More and more China, less and less Russia. Ilya Kovalchuk’s club left the league. Hockey Club "Zauralye HK Tsen Tou Jilin"

12.10.2023

Major League Hockey is becoming an increasingly international league. Only it is growing not with Russian clubs, not with Siberia, as many dreamed, but with Chinese ones.

Following the KHL, the “comrades from the Middle Kingdom” have now opened the second strongest Russian division. And in the amount of two clubs at once.

Tower players now have to learn the names of clubs such as Kunlun Red Star Heilongjiang (Harbin) and Tsen Tou (Jilin), and managers wonder how to get there. Moreover, if “Red Star Heilongjiang”, as the name suggests, will be the pharmaceutical club of Kehael’s “Kunlun”, then “Tsen Tou” will be an independent team.

Where they will find high-class hockey players in such numbers is still unknown. Last season, the Chinese Dragons had difficulty finding three players with Chinese roots in the KHL. From North America. Of these, only one had a permanent place in the lineup - Zach Yuen.

Naturally, there will be no Chinese players for two more Chinese clubs and the places will be filled by foreign players. Let's hope that at least Russian ones.

Indeed, next season the place of the VHL will be taken by the joint Russian-Chinese (or Chinese-Russian) Silk Road Cup. And over time, the number of participants from the most populous country in the world should be increased to ten. Plans worthy of Ostap Bender, who told the Vasyukin residents about the interplanetary chess tournament.

Well, the number of Russian clubs in the major leagues is indeed decreasing. Four more clubs died. Including last season's Bratina winner Dynamo (Balashikha), which is certainly a shame for the league. In addition to Dynamo, Ilya Kovalchuk’s home club, THC (Tver), which last season became the basis for the Russian team that won the Universiade, will not play next season. As well as Saratov “Crystal” and “Ariada-NH” (Volzhsk), which have rich hockey traditions.

There are also newcomers: the Bashkir Gornyak (Uchaly) (which became the “farm” of Avtomobilist), the Samara CSK VVS (will cooperate with Lada) and the Novokuznetsk Metallurg. Of these, only Kuznya, which was recently planning to play in the KHL, will be the favorite.

Among the 27 participants in the VHL championship next season are two St. Petersburg clubs - SKA-Neva and Dynamo (St. Petersburg).

Opinions

Dmitry Kurbatov, Chairman of the VHL Organizing Committee:

With the emergence of two Chinese clubs, the VHL championship is reaching a serious international level. The league is getting younger, which has a positive effect on training personnel for the KHL and the emergence of more high-level professional hockey players. Next season we will do everything possible to make the championship even more interesting, unpredictable, and the financial position of the clubs more stable.

Vladislav Tretyak, President of the FHR:

I think that the upcoming VHL season should be very interesting. The geography of the league is expanding, five new clubs will join the tournament. In addition to the well-known teams - primarily, of course, Novokuznetsk Metallurg - two Chinese teams will take part in the competition. All this, of course, increases interest not only in the league itself, but also in our hockey as a whole. I am sure that the new season will give us bright, unforgettable hockey confrontations, and the league will have new loyal fans - the VHL deserves it.

Composition of participants in the VHL Championship 2017/18 season:

1. Bars (Kazan)

2. “Buran” (Voronezh)

3. “Gornyak” (Uchaly)

4. “Diesel” (Penza)

5. Dynamo (St. Petersburg)

6. “Ermak” (Angarsk)

7. “Trans-Urals” (Kurgan)

8. “Star” (Chekhov)

9. “Izhstal” (Izhevsk)

10. Kunlun Red Star Heilongjiang (Harbin)

11. “Metallurg” (Novokuznetsk)

12. “Hammer-Prikamye” (Perm)

13. “Neftyanik” (Almetyevsk)

14. “Rubin” (Tyumen)

15. “Saryarka” (Karaganda)

16. “SKA-Neva” (St. Petersburg)

17. “Falcon” (Krasnoyarsk)

18. “Sputnik” (Nizhny Tagil)

19. “Toros” (Neftekamsk)

20. “Torpedo” (Ust-Kamenogorsk)

