(Source: "People's Daily (Overseas version）》October 17, 2025 Edition 11)
Yi Fucheng records extracurricular knowledge supplement videos in the classroom of the Confucius Institute.
In November 2024, Yi Fucheng delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the "All-Russian College Students Chinese Culture Knowledge Competition".
Taras Ivchenko, whose Chinese name is Yi Fucheng, is a Russian sinologist, director of the Oriental Studies Department of the Linguistics w88 casino of the Russian State University for the Humanities, chairman of the Russian Chinese Teachers Association, and director of the World Chinese Teaching Association. Since 2007, he has been the Russian director of the Confucius Institute of the Russian State University of Humanities, the first Confucius Institute in Moscow. His research scope covers Chinese grammar, semantics, ancient Chinese, translation studies, Chinese literature, etc.
As a high-level Russian-Chinese bilingual translator, he has been responsible for simultaneous interpretation of important events such as meetings between Chinese and Russian senior leaders and international forums. In 2010, he won the "Chinese Language and Culture Popularization Award" from the Chinese government. In 2023, he won the "Friendship Envoy Award" of the first Orchid Award. In 2024, he was awarded the "Light of the Confucius Institute" acknowledgment plaque at the World Chinese Language Conference.
Nourish life with Chinese classics
“My Chinese name was given by a Chinese friend.” At the beginning of the interview, Yi Fucheng smiled and talked about the origin of his name, “He combined the homophony of my surname ‘Ivchenko’ and originally named it ‘Yi Fucheng’, and later I changed the ‘fu’ from wealth to ‘福’ from blessing.”
While studying at Moscow State University, Yi Fucheng joined a minority language research project and traveled to Central Asia for seven consecutive years to conduct field inspections and research on the Dungan language, and also participated in the compilation of dictionaries for the language.
When he was about to graduate, he began to learn Chinese under Zhao Shuhua, a professor and linguist at Beijing Language and Culture University who was teaching at the w88 casino at the time. "Because I have a foundation in Dungan language, I feel that learning Chinese is not that difficult. Moreover, the English version of the "Basic Chinese" textbook we use is very good, and Ms. Zhao Shuhua is one of the members of the writing team." He recalled.
From 1995 to 1999, Yi Fucheng’s strong interest in classical Chinese philosophy drove him to study for a doctoral degree in the Chinese Department of Peking University, specializing in ancient Chinese, under the tutelage of the famous linguist Professor Guo Xiliang. Speaking of his mentor, he was full of gratitude: "Teacher Guo always wholeheartedly supports students' research. No matter how busy he is, he will squeeze out one morning every week to guide me. I will always remember this intention."
Yi Fucheng’s relationship with Chinese ideological classics began with an English translation of the Tao Te Ching. He remembered that when he read it for the first time, he could understand very little, but found it very interesting, so he made up his mind to read the original text. But when he opened the original text, he encountered a difficulty - "Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao." He knew every Chinese character, but couldn't figure out how to connect them together. He did not back down, thinking that he could not read because he did not have enough knowledge, so he became more determined to learn, and simultaneously read "The Analects of Confucius", "Zhuangzi" and "The Art of War", carefully pondering each sentence, looking up information, and asking Chinese teachers and classmates for advice.
In his opinion, the "Greatest Goodness is like water, water is good for all things without fighting for it" and "The sage comes first after his own body, and his body exists outside his body" in the "Tao Te Ching" are all maxims that can directly guide people's conduct in life. The process from understanding the classics to integrating the wisdom into his life not only enriched his knowledge, but also changed his thinking and lifestyle, helping him "better understand the world and himself". It was a spiritual journey that was endlessly beneficial and enjoyable.
A "Tao Te Ching" has accompanied Yi Fucheng for half his life. From first sitting at the table to studying and flipping through tomes on his pillow, to later browsing the electronic version on his mobile phone and computer, and now using fragmented time such as breaks between classes to listen to the reading audio on his mobile phone APP, he has never counted how many times he has read the Tao Te Ching. He just thinks of reading it and reading it over and over again, treating it as a comfort zone for relaxing his brain and a source of living water for absorbing thinking nutrients.
