More than 600 after-school classes in Chinese are open for Moscow schoolchildren

About eight thousand pupils from Moscow study Chinese as part of basic educational programs in more than 70 schools. There are also more than 600 Chinese after-school groups, teaching more than six thousand children, in schools and further education centers. Among foreign languages, Chinese is the second most popular after English.

“Today Moscow schoolchildren have access to after-school classes where they can study more than 20 foreign languages—from English, Chinese and German to Hindi, Hebrew and Swahili. In the classes children prepare for international exams and take part in intercultural projects. New language programs are regularly opened and the existing ones are being expanded,” said the press service of the capital’s Department of Education and Science.

In the Chinese language classes and groups children learn writing, grammar and vocabulary, and apply their knowledge in practice. Particular attention is paid to Chinese culture and traditions, enabling the students to communicate confidently with native speakers.

From schools to libraries

The teaching of Chinese is also being developed in school groups. For example, at Tsaritsyno School (School No. 548), more than 550 children study the language and painting of China, do kung fu and learn about Chinese linguistics and culture.

Some of the pupils have won competitions and prizes in the All-Russian Olympiad for Schoolchildren in Chinese. For example, 2024 school-leaver Sophia Don took the top place three years in a row—in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In addition, in 2023 she won a prize in the global competition Chinese is a Bridge, held in Beijing. Sophia Don is now a student at Shanghai Transportation University. In order to get in, she took the same exams as Chinese applicants.

School No. 1517 has a project called MSU Class, in which pupils study the Chinese language and the history of the country under the guidance of experienced orientalists. The school celebrates Chinese holidays and holds ceremonial themed events.

Members of the MSU Class Project are also achieving winning prizes. For example, fourth-grader Ivan Kovalevich was the overall winner of the Russian stage and a prize-winner in the final stage of the global competition Chinese is a Bridge.

Pupils can also study Chinese in the library of the Moscow Electronic School. The service provides access to more than 300 lesson scripts, over 360 apps, and 200 interactive quizzes and video lessons.