If you tell you that there is such a country, located in Europe, friendly to China, pleasant climate, prices lower than domestic, and visa-free for Chinese, can be called a lying flat holy place, is it very exciting, ready to pick up the mobile phone and start checking the ticket?
But what if I told you that the country is called Belarus......
White Russia sandwiched between Russia and NATO
- Russia? No, no, no, it's too dangerous to fight.
— is Belarus.
- Belarus? What's there?
I spent a month in Belarus last year, and that's how most of the time I talk to people, and the conversation doesn't last more than a round.
Although Belarus has a very low presence in the country, for me who has been in the third world for a long time, I am satisfied with all aspects of Belarus and find a lot worth talking about.
First impressions
I originally thought that there were not many Chinese in Belarus, but unexpectedly, I met a large number of Chinese students.
In an article from the Chinese Embassy in Belarus, it is mentioned that there have been more than 7,000 Chinese students studying in Belarus recently, which sounds very small, but you must know that the total population of Belarus is less than 10 million!
Even Belarus has become Chinese in the Russian-speaking region
The second largest destination for studying abroad.
Photo: Official account of the Chinese Embassy in Belarus
My flight to Belarus and Germany coincided with the beginning of the school season in early September, and the plane was almost full, and most of the passengers were young students. I infiltrated several groups of Chinese students, and every day there were hundreds of unread messages, lively discussions about the start of the school year, dormitory check-in, selling second-hand goods, eating, drinking, and having fun.
According to local Chinese friends, the reason why there are so many international students is because the tuition and living expenses in Belarus are relatively low. Many majors are taught in English, so you don't have to spend time to gnaw Russian, and you don't look at IELTS and TOEFL scores when applying to schools, and the most attractive thing is that many schools only need one year to get a master's degree.
Therefore, studying in Belarus was once labeled as "the cheapest master's degree on the whole network". Considering the great pressure on the domestic economy in recent years, Belarus has become a priority for many people as a place to "study abroad and downgrade".
Belarusian State University is the first Belarusian state university.
In the QS World University Rankings 2024,
Belarus has three universities in the ranking.
图：Shutterstock
For ordinary travelers, the biggest advantage of Belarus is the 30-day visa exemption to China, which is also Europe, compared with the cumbersome Schengen visa procedures, the difficulty of going to Belarus is simply kindergarten level. The local gambling industry in Belarus is legal, and casinos can be found everywhere in the city. In order to attract Chinese, many casinos scroll to play Chinese slogans and hang Chinese flags.
Before the epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, Belarus was a transit point, and many Chinese people would stay in Belarus for a few days when they traveled to other European countries in the west. According to local Chinese, there is an endless stream of Chinese groups coming to Belarus in 2020, and the catering and tourism business is very prosperous.
Casinos everywhere,
Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists flocked to it.
Local security
Some people will be worried about the security of Belarus on the ground. After all, Russia and Ukraine next door are inseparable, and Wagner has also "made a home" in Belarus, and there are always rumors that Belarus will personally enter the war. In addition, the United States has been constantly raising the danger level of Belarus and reminding its citizens not to travel to Belarus.
Personally, I think there are different opinions on the issue of security.
From both internal and external perspectives, although Belarus, as a non-belligerent country, stands with Russia, it actually has little impact on people who come to Belarus for short-term business trips or tourism, and the biggest threat is only the rising prices and reduced flights due to sanctions.
The US Embassy in Minsk has repeatedly
U.S. citizens are reminded to leave or not travel to Belarus.
图：RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty
And in fact, even with Russia and Ukraine on both sides of the war, the government and people outside the battlefield are still trying to maintain their pre-war living conditions, and the peaceful life of Belarus will not be affected too much.
From the perspective of Belarus, from my observation in Belarus for several months, the local society is functioning in an orderly manner, and the law and order can even be said to be comparable to that of the country. Low unemployment has always been a proud achievement of the Belarusian government, so it is rare to see a crowd of idle people.
In addition, the Belarusians are very public order, whether in big cities or villages, although there are few garbage cans, there is almost no littering (except for cigarette butts), and the environment is generally very clean.
Whether in a small city or in a rural area,
There is no garbage to be seen on the road.
Even if it's an abandoned house in the countryside,
There is almost no garbage in the yard either,
Chatting with friends who have been in Russian-speaking countries for many years, they generally believe that in Russia, Transcaucasia, Central Asia and other former Soviet countries, the quality of Belarusians is relatively higher. Russians always have a sense of arrogance as a big country, while Belarusians are more accepting of foreigners, all in all, it makes people feel "European".
Eating habits
Since you've been here, you have to eat something good.
As the most nostalgic country in the former Soviet Union, Belarus retains many Soviet characteristics. Among them, the diverse food culture of the various ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union greatly enriched the table of the White Russians.
First of all, the local food of Belarus is very close to that of Russia, and the classic Russian dishes such as beetroot soup, large leba, Russian dumplings, kvass, etc., are all common varieties in white food.
During the festival, the Belarusian girl is dressed in traditional costumes,
Hold the traditional delicacy of Calavi in your hand.
图：Shutterstock
To be more precise, the white meal is potatoes and fennel for meetings.
