A journey through time and transformation: Russian journalists visit northwest China

In July 2025, a delegation of 18 journalists from several major Russian media outlets visited Gansu and Xinjiang in northwest China.

The delegation toured Lanzhou, Gannan, Dingxi, and Tianshui in northwest China's Gansu Province, as well as Urumqi in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, gaining a close look at both cultural heritage and modern development.

In Lanzhou, they visited the Lanzhou Air Battle Memorial Monument dedicated to Soviet pilots who sacrificed their lives in the fight against Japanese invaders, and the Gansu Provincial Museum, where a large Silk Road map with routes stretching to Moscow and St. Petersburg illustrated the historical ties between China and Russia.

The journalists also documented the transformation of local rural villages, where they noted how China's rural revitalization strategy has improved people's lives.

In Tianshui, they explored the Maijishan Grottoes, marveling at cliffside statues that have endured for centuries. The intricate beauty of Thangka paintings in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture also left a deep impression.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The delegation's journey served as both a cultural exchange and a reminder of shared history.

"We are still together. This is one of the most important lessons history has left us: we are always together. Being together brings comfort, and when we are together, there is nothing to fear," said Victoria Oseeva, a journalist from the Branch of VGTRK in the Republic of Buryatia.

(Aerial footage provided by the Publicity Department of the CPC Lanzhou Municipal Committee, and by Yang Xu and Wang Minghui from the Tianshui Convergence Media Center.)