Artem Semenov, born in 1977 in Russia, studied at the College of International Education of Shandong University from 1995 to 1996 to learn Chinese and Chinese culture.

According to Semenov's teacher Sheng Lin, Semenov studied very hard when he was in SDU. This was because Semenov appreciated the chance to study abroad given by his country. As a result, he was determined to learn more about China so that he could make contributions to the friendship between Russia and China.

Although Semenov was originally disappointed not being assigned to universities in Beijing, capital of China, he quickly felt happy and lucky to study at SDU when he learned more about the school's history, as well as realized that Shandong province was the hometown of Confucius and the cradle of Confucian culture.

Semenov devoted himself fully to studying Chinese and Chinese culture when he was at SDU, where he also made many friends. He agrees with the Confucian philosophy of "harmony in diversity", which has also affected his devotion to establishing a friendship between the two countries despite their cultural differences.

Semenov was awarded the title "Honorary Resident" by Jiangsu province in 2020 for his contribution to the establishment of the friendship and practical cooperation between Moscow Oblast and Jiangsu province.

Semenov's ties with Jiangsu province were cemented in 1996 when he visited cities in Jiangsu province in a trip organized by SDU. The deep impression left on him then eventually resulted in the establishment of friendship between Moscow Oblast and Jiangsu province in April 2014.

As this year marks the 120th anniversary of the establishment of SDU, Semenov sent his best wishes to SDU, adding that he hopes SDU will further boost cooperation in education between China and Russia.

A photo shows Artem Semenov (second from left) and school faculty when he visited SDU in 2017. [Photo/sdu.edu.cn]