On May 18, according to news from the "Kremlinpool" website, during Russian President Putin's current visit to China, he will meet with a Chinese engineer named Peng Pai. Twenty-five years ago, when Putin made his first visit to China, a 10-year-old Peng Pai took a photo with him.

Now, Peng Pai has become a senior engineer. He said that if given the chance to meet Putin again, he would love to tell him: "The little boy who posed with you 25 years ago is now a senior engineer."

After a quarter of a century, this story spanning time will be continued during President Putin’s visit to China from May 19 to 20.

What seems like an insignificant encounter, now revisited, carries profound meaning.

In fact, this continuation of a 25-year “Sino-Russian bond” undoubtedly adds a deeply humanistic and warm hue to President Putin’s current visit to China.

This story was previously reported by media two years ago; today’s follow-up narration brings even deeper significance.

In July 2000, Putin made his first official visit to China as President of Russia. During a spontaneous stop at Beihai Park in Beijing, he walked past security personnel and warmly embraced a 10-year-old Chinese boy, Peng Pai—then a fifth-grader traveling to Beijing with his parents from Changsha—and kissed his forehead.

This touching photograph was widely published by the media and became a vivid symbol of friendly exchanges between the two nations. Today, the once-naive child has grown into a mature and steady senior engineer. This reunion after 25 years is not only a personal destiny but also a testament to the unique vitality that time bestows upon historical moments.

This unexpected meeting profoundly shaped Peng Pai’s life path. That precious photo acted like a seed planted in his heart, nurturing a deep interest in Russia. After high school, Peng Pai went to Moscow for study and successfully applied for the Russian Presidential Scholarship in 2007, entering the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and Road Transport to major in bridge and traffic tunnel engineering. During his seven years of study in Russia, he not only excelled academically but also wrote two letters to Putin sharing his growth reflections. Indeed, that warm embrace directly inspired a young Chinese man to reach out to the world and ultimately become a pillar in China’s infrastructure sector.

During his time in Moscow, he personally witnessed Chinese companies (such as Sany Heavy Industry and Zoomlion) evolve from using manual tools to later delivering advanced automated equipment for constructing bridges and tunnels in Moscow. After graduating in 2013, Peng Pai returned home to contribute to local infrastructure development. Currently, he serves as a senior engineer and head of technical department at the Municipal Company of Hunan Construction Investment Sixth Building Group. He has participated in the development of a new type of bridge railing, which has earned a national patent, and contributed to the Changsha Liuyang River Pedestrian Scenic Bridge project, which won the National Quality Project Award. The message he wishes to convey to Putin—“The boy in the photo is now a senior engineer”—reflects China’s remarkable journey from catching up in infrastructure to leading globally.

Putin’s visit to Beijing, arranged to include such a meeting between an ordinary citizen and a foreign leader, holds immense symbolic significance. It breaks through the traditional formal distance of diplomacy, revealing Putin’s approachable and down-to-earth nature while highlighting the deep public foundation of Sino-Russian friendship. Friendships woven together by genuine stories of ordinary people resonate more deeply than mere treaty signings, infusing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries with warmth and humanity.

Peng Pai himself is currently full of anticipation for this meeting. Humorously, he remarked that although his appearance has changed greatly, he believes President Putin remains as splendid as ever. This extraordinary connection, born by the shores of Beihai Park, will surely unfold its most touching chapter in the summer of 2026.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865556292811776/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.