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The theory of academic exchanges emphasises the importance of international cooperation to improve the quality of education, stimulate innovation and promote cultural diversity. China and Russia are two major world powers with rich history and culture. The exchange of international students between the countries is an important aspect of the friendly format of cooperation in higher education. During such exchange, students can improve their foreign language skills, enrich their personal life experience, ensure high competitiveness in employment, and expand their knowledge and skills in the field of their profession. This paper analyses the current situation and predicts future directions of educational exchange through various prisms, including the experience of academic student exchange between universities in the two countries. It analyses the attitudes of Chinese students studying at SPbSU towards higher education in Russia. The author notes that academic exchanges and foreign learning experiences provide opportunities for international students to broaden their horizons and fulfil their emotional needs in study and life. Students from both countries have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different cultural and academic environment, improve their intercultural communication skills and broaden their global perspectives. It also focuses on the opinion of Chinese students about the quality of higher education in Russia. Academic exchanges of students are of great importance for the state, as they act as instruments of forming «soft power» in another country, strengthen diplomatic relations between countries, form a positive image of the state, attract investments, etc. Thus, academic exchanges are a way for countries to develop cooperation at various levels - from educational to economic. Thus, academic exchanges are a way for countries to develop co-operation at various levels - from educational to economic. Purpose. To investigate the current state of the concept of academic student exchange between China and Russia, to study the significance of this international co-operation for the development of the higher education system. Methodology. The paper uses collection and analysis of information sources, historical method, comparison and generalisation, survey with the help of the author's questionnaire. SPSS Statistics 23 software is used to analyse empirical data. Results. The result of the work is the identification of the peculiarities of the sphere of academic exchange of students between China and Russia, the determination of the importance of this cooperation for the development of the higher education system at the international level. The author concludes that cooperation in the development of innovations in key areas of education contributes to the smoothing of cultural differences between the countries, and expands opportunities for students of both countries in higher education. Practical implications. The results of the study can be used in the educational sphere of international cooperation. Teachers and specialists involved in planning the educational process in the university sphere have the opportunity to create an innovative approach to improve the academic exchange programme for students, taking into account the socio-cultural criteria analysed in the article.

The paper is devoted to the research and study of the artistic interpretation of the concept of “Quonakh” (national hero) in Chechen painting and graphics in the 1990s. The novelty of the paper is the appeal to the origins of the concept of “Quonakh” in the works of Chechen artists, which found manifestation in certain historical conditions, respectively. The chronological scope of the study covers the period of the so-called “the First Chechen War” or the operation to restore constitutional order in Chechnya (1994-1996) and the post-war years (1996-1999). In the visual culture of this time, images of national leaders appear, carrying at this stage not so much an aesthetic, but an ideological load. Beybulat Taimiev, Zelimkhan Kharachoevsky, Baysangur Benoevsky and other heroes become, in a certain sense, symbols of Chechen culture and are still present in it to nowadays. Heroic images (in their close connection with the most important national concept), embodied in the interpretation of Chechen artists of the late 90s (XX century), are analyzed. The most professionally executed and deep in content works of Sultan Abaev, Kharon Isaev, Said Bitziraev, Khasan Sediev, which are characterized not only by a patriotic orientation, but also by a veiled form of perception of the atmosphere of modernity, were selected for the research. The purpose of this article is to identify and describe the structural and semantic features of the image-concept “Quonakh” and its reflection in professional national fine arts, which is very important in the context of not only Chechen, but also Russian culture. The methodology is based on art criticism, comparative and system-constructive analysis. The use of the historical-biographical method allows us to trace the influence of specific historical personalities on the process of creating a pictorial image. The conclusions of the study include the recapitulation about the possibilities of “artistic and figurative interpretation of philosophical concepts” that contribute to the creation of new artistic realities by transmitting feelings of heroism, patriotism, honor, using educational techniques based on the traditions of the Chechens/Nokhchiis. The image-concept “Quonakh” is one of the axiological dominants on which the existence of a distinctive ethnic culture is based. In fact, real “Chechenness”, as a property of the national character, is manifested by the presence in it of connections with the “Quonakhalla” code.