In addition to classical literature, Yi Fucheng also pays attention to modern and contemporary Chinese literature, and greatly appreciates the classic works of writers such as Lu Xun, Lao She, Mo Yan, and Yu Hua.
These accumulations laid the foundation for his academic research. His doctoral thesis conducted a special book study on "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, focusing on parts of speech, parts of speech and language rules, and deeply analyzed the essential differences between classical Chinese and modern Chinese.
Based on in-depth research, Yi Fucheng believes that the unique charm of the Chinese language lies in its long tradition of written language and the rich cultural heritage carried by Chinese characters and literature, which bear witness to the continuity of Chinese civilization from ancient times to the present.
Sowing Chinese seeds in Russia
After returning from further studies in China, Yi Fucheng returned to Russia to teach at the Russian State University for the Humanities, teaching language theory, Chinese word formation, rhetoric and other courses.
“One of my favorite courses is ancient Chinese.” Yi Fucheng said, “The use of parts of speech in classical Chinese is particularly flexible, and sometimes temporary connections are established between words, giving rise to new meanings. What’s even more rare is that it is highly efficient in expression, and each word is ‘used on the edge’, which has a refined beauty.”
When teaching, in addition to ready-made textbooks, he always adds some fresh materials - he selects short and vivid folk anecdotes and strange sketches from "Zi Buyu" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", and then dissects them from the perspective of grammar, word formation, and syntax to guide students to explore the evolution of Chinese laws - "Classical Chinese has not disappeared, it has just been embedded in modern Chinese and has become an integral part of the Chinese we use today."
Based on teaching practice, Yi Fucheng also takes the lead in promoting the development of localized Chinese teaching materials. At present, the Confucius Institute at the w88 casino has self-compiled and published teaching materials such as "New Chinese Objectives 1-4", "Complete Chinese Course for Beginners 1", "Chinese for Grades 5-9", "300 Commonly Used Chinese Words" for middle w88 casino students, "Self-study Chinese Manual", and "Chinese Grammar Outline", which have been put into use and are highly recognized by Russian Chinese teachers and learners.
“Discussing with Chinese teachers is the only way to compile Chinese textbooks well.” He said that another experience is to find out the understanding difficulties of Russian native-speaking students during the teaching process - such as the use of the word "Le", the analysis of "Ba Zi Sentences" and "Be Zi Zi Sentences", and post-complement expressions such as "speak well" and "eat more", which are all common difficulties. In this regard, he tried to explain it in stages in different ways in class, and controlled the vocabulary range and grammatical difficulty when writing example sentences in the textbook to meet the needs of learners.
The educational philosophy of "No anger, no enlightenment, no anger, no development" in "The Analects of Confucius" is Yi Fucheng's teaching principle. He inherited the experience of his mentor Guo Xiliang and insisted on teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, focusing on stimulating students' interest and cultivating their ability to learn actively.
There was once a student who learned Chinese phonetics very quickly, but became frightened when he encountered Chinese characters. Yi Fucheng did not let him catch up with others, but asked him to slow down and analyze Chinese characters bit by bit starting from the meaning and shape of the characters. After he figured out the rules of character formation, he encouraged him to learn calligraphy. Slowly, the student overcame the Chinese character barrier and his Chinese reading and writing skills improved significantly.
The Confucius Institute at the Russian State University for the Humanities, established in 2007, is the first Confucius Institute in Moscow. It offers Chinese courses such as comprehensive Chinese, listening enhancement, and business Chinese, as well as Chinese culture courses such as calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and tea art. It not only provides credit courses for undergraduates and graduate students majoring in Chinese at the w88 casino, but also serves local middle w88 casino students and people in society.
