Every year in early January in Harbin city, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival is held, which is the largest ice and snow festival in the world, which includes: The Opening Ceremony of the Ice and Snow Festival, The Opening Ceremony of the World ice and snow, International Exhibition of Snow Sculptures on the Island of the Sun, International Competition of Ice and Snow Sculptures, Business Contacts Exchange and Symposium of World Cities of Ice and Snow.
This year, the festival was held from 4 to 7 January 2020 and included a number of events to share experiences on holding winter holidays, share regional resources, develop mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the development of cities of ice and snow, the Voice of Friendship concert, Procession of mascots , International Youth Ice Hockey Match and International Competition of Ice and Snow Sculptures. Among those invited was a delegation from the city of Murmansk.
The delegation of the city of Murmansk visited the "Heilongjiang University of the city of Harbin" within the framework of the Festival. The delegation from the city of Murmansk – O.A. Dzyuba – Deputy of the Council of Deputies of Murmansk, director of Murmansk MBOU "Gymnasium No. 8", thanks to which agreements were reached in the field of education. One of the priority projects is the creation of a "Confucius Class" on the basis of gymnasium No. 8.
The aim of the Confucius Institute or Classes is to foster friendship and understanding between China and Russia by disseminating information about the culture, language, economy and social life of China. Important aspects of the Confucius Institute"s activities are organizing courses in the Chinese language and culture, conducting tests in the Chinese language, organizing internships in China, conducting competitions, and promoting psychological research. They also discussed the participation of Murmansk schoolchildren in summer camps at the Heilongjiang University of Harbin.
In addition, the delegation from Murmansk visited the city clinic of the city of Harbin No. 1, which has a department of traditional Chinese medicine.
Head of Murmansk city municipal unit Andrey Sysoev met with the chief physician of the clinic, Mrs. Huang Qiuxian, who had previously come to the city of Murmansk to exchange experiences.
As a result of the meeting, the Chinese experience of traditional rehabilitation of stroke patients, children with cerebral palsy, as well as treatment of people suffering from burns and frostbite, including using the methods of traditional Chinese medicine, was studied. The priority project is to test the methods of traditional Chinese medicine in hospitals and clinics in Murmansk.
As part of the Festival program, a Symposium of World Cities of Ice and Snow was held under the auspices of the Harbin International Conference on Sustainable Development of Snow and Ice Cities 2020, which was attended by representatives of 41 cities from 20 countries.
Head of Murmansk municipal unit Andrey Sysoev made a presentation on the topic: "Experience of international cooperation and investment potential of Murmansk city", the purpose of which was to present Murmansk as a modern, business and investment-attractive capital of the region.
During the Symposium of World Cities of Ice and Snow, a trilateral meeting of the mayor of the city of Rovaniemi, the head of the municipality of the city of Murmansk and the mayor of the commune of Sør-Varanger took place. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the issues of increasing the tourist flow from the Pan-Asian countries to Murmansk and the Scandinavian countries, the development of inter-municipal relations and investment activities, the development of a plan of joint activities aimed at bringing our cities closer together to obtain a synergistic effect in bilateral cooperation with Harbin and the People"s Republic of China as a whole. ...
Within the framework of the Festival, a meeting was organized between the Mayor of the People"s Government of the city of Harbin, Mr. Sun Zhe, and the head of Murmansk municipal unit Andrey Sysoev.
The meeting discussed the prospects for cooperation in the fields of health care (development of traditional medicine based on hospitals and clinics in the city of Murmansk), education (opening of the Confucius Class, inviting Chinese teachers to Murmansk, participation of Murmansk schoolchildren in summer camps at the Heilongjiang University), culture, tourism (an increase in tourist flow not only of Chinese tourists to Murmansk, but also of Murmansk tourists to Harbin), as well as the search for new promising areas of cooperation.
In addition, the head of Murmansk municipal unit Andrey Sysoev invited Mr. Sun Zhe to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in the city of Murmansk in May 2020.