Traditional Chinese waterscape design is a profound cultural symbol and a perfect embodiment of the natural landscape. The philosophical ideas, aesthetic concepts and cultural connotations embedded in traditional Chinese culture have played an important role in the design of traditional water features. However, traditional water features have struggled to maintain their lasting beauty due to their impact on the environment and ecology. With the development of modern technology and advances in water management theory and techniques, modern water treatment systems have become an important means of solving water management and ecological and environmental problems. Combining traditional cultural elements with modern water self-purification systems has become an effective way to optimise traditional water features. This paper focuses on the cultural elements and water self-purification systems embedded in the design of traditional Chinese water features, and ways to optimise them with the help of modern technology. Firstly, the cultural background of traditional Chinese garden water features is analysed in terms of their unique traditional cultural elements, design methods and characteristics. Then, through the analysis and study of modern water management theories and technologies, the principles of realisation and optimisation strategies of water treatment are discussed. Finally, the combination of traditional cultural elements and modern water purification is used to explore in depth how traditional Chinese waterscape design can integrate traditional and modern elements, making it convenient for people while having a positive impact on the natural environment and ecology. The findings of this paper help to promote the combination of traditional culture and modern technology, and provide references and lessons for the environmental development of traditional Chinese waterscape design.

This paper deals with one of the urgent problems in the framework of the implementation of the latest radical technologies of “human enhancement” the so-called theory of multiple identity (multiple “I”, the theory of doubles, and the duplication of consciousness). This topic of a possible backup of our consciousness is analyzed in relation to the procedure for digitally uploading consciousness, creating digital avatars, cyborgs, and clones and cases of success in the field of gene editing as well as the application of this technology to humans. In fiction, particularly in science fiction, this problem is included in the list of top mysterious subjects. As an example, the paper considers a position of a famous science fiction writer and supporter of transhumanism David Brin, presented in the work “Kiln People”. The article highlights main ideas, possible risks, and negative consequences that the writer is trying to foresee and reveal scenarios for the development of launching a mass duplication of consciousness or creating a technology for implementing a multiple identity of “I”.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of transhumanist provisions and ideas manifested through fiction, particularly, in the novel by V.O. Pelevin “Transhumanism Inc”. The common points of convergence are revealed: the author’s interpretation of a number of transhumanistic ideas and possible variations of transhumanistic scenarios implemented in the novel by V.O. Pelevin. The paper concludes that the ideas of transhumanism are undoubtedly close to the postmodern literature, there is an ongoing popularization of transhumanism in the Russian literature, and there are some stereotypical emphases and fatigue in the writer’s vision of transhumanist perspectives.

This article is devoted to the study of the concept of "terroir" as a socio-cultural structure. The paper presents the history of development and the main ideas of the creation of the concept of "terroir" in the context of the formation of regional cultural identity. The lack of a unified approach to determining the key characteristics of the "terroir" is due to the fact that it includes not only a set of soil and climatic features, but also cultural ones. Taking into account the difficulties of translating the term, the insufficient number of Russian-language materials, a special place in the work is occupied by a review of foreign scientific studies translated by the author on the concept of "terroir" and the identification of its role in the formation of cultural identity. The purpose of the study is to identify the research potential of the concept of "terroir" for the analysis of cultural practices related to the production and consumption of wine. The research methodology consists in using a structural and typological method to analyze the concept of "terroir" and a genetic method to establish cause-and-effect relationships between natural and cultural factors of the formation of "terroir". The work also relies on the method of cultural classification to group the typological features of the "terroir" as a result of human transformation of a natural phenomenon into a socio-cultural structure. Results: for the first time, based on the material of foreign scientific sources, the process of formation of the concept of "terroir" is considered, which involves the inclusion of social and cultural aspects in the definition of terroir, strengthens its connection with the cultural landscape. The terroir is considered as a set of natural and cultural characteristics that have a significant impact on the process of formation and actualization of regional cultural identity. The scope of the results. The work is a contribution to modern cultural, philosophical, sociological, marketing, tourism and economic studies of the terroir, as it establishes a link between the practices of wine cultivation and consumption and the cultural identity of the region. The work can become the basis for the formation of cultural policy and the image of the wine regions of Russia.

