Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Experience the “atmosphere of old Shanghai” in Shanghai’s hutongs, study Huangmei opera dressed in hanfu in Anhui Province, and get to know the pottery culture in Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province… Sasha (Alexandra Antonenko), a Russian zoomer, studies Chinese customs and traditions and posts her impressions through the lens of her camera on her social media account, “Doctor of Sciences Alexandra.”
Having appeared on social media two years ago, the doctoral student of Shanghai Jiaotong University has become a “super popular blogger”, and her “hits”: “Everyday Life of a Chinese-Russian Family”, “How Much Do You Know About Russia?”, “Sasha Learns Chinese” and other videos have won numerous awards. In 2023, her work won first place in the short video competition “Generation Z Sings About China – The History of Shanghai”; and in 2024, she was recognized as one of the best in the 6th International Short Video Competition “A Look at China from the Outside”.
“Social networks create our world in “real time”, many of my foreign friends are interested in how I live in China, so I came up with the idea to show my daily life, culture and local cuisine through video. So I hope to build a cultural bridge between China, Russia and the whole world through the camera,” Sasha told the ChinaNews internet portal in an exclusive interview why she decided to make short videos.
The fact that Sasha became a “star blogger” is largely due to the “behind-the-scenes” support of her husband Zhao Yiwei. In 2022, Sasha, who at that time had only lived in China for a month, met Zhao Yiwei in a coffee shop, gradually, thanks to many common interests, they discover each other’s spiritual world – this is how a love story begins that knows no boundaries. Over three years, they visited more than 20 cities in China, tried dishes from different regions, visited great mountains, saw great rivers … The videos that Sasha filmed during her trips made her family in Russia and fans from all over the world exclaim: “It turns out that China is not only skyscrapers!”
Her video “How to be safe in China” has gone viral abroad in particular. In this video, Sasha walks alone along the night streets of Shanghai and has friendly conversations with passersby who give her the warmth and ease of this city. “Many people are getting to know China again through many real stories like ours, this is the main purpose of why we make such videos and their value, and this motivates us to continue this work,” said Zhao Yiwei.
In February 2025, Sasha and Zhao Yiwei registered their marriage in China.
Like many multinational couples, they have encountered cultural contradictions during their life together, but their openness and willingness to learn from each other always allow them to find quick solutions to problems. In the future, Sasha dreams of combining scientific work and filming videos. She is diligently studying Chinese and plans to conduct research on China’s foreign policy in order to create a more professional platform for cultural communication that will help those who are interested. And Zhao Yiwei emphasized that it is important not only to read a lot of books, but also to travel ten thousand li, he does not want to engage in superficial propaganda, but hopes to build a “cultural bridge” for communication step by step, brick by brick.
In February 2025, the “cross-border love story” ended happily: Sasha and Zhao Yiwei registered their marriage in China, and in May they plan to hold a wedding with elements of Chinese and Russian styles. On their social media accounts, they received many comments from fans wishing them “eternal love”, which prompted them to continue filming videos.
“Cultural differences are not a barrier, but a key that opens a new world, I am sure that our story is just beginning,” says Sasha.