Interweaving of local, Russian, and global cultures: the Primorye region branch of the National Centre RUSSIA will showcase the traditions and peoples of the region

Primorsky Krai

On 7 September, the Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA will open as a new cultural space where the stories of Primorye, its traditions, and its achievements will come to life. Visitors will be able to discover the heritage of the region and see how it will develop in the future.

The Far East and Primorye are multinational, home to many different peoples. The Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye region will feature the exposition "Udege Trail". This space is dedicated to the indigenous peoples of Primorye, researcher Vladimir Arsenyev, and his companion Dersu Uzala. The exposition will include a narrative from Vladimir Arsenyev about his arrival in Primorye, his acquaintance with the region and with Dersu Uzala, as well as the traditional economy, culture, and beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the region.

"The Far East and Primorye are multinational. The region is home to both peoples who arrived from the West and indigenous peoples. Those who lived here followed a culture of the Middle Ages, and the Russians added their vast cultural code to it. Therefore, the local culture — I mean the arts (dance, music) — is, in a sense, ethnographic. It is preserved, it exists, but it does not define life. Life is defined by modernity — floating nuclear power plants, oil platforms, all that the 20th and 21st centuries have brought. The culture of the Far East is an interweaving of local, Russian, and global cultures," said political scientist Dmitry Zhuravlev, Academic Supervisor of the Institute of Regional Problems and Associate Professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Modern culture will also be represented in the Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA in an interactive zone showcasing key sites and events: the V. K. Arsenyev Museum, the Primorye Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the Theatre and Museum Complex on Orlinaya Sopka, the Primorye State Art Gallery, the Maxim Gorky Primorye Regional Academic Drama Theatre, the Youth Theatre, the V. F. Komissarzhevskaya Drama Theatre in Ussuriysk, the Pacific Fleet Theatre, the oldest puppet theatres in the Far East (in Vladivostok and Nakhodka), the International Jazz Festival, the Pacific Meridian Film Festival, the Theatre Festival in Vladivostok, and centres of contemporary art ("Zarya", "Arka", "Artetazh").

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

The Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA will be a multifunctional cultural and educational complex, including modern exposition spaces, venues for events, business networking zones, a department store of regional brands, gastronomic areas with local cuisine, dedicated children’s playgrounds, and a coworking space.

News and announcements can be found in the Telegram channel of the Vladivostok branch of the National Centre RUSSIA.

The festive programme for the opening of the first branch of the National Centre RUSSIA will begin on 7 September. The celebration will take place on Sportivnaya Embankment.

The event will open with a performance by the popular youth music group from Vladivostok "Tesla". The celebration will continue with a grand flag parade along the renovated Sportivnaya Embankment, followed by a spectacular dance flash mob "The Beautiful Faraway", which has become a tradition since it was first organised at the International RUSSIA EXPO at VDNH in Moscow. In addition, the first thousand visitors will receive kokoshniks from the brand "Patriotka", handmade using traditional techniques but given a modern interpretation. Other active participants will receive commemorative souvenirs and branded gifts.

The festive programme will begin at 16:00 on Sportivnaya Harbour Embankment, near the branch building at 4 Batareynaya Street. Guest admission will start at 15:30. Entry is free.