Today, the number of students in the Confucius Institute has increased more than 20 times from 40 when the institute was founded to 869 in 2024, and a total of more than 200 students have gone to China for further study. Behind the craze for Chinese, Russian students have various learning purposes: some come to China to travel, study, and work, or to communicate with Chinese colleagues in Chinese-funded companies; more people come to learn the language purely out of love for traditional Chinese culture such as Chinese calligraphy, painting, and martial arts.
Yi Fucheng attaches great importance to the cultivation of local Chinese teachers in Russia. The Confucius Institute where he works offers teaching seminars, writing and other courses all year round, and organizes training courses to improve the teaching skills of local Chinese teachers and an annual meeting of the All-Russian Chinese Teaching Seminar. Currently, 15 of the 26 faculty members at the Confucius Institute are local teachers.
Explore the Confucius Institute deeper and expand wider
In addition to Chinese proficiency, Yi Fucheng also guides students to practice the concept of lifelong learning and deeply explore the ideology and culture behind the language. He asked students to read ancient philosophical classics on the one hand, and on the other hand, read speeches by Chinese leaders, government work reports, etc., to experience the contemporary embodiment of the Zhouyi's "harmony between man and nature" and Confucianism's "cultivate oneself, harmonize the family, govern the country and bring peace to the world", and feel the continuity of Chinese culture. Sometimes, the students' analytical perspectives and fresh views on social phenomena will make his eyes shine.
This year, with the support of several Chinese friends, Yi Fucheng registered accounts on Chinese social media such as Bilibili and Xiaohongshu. He shared Russian historical knowledge in Chinese and also talked about the daily life of the Confucius Institute.
"What books do Russians who learn Chinese read?" This short video was shot in his office, and the camera turned to focus on the bookshelf - from multiple versions of the complete "Encyclopedia of China" to hardcover editions of "The Collection of Zhuzi", "The Collection of Zhu Xi", "Commentaries on the Thirteen Classics", "The Four "Collected Notes on Chapters and Sentences of Books", and then to the traditional Chinese version of "Chinese Culture Expo" that he bought in his early years and is still commonly used today, this "China expert" treasures it all. "Although this set of handwritten "The Story of the Stone" has vertical traditional Chinese characters, there are still interested students who borrow it and read it with a Chinese dictionary or compare it with the English version."
In addition to Chinese teaching and teacher training, the Confucius Institute at the Russian State University for the Humanities also offers a wealth of Chinese culture courses - from Chinese history and geography, to calligraphy and painting, film and television appreciation, to architecture and environmental protection, the content is all-encompassing. Chinese and Russian experts have also come here to give high-level lectures covering China's economy, society, literature, architecture and other fields, attracting the participation of many teachers, students and professionals from outside the w88 casino.
“The mission of the Confucius Institute is to build a bridge between China and foreign countries, and this bridge should be broad.” Yi Fucheng hopes that the Confucius Institute will transform from a teaching institution into a comprehensive institution for the study of Chinese—not only popularizing Chinese, but also committed to writing teaching materials, holding teaching seminars, giving cultural lectures, and doing academic research. “Only by constantly exploring the depth and breadth of the Confucius Institute can we simultaneously expand the influence of Chinese culture and the Confucius Institute brand.”
Beyond the campus, the Confucius Institute at the Russian State University for the Humanities is also putting “bridging” into practice: strengthening transnational inter-w88 casino cooperation and w88 casino-enterprise cooperation, organizing summer camps and Chinese cultural experience activities, and also providing customized training for Chinese-funded enterprises and actively paving the way for exchanges.
Over the past 18 years, the total number of students who have studied at the Confucius Institute at the Russian State University for the Humanities has exceeded 10,000. Some of them are studying in China, some are working in Chinese companies, some are engaged in diplomatic work, and some are studying Chinese history in Russia. They are shining in various fields of cooperation between China and Russia. What makes Yi Fucheng most gratified is that seven students have now become Chinese teachers, continuing to sow the seeds of Chinese on Russian soil.
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