A delegation of young Russian political representatives visited Guangzhou on October 21, touring cultural landmarks including the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall and Yongqing Fang to experience the city's traditional heritage and its revitalized historic neighborhoods firsthand, gaining insight into a metropolis where ancient and modern elements intertwine.
The visit offered many delegation members their first glimpse of China. Marat Shipov, Head of the All-Russian Youth Organization of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), described Guangzhou as "very excellent and beautiful" and said the local culture left a deep impression.
"I think the culture here is very impressive and memorable. So I like this place," he said, adding that he hopes to see more of the city in the coming days.
For Nikita Kovynev, Secretary for Ideology of the Karelian Regional Branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the trip carried particular significance.
"It's my first time in Guangzhou, and it's my first time in China," he said. "For me, it's very important to visit because I'm a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. For me, to see a country which is full of the ways of socialism is very important."
At the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Kovynev was struck by the careful preservation of the site. "Here I feel like at home because here I am not afraid of anything, and the architecture here is great," he said. "This ancient place, it all shows how you try to support history, how you want to understand your history, not to just change it."
He reflected on the value of firsthand experience over secondhand accounts. "In Russia, we like to say better one time to see than a thousand times to hear about something. I saw different videos on the internet about what this place is like, but really, in my assessment, when I see it, it's another vision, another emotion."
The delegation's visit to Yongqing Fang, a historic district in Guangzhou's Liwan District that has undergone a micro-renovation blending traditional Lingnan architecture with modern cultural and commercial spaces, left a strong impression on Viktor Gurov, Coordinator for Regional Development at the Executive Committee of the New People Party.
"It's not my first time in Guangzhou, but it's my first time being here in this place," he said. "It's sort of a hidden gem among those very big buildings. It looks like a piece of history in a very modern cyberpunk city."
Gurov, who last attended the Canton Fair in 2016, noted that this year marks the trade event's 70th-anniversary milestone, and said he planned to return to see how it has evolved. "I wanna check how it has evolved," he said. "Let's see what kind of surprises it brings me this time."
Beyond the sights, the delegation emphasized the importance of people-to-people dialogue. Kovynev described face-to-face exchange as a cornerstone of bilateral relations.
"Speaking with people from different cultures is better than when you only read some books about it. So I think this dialogue is like one of the main stones," he said. "Today, we feel a lot of the same things when we speak to Chinese people. I don't feel that it's another culture. For me, it's like my family, my friends, and we have a lot of the same visions in life."
Kovynev stressed that in-person exchanges foster honesty and openness in a way digital communication cannot. "It's a real discussion, not an online discussion in Zoom, or Skype, or another electronic gadget. Only in a real discussion can we be honest, and be more open," he said, adding that future communication through WeChat and other apps, as well as reciprocal visits, could sustain the momentum. "It's very important that this dialogue continue. That's why it can be a real stone of friendship."
Reporter | Guo Chuhua
Photo | Guo Chuhua
Video | Chen Junpeng
