The Confucius Institute of Tomsk State University, which is one of the main platforms in Siberia for studying Chinese language and culture, has launched its recruitment campaign to a new course. The course will deal with the art of wishful thinking, which is a cultural pattern of the Celestial Empire, will tell about how national traditions in embroidery are used by famous design houses, will describe the shadow theater, which became the ancestor of all puppet theaters, and much more. The course contains lectures and offline practical classes.

– The course will include eight lectures on different aspects of traditional Chinese culture, says Irina Shvedova, Director of the Confucius Institute of TSU. – Students will also learn about the connection between ancient traditions and modernity. For example, one of the features of our course is the art of wishful thinking. People in Russia know very little about it. We will tell what it is about, what is the philosophical background and the main symbols, why the people of Celestial Empire pay a lot of attention to it, how to make wishes correctly and in what situations. The students will also learn Chinese calligraphy and dialects.

All workshops will be offline

Much attention will be paid to the arts, particularly shadow theater, which appeared in China 1,700 years ago. We will talk about its origins, terminology, and contemporary influence on world culture. Shadow theater is difficult to overestimate, as all puppet theaters in the world originated from shows whose main characters were shadows.

– The course program is quite diverse, just like the Celestial culture, says Irina Shvedova. – We will talk about the embroidery in national costumes, what meanings are embedded in it. It should be noted that Chinese embroidery is very popular, it is used by leading brands and designers with a worldwide reputation. Another special feature of the course is Chinese porcelain. We will tell about its history and the main production centers.

The program includes lectures and master classes. Practical classes will be held offline. The tuition fee is 2,000 rubles. You can submit your documents until March 27, and the training starts on March 29. Upon completion of the course, students will get a certificate from the Confucius Institute of TSU.