Chinese Tourists Celebrate Their "Golden Week" in Russia
Now, to Blagoveshchensk, where there's a flow of Chinese tourists. They have a Golden Week, a nationwide holiday, when everyone celebrates mid-fall. Many people prefer to spend the holiday by the Amur river. Yulia Dolgoruk knows how Chinese guests are entertained.
A boat from the neighboring Heihe barely left, as it's already being replaced by another boat. On October 1st, the anniversary of China, the entire Tianxia went on holiday. Later, the national holiday turned into a people's holiday. In the middle of fall, they honor the Moon Goddess.
Nikolay Kukharenko, Confucius Institute Director: "All over China, they sell these mooncakes. They call them "yuè bĭng" in Chinese. Everyone gives it to their friends and relatives. Large variety of colors and manufacturers. They are from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Harbin. They're beautiful, with lotus seeds, with nuts, with stuffing, like egg, they have everything. The shape is symbolic, it means the moon".
During the Golden Week, as they call it in China, Blagoveshchensk customs see over 4,000 tourists every day. Three more boat routes have been added.
Vitaly Shabanov, Blagoveshchensk Customs Press Secretary: "On October 3rd, we had over 60 tourist groups. This is a great number, we haven't seen it in the past years".
The hotels are overbooked, the restaurants are constantly operating. The local history museum prepares for this beforehand. They invite freelance guides. They get up to 20 Chinese groups daily.
Usually, the history sanctuary is visited by 4 at most. Grigory Kurilchik admits it's better to work like this. There are new listeners every hour.
Grigory Kurilchik, freelance guide: "Civil war and revolution, they know Lenin, they know Stalin. They know our leaders, our Soviet government, our Soviet history. And then, of course, WWII, or the Great Patriotic War. They are especially respectful in this case".
Heihe, Harbin, Peking, Shanghai. Even residents of southern PRC provinces want to get acquainted with the culture and the Russian beauty of the Far East. Two-day tours are especially popular. They visit the main attractions in Blagoveshchensk, as well as souvenir and jewelry shops. And of course, they visit our supermarkets for our candy.
Vin Szechuan Li, guide: "I love Russian cuisine, kebabs, caviar. I also like bread and beer here. A lot of beautiful girls to look at".
"The vacation is exotic and is on a budget," foreign tourists admit. The yuan to ruble exchange rate makes travel affordable even for lower-middle class. So even for the Golden Week, which is traditionally celebrated with family, modern Chinese are ready to make corrections.
Lu Sha, tourist: "I just want to visit Blagoveshchensk. Your city and your people are very warm, welcoming, friendly. We have a great relationship right now".
The tourist boom in Blagoveshchensk will be over on Monday. And in just 4 months, Tianxia residents will have another nationwide vacation. Eastern New Year is celebrated for no less than 2 weeks.
Yulia Dolgoruk, Sergey Seleznev, Vesti, Blagoveshchensk.