Tea trade between Russia and China as the primary basis of intercultural dialogue between the two countries: to the question of studying everyday life in historical courses

the article is devoted to the analysis of the historical stages of the development of tea trade between Russia and China as the primary basis for intercultural and civilizational dialogue between the two great powers. Against the background of the complex and contradictory historical process of development of Russian-Chinese relations in the 17th – 20th centuries, the authors presented the main stages of the development of Russian-Chinese tea trade, which determined the process of transformation of the initially unusual Chinese product into a traditional Russian drink and the formation of a national tradition of tea drinking, which became a bright element of the Russian mentality and way of life. Based on the growing relevance of studying the history of relations between Russia and China, determined by the complexity of the current foreign policy situation, the authors make a reasonable conclusion about the need to affirm the idea of good-neighborly relations with China in the public consciousness of Russians through the active introduction of elements of everyday history into the educational process - through the disclosure in educational courses of those facts and processes that affect the life of each family - in our case, this is the history of tea trade and tea drinking, as the primary results of cultural and civilizational exchange between the great Far Eastern neighbors – Russia and China.

Russia, Qing Empire, tea trade, Great Tea Road, Kyakhta, tea drinking traditions, history of everyday life