Konstantin Silin in Wuhan in the 1950s. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When Silina's daughter, Ekaterina Fortygina, wanted to study a foreign language in college, Silin strongly suggested Chinese. She agreed.

"My daughter is in China to study. She knows a lot about China, speaks fluent Chinese and she's good at cooking Chinese dishes," Silina says.

While giving keychains with matryoshka dolls as presents to her Chinese friends, Silina was on the lookout for candied hawthorns in Beijing for her grandchildren in Russia, who love the sweet-and-sour flavor very much, she says.

In 1954, 4-year-old Elena came to live in Beijing with her parents for eight years. She returned in the 1980s and in 2000. Each time, she was surprised to see how much Beijing had changed over the years.

"China has grown fast, and many of its techniques in building roads and railways have been introduced to other countries," she says.