21. HC "Ryazan" (Ryazan)

22. HC "Sarov" (Sarov)

23. “Khimik” (Voskresensk)

24. "Tsen Tou" (Jilin)

25. CSK VVS (Samara)

26. “Chelmet” (Chelyabinsk)

27. “Southern Ural” (Orsk)

Jilin City or Jilin (Chinese: 吉林, pinyin Jílín) is a select tourist city, a famous cultural and historical city and a recognized national "garden city" of China. Jilin City is the only city in China that has the same name as a province. Previously, it was the administrative center of Jilin (Girin) province, which is located in the northeast of China. Now the center of Jilin province is the large city of Changchun. Jilin is a river city because of its many rivers, but especially because of the wide and beautiful Songhua River, which surrounds almost the entire city with its waters. The population is 4 million 414 thousand 681 people.

This city has two names: Jilin and Jilin. In literature, media and journalism, the Russian spelling is used - Jilin, and on maps and reference books it is written - Girin. However, these are two identical transcriptions of 吉林. This city is also sometimes called the abbreviated version – Ji.

Administrative division

The city of Jilin (Girin) is in charge of 4 districts, 4 county towns and 1 county (development zone) with a population in 2010:

Chuanying District (Chinese: 船營區, English: Chuanying) - population 659,188
Longtan District (Chinese: 龍潭, English: Longtan) - population 527,532
Changyi District (Chinese: 錢尼, English: Changyi) - inhabited by 492,159 people
Fengman District (Chinese: 豐滿, English: Fengman) - population 296,924
County town of Panshi (Chinese: 磐石市, English: Panshi) - population 505,954 people
County town of Jiaohe (Chinese: 蛟河, English: Jiaohe) - population 447,380
Huadian County City (Chinese: 華電, English: Huadian) - population 444,997
County town of Shulan (Chinese: 舒蘭, English: Shulan) - population 645,925 people
Yongji County (Chinese: 永靖, English: Yongji) - population 394,622

Geography

The city of Jilin is located (a map of China is shown below) in the northeastern part of the People's Republic of China, surrounded by the Songhua River. The area of the city is 27 thousand square meters. km. The terrain on which the city lies is uneven and hilly, and therefore the bed of the full-flowing Sungari River, which is the main tributary of the Amur, winds so tortuously. Emperor Kangxi (XVII century), having visited Jilin, nicknamed it “River City”.

Language

The city is inhabited by Chinese (90%), Koreans (4.2%), Manchus (3.7%), Mongols (0.6%), Hui (0.5%) and others, a total of 35 nations. The language spoken in Jilin is mainly Chinese, but also Korean and Manchu. In a large-scale population census in 2010, many Jiliyin residents identified themselves as ethnic Han Chinese. But in the PRC there is a consolidation program, which clearly states that all ethnic groups are united into a single Chinese nation. That is why the population of Jilin (Girin) speak Chinese and are considered Chinese, although they are united only by writing (writing in China in any ethnic language is the same).

Climate (weather)

Jilin City County has a temperate monsoon climate. The average annual precipitation is 650 mm. The average annual temperature is +2°C. Summer is warm, humid, not hot, and short. The average temperature in the summer months is +23°C.

Winter is snowy and long, windy and cold, due to the influence of the Siberian anticyclones. The average temperature in the winter months is -17°C. In winter, amazingly beautiful frost appears on the trees - one of the “four natural wonders of China”. These wonders also include: a landscape in Guilin, a stone forest and three caves on the Yangtze River. Winter is the favorite time of year for tourists who visit Jilin for snowboarding and skiing.

Money Jilin (Girin)

The national currency of Jilin is the yuan. There are 13 types of banknotes: 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 yuan, 5, 2, 1 jiao, 5, 2, 1 fen. The coins have 6 denominations: 1 yuan, 5 jiao, 1 jiao, 5 fen, 2 fen, 1 fen. 1 yuan is equal to 10 jiao, and 1 jiao is equal to 10 fen. Yuan comes in paper and metal, new and old designs. Do not take torn banknotes under any circumstances. In case of a reverse exchange, neither the bank nor any other exchange office will accept them.

