CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE PRC’S “SOFT” INFLUENCE: STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE

Abstract

The rapid development of Russian-Chinese relations, strengthening of China’s position in the world as an economic and industrial center has led to a significant demand for specialists with knowledge of the Chinese language, which is the key to understanding the peculiarities of China’s culture and economy. The purpose of the article is to analyze the role of the Chinese language at the present stage in Russia. The article proves the importance of the Chinese language and its influence in the context of world language policy. The article examines the origin and historical course of development of the process of studying the Chinese language in Russia, the formation and development of Russian sinology as a science about China and the Chinese language. Special attention is paid to the study of the Chinese language at school. The activities of the Confucius Institutes and Classes (Schools) that popularize Chinese culture and language among target audiences, mainly young people, in different countries are studied. The main attention is paid to China’s language policy, used as an instrument of “soft power”.