Compatriots in China should revive cultural & historic heritage.

4/5 Tass 112

HARBIN, May 4 (Itar-Tass) - Russian compatriots in China should
revive their cultural and historical heritage and preserve their native
tongue, says chairman of the church foreign relations department of the
Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Ilarion in his written address to
participants in a conference of Russian compatriots (living in China)
which opened in Harbin on Tuesday.
"Your evidence to the world of traditional values for us is not only
an earnest of preservation of our own image, but also a factor, capable of
developing relations with peoples of countries where God judged us to
live," the metropolitan's address notes.
"I call on all of you for evidence of values of the Russian world
through embodiment in everyday life of the most important principles of
its existence, through revival of our cultural and historical heritage in
China and through preservation of the native tongue."
Metropolitan Ilarion specially stressed that "the "Russian Orthodox
Church unites orthodox believers not only over the space of historical
Russia, but far and wide outside its bounds". The address states that
fellow countrymen in Harbin, the city historically connected with Russia,
"have always carefully preserved their cultural and religious traditions,
which helped them to maintain the spirit of unity".
The Tuesday conference, entitled "Russian historical heritage in
China: problems of studies, protection and popularisation on the occasion
of the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory" is attended by
representatives from various non-government organisations, scholars,
historians, diplomats as well as Russian clergymen from Beijing, Shanghai,
Harbin, Guangzhou, Urumchi and Hong Kong.
Such conferences have been held since 2007. The first of them was
staged at the Russian embassy in Beijing.
-0-bur/gor


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