| Kazan,the third largest city in Russia and the capital of Tatarstan Republic of the Russian Federation,is located on the dividing line of Europe and Asia,with convenient transportation extending in all directions.Historically,Kazan was an important business hub on the trade routes from north to south and from east to west.After Russia conquered the Kazan khanate in the 16th century,Kazan became an important base for Russia’s eastward development.In modern times,Kazan has been one of the national centers for politics,economy,science,culture,and sports,whether in the times of the Soviet Union or Russia after the disintegration of the USSR,and always plays an important role in the cultural and economic exchanges between China and Russia.Culturally,both the Kazan culture based on Islamic culture and the Chinese culture belong to oriental culture,and there is a perceivable sense of "proximity" between the two.Promoted by the vital North-South and East-West trade routes,Kazan makes efforts to tap into its natural resources and its commodity production become more mature.As a traditional commodity distribution center,it is gaining an increasing trade attraction by gathering its own commodities and foreign goods.Since the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation in 2001,Kazan has attracted more investments from China,and are constantly pushing Sino-Russian economic cooperation to new heights.Starting with Kazan’s cultural proximity and economic attraction to China,this paper deals with Kazan-centered Sino-Russian cultural and economic exchanges,and investigates Kazan’s important role in the exchange,to deepen the understanding and cognition of the friendly development of Sino-Russian relations from more dimensions and at deeper levels and provide further support for the future development of Sino-Russian relations.Since China puts forward the Belt and Road Initiative,within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union,the Tatarstan Republic has signed many agreements of strategic cooperation projects with major Chinese enterprises under the guidance of the foreign policy "Facing the East" and the Goal of Economic Strategy 2030 and made efforts to build all-round and multi-field economic cooperation with various regions of China.Undoubtedly,Kazan with its excellent geographical location and profound history and culture,will play an irreplaceable key role in the Sino-Russian economic and cultural exchanges.This paper carries on the study in five parts.The first part explores the historical and cultural development process of Kazan from early tribal culture to the khanate and then to the Soviet Union,reveals the national and cultural characteristics of Kazan and the origin of "proximity" between Kazan culture and Chinese culture.The second part describes the economic development process for more than one thousand years in the Kazan region and the achievements of modern economic development and expounds the historical causes why Russia can make Kazan the base for eastern activities and demonstrates the attraction of Kazan to investment and cooperation from China.As the capital of Tatarstan Republic of the Russian Federation,Kazan is,in nature,independent and autonomous,and its foreign policy of "Facing the East"and the "Economic Strategy 2030" have politically become the direction indicator of cooperation between Kazan and various regions of China.The third and fourth parts summarize a series of achievements in cultural and economic exchanges between Kazan and other parts of China in the context of good development of bilateral relations in the new century and points out that Kazan shall continue to play its important role in leading,demonstrating,introducing,and promoting the Sino-Russian cultural and economic exchanges with the characteristics of "proximity"and "attraction".In final part,the paper sums up and looks forward into the role and significance of Kazan in promoting Sino-Russian exchanges and puts forward applicable suggestions. |
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