Bonds that evoke feelings of Deja Vu

Formal exchanges and collaboration between the two cities began when diplomatic relations were established between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union in October 1949.

In the 1950s, as Beijing was gearing up to build its subway system, experts from Moscow came to lend a hand, sharing the expertise they had gained in building and running the Moscow Metro, which had opened in 1935.

According to the newspaper Beijing Daily, engineers from Moscow visited Beijing in 1956. Two years later, a subway design institute was set up that would become what is now Beijing Urban Construction Design and Development Group. Many of the institute's engineers were trained by Soviet experts, and several studied subway engineering in the Soviet Union as the Beijing system took shape.

Fast forward more than 60 years, and the influence has come full circle. Chinese elements can now be found in the Moscow Metro as well. In 2016 the Beijing Urban Construction Design and Development Group won a contract to design a section of the Moscow Metro, including three stations on a line stretching over 5 kilometers.

This section, designed by the Beijing group and built by the China Railway Construction Corporation, opened toward the end of 2021. As a gesture of gratitude, the newly built Michurinsky Prospekt station was designed with Chinese cultural elements.

The station's platforms are dominated by the color red and feature plum blossoms and The Eight Immortals, figures from Chinese folklore and Taoism. The lamps depicted are decorated with auspicious clouds, and the suspended ceiling resembles a Chinese chessboard.

When Michurinsky Prospekt station opened, it quickly became a social media sensation, attracting Instagram users and influencers eager to capture its unique blend of Russian and Chinese aesthetics. The station is now hailed as a new landmark of China-Russia friendship.

While subway systems may be the domain of industry experts, for the everyday Beijinger, the first thing that may come to mind when talk turns to Moscow is a restaurant called the Moscow Restaurant, known among locals as Lao Mo.