“Perm-Qingdao Friendship Alley” Opened at Gymnasium No. 2

Photo: The Perm Department of Education

The participants of the event planted 20 apple trees and sealed a time capsule with wishes dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the cities’ friendship in 2036.

A ceremony to open the “Perm-Qingdao Friendship Alley” was held at Gymnasium No. 2 in Perm, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the signing of the agreement on the development of friendly ties between the cities. The partnership seeks conditions for joint activities and promotion of friendly relations between the cities to educate the younger generation through real-world projects and joint educational activities for young people.

The event was attended by pupils and teachers of Gymnasium No. 2 and invited guests. Alexander Molokovskikh, the Head of the Mayor’s Office, addressed those gathered together with representatives of the Department of Education, .

During the opening ceremony of the “Perm-Qingdao Friendship Alley”, the gymnasium’s choir performed a song in Chinese. Afterwards, the participants planted 20 apple tree saplings provided by the Municipal State Institution “GorZelenStroy” from the city’s nursery and sealed a time capsule containing wishes dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the friendship between Perm and Qingdao in 2036.

It should be noted that Gymnasium No. 2 cooperates with three schools in Qingdao and holds various joint events. In 2014, the Confucius Classroom was opened at the gymnasium, which has become a centre for the Chinese language and culture not only at the level of the Volga Federal District but across Russia. At the World Congress of Confucius Institutes and Classrooms, it was recognised as the best in the category “Creating Conditions for the Development of the Chinese Language and Culture”.

Cooperation between the twin-cities began with a visit by a Qingdao delegation to Perm in 2003. Three years later, an agreement on the development of friendly ties was signed between the parties, and in 2013 an agreement on cooperation was signed between the education departments of Perm and Qingdao.