After World War II, the socialist camp opposed capitalism, and socialist realism became the official art school and style of socialist countries in the Soviet Union. This article analyzes how the realistic music style of the 19th century Soviet Union was inherited and developed in the 20th century, thus forming a music style that can be called “socialist realism”. This style had a profound impact on the development of Chinese piano music in the 20th century, including the creation of the Yellow River Piano Concerto by six Chinese composers, including Yin Chengzong, which is one of the typical music works of socialist realism style and the product of a specific historical period. It uses a revolutionary musical language, filled with inner passion and motivation. The paper applies the historical-structural approach, as well as the method of analysis of musical works and structural analysis of musicological literature published in Chinese and Russian on the subject of research. This article aims to reveal the significant impact of Russian and Soviet music styles on the development of Chinese piano art. The author concludes that due to the “socialist realism” style, the Yellow River piano works have a strong appeal and revolutionary nature, inspiring people to participate in national struggles and becoming a model of piano music at that time.

Purpose. The work consider the main issue the processes of transformation in church culture. The church adaptation situation in modern Russia is taken as a subject. The authors see necessity on this basis to reveal the features of cultural situation of modern society. Methodology. The basis of the study is the phenomenological method, the axiological approach taken in the cultural-diachronic aspect. Results. The results of the work are that the process of restoring church organizational structures in the new conditions of the 90s is described. The article explicates the new situations that the Church has faced in modern Russia in recent decades. This is an explosive uncontrolled transformation of the media space, challenges from other religious movements, and much more. Secular society in Russia is also currently in a situation of difficult relations between society and religion, which claims to form a general humanitarian basis for social morality for the whole society. At the same time, there is a need for such foundation, traditional religious associations have the necessary competencies to form such basis. The paper explicates the need of a cultural dialogue in this situation. Practical implications. The results of the study can be applied in the sphere of cultural studies.

This paper examines the decorative space of the Egyptian tomb of the Old Kingdom as a system of architectural and pictorial components. The comparative historical method was used along with the methods of formal and systematic analyses of material from more than a hundred noble burials. The article states that the main purpose of the Egyptian tomb is to maintain the existence of the Double of its owner, for which the architectural and visual space was formed in a special way. It was identified that the large images of nobles are a complex combination of attribute signs necessary to establish the desired correlation with the adjacent labor scenes. These visual signs (various wigs, wands, staves, vestments, etc.) tend not only to convey the information about the corresponding plot, but also to replace and reproduce it. Thus, in a large image of a nobleman, the main material of the scene placed in front of him is accumulated; such images imply the presence of the corresponding plots nearby, and the Egyptian tomb can be studied from the standpoint of semiotics.

During the second half of the 20th century the literary work of Philip Rieff remained almost unnoticed due to his “reclusive” life and the development of ideas that are relevant for the future. This paper presents Rieff’s vision of the processes of culture transformation in the second half of the 20th century in the context of secularization and post-secularization, as well as in the framework of the development of a “psychological person”, which echoes the personality type of a narcissistic culture. Rieff’s conceptual foundation influenced the views of a number of thinkers of the Western type of civilization; his ideas received publicity in the Hollywood cinema, in K. Lash’s theory, and at the present time can be useful for the analysis of the emerging post-secular culture. Long before the official trend of the “return of the religion”, Ph. Rieff outlined this tendency in the cultural paradigm.

This paper analyzes the provisions of the transhumanist “philosophy” implemented in contemporary art, particularly, in cyber art. The performance Inferno created by two artists - Louis-Philippe Demers and Bill Vorn is presented as a case study. The artists have shown this performance in various parts of the world: from the USA to Russia. From the point of view of transhumanism, this performance is positioned as a “useful experience” and as an illustration of symbiosis (mutualism) of man and machine. However, this assessment initially contains a number of errors. Firstly, there is a substitution of concepts and processes, where the term “symbiosis” does not correspond to the essence of the phenomenon. Secondly, the article emphasizes the role of the experiment when, through robotic art, the “voluntary” monitoring of the reactions of the performance viewers is carried out, and the viewers serve as experimental samples or transhumans in the context of the “human enhancement” project.