On November 9, IICE Senior Professor GU Mingyuan was specially invited by Academician B.C. Sadovnichy, the President of Moscow State University in Russia, to participate in the fourth congress of the Russian Language and Literature Society and the International Education Conference titled "Vygotsky's Legacy and Modern Education: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Vygotsky's Birth". He appeared online as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony.
Professor GU delivered a keynote speech titled "Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Vygotsky's Birth: Valuable Heritage, Precious Friendship - Insights from Chinese Educators". In his speech, Professor Gu briefly recounted his experiences of studying and researching Vygotsky's educational works while studying at the Moscow Lenin Pedagogical Institute in the Soviet Union over 50 years ago. He comprehensively analyzed the educational theoretical propositions of Vygotsky, known as the father of Russian teachers, and their practical significance. Towards the end of his address, Professor GU presented a calligraphy artwork, specially created for the conference with the phrase "海内存相知，天涯若比邻!" (Though oceans lie between us, the heart unites) to convey his wishes for enduring Sino-Russian friendship to his Russian educational counterparts.
The Congress of the Russian Language and Literature Society is a significant high-level academic annual event in Russia. Since its inaugural session in 2018, it has convened four times, focusing on discussing topics related to linguistics, literature, education and other disciplines. This year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Vygotsky, the founding figure in Russian educational science. President Putin specifically signed an order designating 2023 as the "Year of the Russian Teacher-Educator", and various commemorative events were held across Russia to honor Vygotsky's legacy.
On November 9-11, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the "Vygotsky's Legacy and Modern Education: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Vygotsky's Birth" international education conference took place in Moscow. The conference consisted of six sub-forums and had satellite sessions in several cities, attracting 4,097 scholars from 78 federal subjects of the Russian Federation and 24 other countries.
