Preparatory Department For Studying In The Soviet Union

The "Preparatory Department for Studying in the Soviet Union" refers to the preparatory education institution for studying abroad that existed between the year 1952-1960 and relied on the Beijing Russian Language College(the predecessor of Beijing Foreign Studies University).It specially provided the trainings of the Russian language,political literacy and professional knowledge for those going to the Soviet Union.The so-called "study abroad",especially the official study abroad program,was mostly divided into two stages:preparatory education and foreign study.Preparatory education was a prerequisite for students going abroad and the guarantee for the success of foreign study.Like those official study abroad activities in the late Qing Dynasty,the Chinese government sent students to the Soviet Union in the 1950s.The preparatory education for studying in the Soviet Union was conducted by the Preparatory Department of Beijing Russian Language College.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949,there was an urgent need to develop production and build an industrialized country.However,the emerging socialist countries have not been widely recognized by the international community.Learning from the Soviet Union was the only way to obtain advanced science and technologies at that time.In order to quickly satisfy the needs for talents and specialists for economic construction,China conducted preparatory education in political literacy and professional knowledge for student,before senting them to the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries to learn advanced industrial technology and management experience.Preparatory students for studying in the Soviet Union are selected from high school students,first-and second-year college students,university graduates,and outstanding government officials.The selection criteria were very strict.The Preparatory Department of Beijing Russian Language College offered one year of preparatory education for studying in the Soviet Union.The preparatory education focused on improving the Russian language abilitie,carried out political review and ideological education,and also provided material guarantees for the lives of the preparatory students in the Soviet Union.The preparatory education had laid the foundation for the smooth development of study and life in the Soviet Union.Students studying in the Soviet Union had to go through a series of procedures such as professional courses,graduation design,internship and thesis defense to complete their studies.The first problem they faced was language difficulties.With the help of Soviet teachers and classmates,the students finally overcame the language barrier and achieved very good results.After completing their studies and returning to China,students devoted themselves to the construction of various undertakings in the New China.They made important contributions in the fields of politics,diplomacy,aerospace,aviation,geography,computer automation,transportation,engineering technology,humanities and arts.China played the role of founder and pioneer in the construction of various disciplines of natural sciences and social sciences.The activities of studying in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s,which started with the Preparatory Department for Studying Abroad,were an important part of the history of studying abroad in China.Its essence and significance were equivalent to those of previous study abroad activities.During the eight years,the activities developed science and technology for the New China and cultivated more than 6,000 talents in the fields of defense and military industry,economic construction,higher education,humanities and arts.The activities of studying in the Soviet Union greatly promoted the cultural exchanges between the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union.On the one hand,it deepened the Soviet Union’s understanding of Chinese youth,and on the other hand,the introduction of science,technology,ideology and culture into the PRC has played an active role in important departments such as politics,economy,military,culture,education,and science and technology,and promoted the formation of unique social and cultural features of the New China.