The role of the oriental institute in Vladivostok in establishing Sino-Russian educational cooperation

The article examines the history of educational ties between China and Russia in the early XX century. The interest in the Celestial Empire spread in the Far East due to the need for economic and household contacts in the adjacent territories, but the opening of the Oriental Institute (1899) was aimed at training specialists with knowledge of the Chinese language and culture, not only to meet the daily needs of the Far Eastern region, but also to ensure state objectives of establishing diplomatic, economic and political relations with the Celestial Empire. The region's educational potential was enhanced by St. Petersburg University graduates A.V. Rudakov, P.P. Schmidt, and N.V. Kühner, who developed Chinese language courses with the support of native -speaking assistants. The activities of the Oriental Institute allowed for close continuity of Sino-Russian education and were beneficial to both countries. Graduates of the university have worked successfully both in Russia and the Celestial Empire and have left a great mark in Oriental Studies. In addition, they found themselves in different fields of joint Sino-Russian activities: science, education, customs, entrepreneurship, and transport communication.