Graduate of HSE University in St Petersburg Receives Award at ‘Chinese Bridge’ Competition in Beijing
In early September 2024, Anastasia Usyk, a graduate of the Bachelor’s Programme in Asian and African Studies at HSE University in St Petersburg, participated in the final round of the ‘Chinese Bridge’ International Language Competition in Beijing, where she won the first prize in online voting and received the Audience Award and the Award for Most Outstanding Performance. She spoke about her experience in the competition, her studies and future plans in an interview with HSE News Service.
— Could you tell us more about the ‘Chinese Bridge’ International Language Competition?
— We found out about the competition during our first year of studies, when we were learning how to write hieroglyphs. At the age of 18, I decided that I would do my best to fulfil my dream and become fluent in Chinese. On April 26, 2024, I had the honour of representing HSE University in the qualifying round in St. Petersburg. I achieved the highest score and took the first place. In May, the All-Russian round was held in Novosibirsk, where I participated and made it to the finals of the world competition, which took place in August and September in China.
We spent nearly three weeks in China, where we had a very rich educational and cultural programme. A total of 150 participants from 130 countries arrived in China. We were united by our passion for learning Chinese and our interest in Chinese culture and history.
I was greatly impressed by the competition quality and the organisation of the event! I won the first prize in online voting, receiving more than 22,000 votes, and was awarded with certificates in the Audience Award and Most Outstanding Performance categories. I also received a certificate for a scholarship to a Chinese university of my choice, which is valid for three years.
— This is a significant achievement. Can you tell us about your journey to success?
— Five years of bachelor's studies require a lot of hard work. I always speak highly of HSE Institute of Asian and African Studies and HSE University in general. I’m proud of the efforts I have made to gain this valuable experience. I received a comprehensive education thanks to the thoughtful steps and consistent choices I made during each year of my studies.
Not only Russian-speaking teachers, but also teachers from China give lectures within our programme. However, even that wasn't enough for me, so I created a Chinese Speaking Club, which is now one of the biggest speaking clubs in Russia. Over the three years, thousands of Russian and Chinese students made new friends through the club. I have enrolled in a master's programme at the prestigious Shenzhen University, where I am studying the methodology of teaching Chinese. I plan to complete my PhD and continue teaching Chinese.
— How would you encourage HSE students and applicants?
— I wish them strength and patience. I’d say, ‘The path you have chosen is not easy, but a bright future requires hard work. Do not give up! Dreams can come true if you do your best.’
The Bachelor’s Programme in Asian and African Studies at the HSE Institute of Asian and African Studies combines the best traditions of St Petersburg school of Asian studies with the advanced knowledge and understanding of specific regions in Asia and Africa. Students of the programme gain proficiency in two or more regional languages—they study two Eastern and two European languages of their choice, and one of the following specialisations is implemented during the third to fifth years: economics, political science, international relations, cultural studies, art history, sociology, or philosophy and religious studies of Asian and African countries. You can learn more about the programme here.
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