Mashed potatoes and local specialties Draniki (hash browns) go well with almost everything, and the Russians even have a word BALBASH (derogatory from the Belarusian word for potato balba, meaning potato eater) used to ridicule the Russians. Also all-purpose is fennel, similar to Chinese coriander, which can be put hot or cold.
Hash browns Draniki are served with different side dishes
can also combine dozens of patterns,
As elsewhere in northern Europe,
Potatoes are the most important staple food for people.
Fennel will always appear in unexpected places,
There's nothing on the outside, that's on the inside.
In addition to white food, Georgian and Central Asian cuisine in the former Soviet Union is also common in Belarus, just like the common Japanese and Korean food in China (I personally think that both places can be regarded as the best places to eat in the former Soviet Union).
There are many Central Asian restaurants in Minsk's shopping malls and farmers' markets, where pilaf, grilled buns and barbecued meat are the same as those of Xinjiang.
Pilaf in a Central Asian restaurant.
During the two hundred years of rule of Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union,
Food and language circulated with the exchange between ethnic groups.
In the Minsk Renak Market, the front desk of the Central Asian restaurant is full of linguistic geniuses, and the Uzbek, Tajik, and Russian languages switch seamlessly. In recent years, there have been more and more Chinese customers, and the little brother has also learned a few words of Chinese, and when it comes to the meal, the small shop is like the United Nations, and students from Belarus, Central Asia, East Asia, and Africa gather together.
格鲁吉亚灌汤包khinkali,
But many Chinese people can't accept the above handful of dead gnocchi.
In addition to the famous wine regions such as France and Italy, the most red wines in the supermarket are dry red, dry white, semi-dry red, and semi-sweet red wines from various wine producing regions in Georgia.
There is also Ararat brandy from Armenia, plus a wide variety of cheap vodka and beer in Russia and Belarus, and if it weren't for the increase in the price of foreign goods caused by Western sanctions, Belarus is really a paradise for good drinkers.
Wine aisle in a supermarket in Minsk
图：Shutterstock
Looking at the various restaurants from Central Asia and Georgia on the street, one wonders whether the Soviet Union did not disintegrate, but continued to exist in Belarus in a different form.
Minsk also has quite a few Vietnamese-owned restaurants.
The former Soviet Union and Vietnam, both socialist countries, were once close to each other, and the friendship between the two countries surpassed that of China, attracting countless Vietnamese laborers and students to the former Soviet Union, and this inertia still existed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is said that nearly 1,000 Vietnamese are working in Belarus, the most important of which is in the catering industry.
Many Vietnamese restaurants in Belarus like to call Saigon
There are also a large number of Chinese restaurants in Belarus, but the Chinese restaurants serve mostly Chinese students and Chinese who come to Belarus to work, while the main customers who go to Vietnamese restaurants are mostly Belarusian locals.
Chinese food is more fundamentalistic than the local customs of Vietnamese restaurants, such as Vietnamese spring rolls can be served with mashed potatoes, Da Leba can be dipped in Vietnamese rice noodle soup, and Lanzhou ramen can only be served with coriander instead of fennel.
Chinese restaurants in Belarus are more focused on authenticity
Restore the soul and flavor of Chinese food.
Pictured: restaurantguru.com
A large number of Chinese have only come to Belarus and other former Soviet countries in the past decade, and the Vietnamese have appeared in Belarus in large numbers even earlier. It is said that there are still more than 100,000 Vietnamese in Russia, and the successful experience of the Vietnamese in other former Soviet Union or former socialist countries in Eastern Europe can easily be replicated and spread by compatriots.
Many Vietnamese restaurants in order to better follow the local customs,
It also sells rotating barbecues.
The revolving barbecue that is popular on the streets of Minsk makes one wonder if it has come to the Middle East, it is cheap and nutritious, and shawarma is very popular in Belarus (all over the world). Shawarma is the real Belarusian folk dish.
social security
Although the level of development of Belarus in Europe as a whole is in the lower category, looking at the world, Belarus ranks 60th in the human development index, which is in the upper middle level of the former Soviet Union and surpasses China.
Belarusian public hospitals and education are free of charge. According to local friends, many medical services such as ambulances, registered consultations, and hospitalizations in public hospitals are free of charge, and the medical insurance list covers a large number of medicines. However, the efficiency and service attitude of public hospitals are well understood.
"Your takeaway is waiting for the bus"
Takeaway guy walking, scooter, bicycle,
There are buses and subways for all means of transportation,
The main one is no pressure.
In addition, the average salary of Belarusians is not high, and the average monthly income of ordinary people is 2-3 thousand yuan. However, the government provides affordable housing, and even in the capital Minsk, housing prices are not high, around $1,000 per square meter.
The government provides free or low-cost public services such as medical care, education, housing, etc., and the social competition is relatively less intense, and the small life of the Belarusian people is uneventful but not difficult.
Traditional festivals are celebrated with joy
图：Shutterstock
In general, the size of the Belarusian state is not large, and the cultural landscape is close to that of Russia and Ukraine, which is equivalent to a smaller version of them, and the rural scenery and natural landscape are quiet and pleasant. But then again, there is no shortage of beautiful scenery in European countries. The main advantages of Belarus are visa-free, friendly to China, good public security, abundant food, and low prices.
But when it comes to a thousand things and ten thousand, what is happening in Belarus still has to be seen for yourself.
The picturesque countryside of Belarus