A Cultural Adventure In Russia's Far East

By Muhammad Ammar Shafiq Hamzah VLADIVOSTOK (Russia), July 27 (Bernama) -- As the plane descended, the beautiful view of Russia’s eastern most city of Vladivostok below greeted the weary passengers including this writer who had to endure a grueling 20-hour flight and layovers from Kuala Lumpur. Located at the Pacific end of Russia and not far from the country’s borders with China and North Korea, the port city offers a picturesque landscape. The city is built on hills surrounding the Golden Horn Bay, overlooking The Sea of Japan. This writer was in Vladivostok recently as part of a four-member delegation from Malaysia to attend the third Pan-European Festival Marathon – a cultural event organised by the Russian government. During the three-day visit, young delegates from European and Asia Pacific countries attended a special dialogue on the significance of culture and also toured the city. ASIAN INFLUENCE ON VLADIVOSTOK During the visit to the city the delegates learnt a lot about this cultural city, with strong influences of both the East and the West. Vladivostok loosely translates as 'ruler of the east' in Russian and walking through its streets one will notice that the place is a unique blend of European and Asian influences though the dominant language is Russian. If one looks at the vehicles on the streets, the Japanese marquees are especially popular in the city. Right hand drive Toyota Corolla as well as vehicles from Honda and Nissan models are some of those favoured by the locals. Foreign influences also made a significant impact on the city’s gastronomy offerings. Recipes and ingredients from Asia have also been adapted to create a local fusion cuisine. “Due to the city’s proximity to Asia, there is strong Asian flavor in our food. We have Chinese cafes, Koreans restaurants and lately we have been seeing lots of new sushi bars all over the city,” said Varfolomeeva Polina, 18, who served as a volunteer guide during the city tour. Polina, a first year political science student at The Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in Vladivostok shared that there is a strong Korean influence on the local cuisine, brought by the Koreans who have settled down in the city. She said today the city of Vladivostok has a population of about 600,000 people made up of ethnic Russian and minority ethnic groups - Chinese, Korean, Japanese and indigenous people. “People living in the Russian Far East in general really enjoy their Korean spicy cabbage (Kimchi) and fermented fish, this has become part of our culture and indicates years of interaction between the Russian and Koreans. “Vladivostok has a strong connection with Asia, that is why when you walk on the city’s streets you can see people with Asian features but with Russian nationality. We are so diverse not only in our food, but in our people too,” she said. PRIMORSKY STATE ART GALLERY Located in an old building on the Aleutskaya Street at Vladivostok's historic quarter, the Primorsky State Art Gallery is often referred to as the great cultural gem of the Russian Far East. Situated in the historic part of the city near the central square and the railway station, the gallery was founded in 1966. Today the gallery boasts for a collection of more than 7505 works mostly paintings and sculptures. The gallery has a unique collection of Russian, Soviet and European paintings dating back to the 18th century. The Pan-European festival delegates also had a chance to visit the gallery. With welcoming interiors and a peaceful ambiance, the gallery is a good place for people yearning for the peace of mind. A retreat of serenity from the hustle and bustle of the city. “This is the concept that we try to bring to the gallery, we don't want it to be too serious. Normally arts have this stigma of being too serious and exclusive, that is wrong because arts is for everyone,” said Alena Datsenko (she), who is the Director of the gallery. Talking about the important of arts in society, Alena said arts have the power to influences people especially in changing opinions, values and rouse emotions. “Arts is another form of communication, it allows strangers from different background and time to communicate via image or sound. A brilliant painting for example, can rouse emotions or perhaps inspire people into doing something. Arts can trigger change,” said Alena who has been Director of the gallery since 2013. Apart from showcasing arts collection, the gallery also focuses on restoration, research, rolling out lectures and many other educational activities. It specialised in Russian and European art culture lectures. THE PRIMORSKY STAGE OF THE MARIINSKY THEATRE Apart from visiting art gallery, delegates were also taken to the prestigious Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, established in 1783, to witness the Russian opera. Located at the end of Zolotoy Bridge overlooking the Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn), the urban glass-and-metal structure is an architectural wonder with a unique "cube within a cube" design. It was a great night of opera as Giuseppe Verdi’s classic Italian masterpiece ‘Rigoletto’ was staged to entertain the delegates that night. Verdi’s 1851 tragic story of the hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto and his beautiful daughter Gilda, was presented by the theater’s cast of talented singers and musicians dressed up in period costumes. Added with the attractive stage décor and colourful background scenery, audiences went through an emotional roller coaster. There was a pin drop silence as the entire audience was awed into silence throughout the stunning play. Credit also goes to the accompanying orchestra under conductor Pavel Smelkov that helped to create a sterling performance on the whole. “Watching theater is different from watching movies or reading books, when you see a live performance you can feel the emotions of the performers,” said Elena Sabinina who is the theater’s press secretary. She said attending a play can promote certain connection and understanding towards humanity and it allows the audience to feel certain emotions that they could not experience in their personal life. Today the theater is the centre of cultural life in the Primorsky Krai region, it staged many well-known classics to contemporary modern piece. Meanwhile, Elena noted the theater also helps local emerging talents in Vladivostok by providing them with the opportunity and the platform to showcase their talent in their hometown. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIDE BAR THE PAN-EUROPEAN FESTIVAL MARATHON What is Pan-European Festival Marathon? The festival was an initiative of the Russian Parliamentary European Club and started in 2013 as a cultural project to show unity in Europe with the motto ‘For Europe without dividing lines’. This time around, the third marathon, the theme is ‘From the Atlantic to Pacific’. The third marathon started in Perm, Russia on April 7; then in Lisbon, Portugal (the furthest Western point of the route) on April 8 through April 11; in Paphos, the 2017 cultural capital of the European Union, and Nicosia, Cyprus, the cultural crossroad of the Eastern Mediterranean, on April 13 through April 16. It then went on to Helsinki, Finland on April 17-18; in Moscow, Russia on April 19; and finally in Vladivostok (the furthest Eastern point of the route) on April 23 to 24. “This year's event is different, as for the first time it unified the countries in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. We bring together the young people of Europe and Asia Pacific to discuss the significant role of culture in consolidating unity in the region stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean,” said Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Russian Federation, Senator Andrey Klimov at the dialogue. He pointed out in time of unpredictability, especially in the context of international relations, cultural exchange and understanding could be a bridge to enhance the relationship between nations in an effort to avoid conflicts. Klimov said Vladivostok was chosen as the final meeting points of the marathon because the city represents the significant cultural background for cultural understanding. “The city itself is an example of cultural tolerance and diversity where the western meets eastern culture,” he said. -- BERNAMA