything. For example, our Chinese tradition: we like to give money on holidays. And we also specifically cook pancakes and kulich (Easter bread) for holidays. On New Year, you must turn on the TV, watch ‘The Irony of Fate’ and listen to the congratulations, and drink champagne under the chimes. And together we will eat our Olivier salad.”

“Chinese signs on a Japanese restaurant”

In recent years, Zhu has started to notice that China is coming to Russia.

“Every time I ride public transport, I always notice someone’s bags with Chinese inscriptions, or T-shirts with Chinese paintings, or somewhere signs in Chinese, and even an inscription on a restaurant in Chinese, although it’s a Japanese restaurant. But still, it’s nice,” he smiles. “I won’t say it’s at every step, but there’s actually a lot of Chinese already.”

What stands out most on Russian streets, of course, is Chinese cars. Regarding the Chinese auto industry, Zhu has a restrained position: “Before, all Chinese thought that their auto industry was so bad, low-quality, not good. In the last 15 years, they’ve really started producing very good cars. It seems people haven’t fully started trusting their own yet,” he thinks. “Before, they also thought that Japanese and Koreans couldn’t make cars, and time has proven that they are really very, very good. When you drive a Chinese car, you can just call up an interactive assistant and simply tell her what to do. Before, if you want to lower the window, you have to press a button, but now new Chinese cars just lower and raise the window on command. That’s just wow!”

“The only downside: the roads are bad”

Zhu Jiahao also had the chance to live in a real Russian village — at his wife’s parents’ place. He admits that the experience was incredible.

“That was such a good time! I still want to go to a Russian village,” Zhora doesn’t hide. “Chinese villages are always like mini-cities, modern, but it’s a bit different there: everyone just lives in their apartments. But a Russian village is very atmospheric! There, when you wake up, you look at the sky, the sun, just silence, roosters, cows walking around, it’s just very, very cozy. The air is clean too, but the only downside: the roads are bad. I think it’s the perfect place for communicating with yourself, for finding yourself, for meditation.”

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