------Program code: DO-080821-01870 (what's this?)
Source: CCTV.com
08-21-2008 09:03
The historic courtyard is permeated with a Russian style.
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The city of Yining is situated in Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, in the Yili area of Xinjiang. The courtyard house with an arch is a hundred years old, and is home to six Russian families. Among the residents are Alexander, the owner of an accordion repair shop, Dina, the owner of a bakery, and Nicola, the headmaster of a Russian school. They continue to observe their Russian customs and promote their culture, and because of this, they have attracted considerable media attention in recent years.
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Nina is 76. She has spent 40 years in the courtyard house. Her husband, Zazulin, is an amateur photographer, and early in the morning he went out to take photographs of the Kazak herdsmen. The other residents have also left, either for work or for school. Only Lida, the couple’s daughter, remains at home, with the younger children. The six families who live in the courtyard are made up of 30 people. Besides Nina’s family, the other five are her children’s families. So Nina is naturally the focus of family life here.
At 10am, Nicola gives the first class of the day. Apart from being the only Russian school in the city, it is also the only bilingual Chinese-Russian school in Xinjiang. Founded in 1985, it now has more than 130 students. The children from the courtyard are among them. In addition to teaching Russian, the school offers a curriculum based on the national standard syllabus, which includes Chinese, maths, fine art and sport.
In 1997, after an official inspection of the school, the authorities recommended that the school should become bilingual, teaching both Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Russian is now taught as a major course, 5 to 7 hours a week.
Alexander is Nina’s fourth son. He has three children, all of them studying at the bilingual school. After dropping them off, he heads for his shop on Ahemaitijiang Street in Yining. Alexander, who is 48, is not only an accordion repairer, but also one of the finest accordion players in Yining. It’s long been his habit to enjoy a song before he starts work for the day.
Alexander has been widely reported as loving music as much as he does life itself. He has been running his shop for over 20 years. But his experience in repairing accordions goes back much further.
Dina, his younger sister, owns the bakery next to his repair shop. This innocuous-looking shop is the only supplier of hand-made bread in the area.
Dina is Nina’s eldest daughter. Earlier in her career, she ran clothes and handicrafts shops. But the businesses weren’t a success. Later, she decided to make use of the skills she had inherited from her mother, and opened the bakery. It has become highly successful.
Dina, Nina’s eldest daughter
Early in the morning, the freshly-baked bread is laid out on the counter. Dina sells Russian bread, apricot jam bread and bread rolls. Her small bakery attracts many regular customers, as well as a steady stream of new ones. Many of them buy in bulk. All in all, Nina’s business is thriving.
Tu’erxun, Dina’s husband, is an ethnic Uygur who works at Yining Police Station. She married a non-Russian because there were so few Russian men in Yining. When business is busy, Tu’erxun helps out in the shop. They have two daughters, both attending the Russian school.
At the beginning of the 18th century, there was a major migration from Tsarist Russia. After the Russian Revolution, more Russians moved to Xinjiang. Yining today still bears traces of Russian culture, including some unique Russian-style architecture.
Only once the children are in bed does Lida have the time to tidy the room. Despite being so small, the courtyard house is always tidy. There’s a strong romantic feel to the interior.
Headmaster Nicola comes home every noon. He reads the news on Russian websites, and searches for fresh stories to use in class.
The courtyard is a lively place at noon, with a dozen children all returning home from school. Among them, the eldest is 15, and the youngest 8.
Nina’s parents came to Yili in 1933, and she was born in Gongliu County. After she married Zhazulin, they moved to Yining, where they set up home beside the Yili River and raised 16 children.
40 years ago, many of the Russian emigrants in the region moved on to Australia, Canada and other countries. But Nina preferred the natural environment and climate in Yining. She stayed, and moved into the small courtyard. Almost before she knew it, 40 years had passed.
Alexander hasn’t returned home this noon. He has an appointment with an Australia-based Russian, who wants his accordion repairing.
The man’s name is Vladimir, and he is a celebrated accordion player. He’s a popular figure among the Russian immigrants in Australia. Alexander takes the opportunity to learn something from him.
