On 24 September 2019, the SCO Secretariat hosted a presentation of the book Magic Journey to Beijing.
On behalf of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, now attending a ministerial-level UN event in New York, Deputy SCO Secretary-General Aizada Subakozhoeva greeted the guests. The Chinese-language version of the book Magic Journey to Beijing by Russian writer Irina Zakharova is being launched in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, she noted.
"This book is an improvised encyclopaedia of Beijing, containing a lot of facts on the Chinese capital and its historical landmarks. The book explains what its monuments symbolise and describes the customs and traditions of Beijing residents. From the very first page, children and adults embark on a thrilling journey through Beijing and get carried along by the book's unique narrative. It would be no exaggeration to say that this book pays tribute to China's history and culture. It makes a major contribution to China studies, to expanded Russian-Chinese relations and to the SCO's development because China and Russia are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The Bishkek Declaration, passed after the June 2019 SCO summit, notes the importance of expanding inter-cultural dialogue in the interests of nations within the SCO region. Such books as Magic Journey to Beijing will help implement this idea," Ms Subakozhoeva noted.
Ambassador of Russia to China Andrei Denisov mentioned that the launch of the book could be seen as an important event in a festival programme dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China.
According to Irina Zakharova, her book addresses the younger generation and will help children gain an insight into the culture and traditions of Russian and Chinese nations. She wanted children to better understand her book. "To my mind, friendship is all about constant work. To be friends, people need to understand each other, and they need to make an effort in order to understand someone else. They should inch closer towards culture and traditions. After that, many things will become clear, and this will facilitate profound and long-term friendship," Ms Zakharova noted.
The presentation also featured a workshop for children, with the participants learning how to make Beijing landmark cut-outs.
The guests also visited an exhibition of illustrations for the book, drawn by Yelena Yaryomenko-Liu.
About 200 people, including Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to the People's Republic of China Andrei Denisov, the first SCO Secretary-General Zhang Deguang, former Chinese ambassadors to SCO countries Li Huei, Zhou Xiaopei and Wang Kaiwen, deputy director of the CIPG Lu Zaizhun, representatives of the Renming Chubangshe and Zhongguo Huabao Chubanshe publishing houses, artists, art critics, writers, and Chinese and foreign journalists, attended the event.