Calligraphy leads Barnaul student to year-long China exchange

Nikita Kazakov is a student from Barnaul who spent a year in China, where he went to study on an exchange. He lived in one of China«s largest megacities, Hangzhou, and immersed himself in the culture of the country he wants to move to in the near future. In our video, he talks about how Chinese people view Russians, how much the trip cost, and what dishes might surprise tourists.

Nikita first encountered Chinese culture when he was still a schoolboy. Back then, he accidentally attended a calligraphy masterclass where students from Altai State University (AltGU) taught how to draw Chinese characters and talked about the country«s culture.

That«s when he thought he could try learning something new and master the Chinese language. So he enrolled in foreign regional studies, and after several years of study, he decided to apply for an exchange program. By the way, Nikita didn»t face any major difficulties, and the commission unanimously decided to send him to Hangzhou — first for half a year, and then for the full year.

To learn about how much life cost in unfamiliar China, which cities Nikita managed to visit, and why he wants to move from Russia, read our article.