Tian Chenxu: Enjoy the Peace of Calligraphy and Learning Russian
Tian Chenxu
A student majoring in Russian in the School of Foreign Languages of CCNU, the former head of the Painting and Calligraphy Association at Nanhu Campus, won the second prize in the third stage of Olympiad of Russian as a Foreign Language, which is the best among Chinese competitors.
Let's know more about this diligent and outstanding student!
What led you to join the Painting and Calligraphy Association at Nanhu Campus?
The love for calligraphy. I started to learn it at an early age. And when I came to CCNU in 2019, I was attracted by the paintings and calligraphy works from Painting and Calligraphy Association in the recruitment drive. At that moment, I knew I was bound to join it.
Is there any interesting experience in Painting and Calligraphy Association?
Yeah, countless, and I feel fulfilled all the time. I joined the association in 2019, and became the director of Painting and Calligraphy Creation Committee in 2020. In 2021, determined to make our association a better place, I ran for the leader of our association and made it.
During my tenure, I have organized many activities, ranging from traditional Chinese calligraphy courses for foreign students to “12.9” poem and prose competition co-held with School of Chinese Language and Literature. Every activity is meaningful to me.
Do you have any other hobbies?
During my spare time, I like going to places with cultural atmosphere like museums and art galleries.
And I also enjoy reading from a very early age. At first, I’d like to read picture books or illustrated magazines. Then, I learned to read novels. When I was in high school, I mainly read some classic novels recommended by my teacher. After entering CCNU, I read more Russian literature as I major in
Russian. Recently, I am reading Anna Karenina, War and Peace, Crime and Punishment and some prose written by Chuning. Now, I can appreciate the charm of classics more.
What’s your first impression on Russian?
“Cold”. In the first place, Russian is not a very hot and popular major, and the temperature in most places of Russia is cold. What’s more, my initial impression on the Russian people is that they are not very enthusiastic, because they don’t like to smile. However, after further study and communication with some Russian friends, I found that they were very enthusiastic and sincere to both life and academic work.
Why did you choose Russian as your major?
Because I am very interested in Russian culture.
Do you have any tips to share with the younger students in learning Russian?
Firstly, you should be patient as Russian is a difficult language, especially in the beginning stage. It may take about half a year before you can be on the right track. Besides, you may feel disappointed with yourself when you find your friends who are learning other languages can sing songs in two weeks. But, just hold on and be patient to learn it gradually.
And then, be steadfast and diligent. Language learning is a long process. In daily study, you should complete your assignments with high quality. But this is not enough. You’d better practice more according to your own situation.
What’s also important is to find the appropriate learning method based on your learning style. Because we are different from each other, we can’t follow others blindly.
What was the opportunity to sign up for the competition?
On the one hand, I just wanted to assess my Russian level . On the other hand, I thought maybe I can get a certification and get recognition.
Did the competition go well?
Actually, it went smoothly, though I only had one week to prepare for it, and at the same time I also needed to go to class.
What’s your first reaction when you know your grade?
（The second place in level 3, the best among all the Chinese competitors）
I was surprised. After the contest, I was not very confident, because my partner performed very well and responded quickly and our conversation was almost tit for tat. But the final results turned out to be very good, which was indeed surprising.
Have you ever encountered bottlenecks in your college life?
I have had three bottlenecks.
The first one was when I first learned Russian , I found it difficult to have a good command of both English and Russian. However, I overcame the discomfort of being exposed to a new language and culture.
The second bottleneck occurred when I took the TPR4 (Level IV proficiency test for Russian majors). The large amount of the exam content and the tight preparation time made me feel stressed. However, under the guidance of my teacher, I studied according to the syllabus and achieved an excellent result.
The third bottleneck was the final exam. I didn't know how to revise the major courses at the beginning, but through the three years of studying and revising, I have grown from a haphazard approach to an organized approach to plan my revision.
Any events or people that had a particularly big impact on your college life?
Firstly, I joined the Painting and Calligraphy Association at Nanhu Campus and made my contribution.
Secondly, my Russian teachers have nurtured me and developed my academic literacy. They have taught me to be practical, hardworking and to take one step at a time. They also taught me to be honest and trustworthy, and to have my own opinions and ideas and not to follow the crowd. I am very grateful to my them, who have a high level of academic knowledge of Russian, and are very kind and supportive to their students. They answer students’ questions meticulously and correct our work timely. I learn from them that: diligence and pragmatism are the spirit to learn Russian.
What impressed you the most about CCNU?
That must be the environment of our campus. It is green and healthy, with fresh air. And the learning environment becomes better in recent years as the school has been renovated and the infrastructure has been improved. Although CCNU is already one hundred and twenty years old, she is still vital and vibrant, making you feel full of hope.
Do you have any plans for the rest of your time at CCNU?
I plan to study hard, cherish the time left in school, read more books and expand my knowledge for future work and study.
Read More
Interviewer: Mia(trainee) Emma(trainee)
Editor: Sirry(trainee) Emma(trainee) Simon(trainee)
Reviser: Gritta
Designer: Bianca(trainee)