You can exchange Russian rubles, dollars and euros at exchange stations located at the airport. Exchange offices operate in banks and in four- and five-star hotels in the city. Please keep in mind that only hotel guests can exchange currency at hotels. Visa, Master, American Express, Diners and JSB credit cards are also available in the city. You can get cash from the Bank. You can pay by card in some large stores, and some restaurants and hotels in Jilin provide this service.

History of Jilin (Girin)

Jilin (Girin) is one of the oldest cities in northeastern China. About 2 thousand years ago, on the site of modern Jilin, there was the capital of Manchuria and it was one of the first cities in China, which was then called Buyeo. Then everything collapsed and the state of Bohai was formed here. In the 12th century, this area was occupied by the Liao Empire. Later, after they were overthrown by the Chinese, the future Jilin played the role of the "Land of Negotiations" or neutral zone.

In the 15th century, when Emperor Zhu Di reigned, the Chinese were economically strong and developed enough to take control of all of Manchuria. The Chinese already at that time had a powerful fleet, and they sailed all the rivers and forced (called upon) local leaders to take an oath of allegiance to the emperors of the Ming dynasty. Starting in 1644, the reign of the Qing dynasty began and the entire Primorye region came under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province. And in 1673, the city of Jilin (Girin) was fortified, strong and was considered a fortified city. The military government moved to Jilin in 1676 due to its favorable geographical location. And since then the development of the city has gone even faster. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Jilin proudly held the lead in military power along with such cities as Qiqihar, Ninggutu and Mukden. In 1860, Jilin (Girin) lost control over the Amur region.

In 1932, Jilin City became the official administrative center of Jilin Province. This happened immediately after the formation of the puppet state of Manchukuo. However, gradually over time the city began to lose its importance. Capital slowly flowed into the city of Changchun. In 1940, there were only 173,624 people in Jilin, while more than 500 thousand people lived in Changchun. And in 1954, it was officially stripped of its title as the center of Jilin Province. However, the city still retains its historical, industrial and tourist significance.

In 2005, a major scandal almost broke out between China and Russia due to the fact that a large leak of toxic substances occurred at a chemical plant in Jilin. These dangerous substances found their way into the Amur waters. Thanks to quick and efficient measures, environmental pollution was avoided and the conflict was resolved. In 2007, the city hosted the Asian Winter Games. In 2009, Jilin was awarded the title of "China's Vacation City" and ranked among the top 10 vacation cities in the country. In 2010, Jilin was heavily damaged by floods.

Sights of Jilin (China)

There are many attractions in the city of Jilin (photos of some are presented below), and they are of interest not only to tourists and guests of the city, but also to the residents of China themselves, who enjoy visiting these unique places:

Gaojiuli Townis a beautiful small town hidden among the Longtanshan mountain range near the city of Jilin (Girin).
The oldest graves of Bohai.
Manchurian Museum– otherwise called “Wang Baichuan House-Museum”. The museum is located on Deshenglu Street in Jilin City and is a Manchu-style residential building, one of the few that is so well preserved. The museum displays the sacrificial rites of the Sikateli family and many historical treasures from the time the Manchus entered the city of Jilin. The World Research Association for Shamanic Culture has assessed the house-museum as a “living fossil” on the verge of loss.

Beishan Park.
Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve- a huge picturesque biosphere reserve covering the lands of three counties. It is translated into Russian as “White Mountains”. Solid forest, amazing landscape, stunning scenery, nature - all this can be found in the reserve. Huge centuries-old trees only enhance the effect of a fairy tale.

On the giant hills there is the beautiful Tianchi Lake, which is located in the crater of an extinct volcano and which is not inferior in beauty to the famous “West Lake” Xihu, located in the city. Volcanic eruptions surround the lake and make it look like something out of a fairy tale.Lake Tianchi, which means “Heavenly Pool”, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Jingyu Memorial Park.
Ancient graves of Dongou.
Xituanshan - a Chalcolithic burial ground, located near the city of Jilin (Girin). Chumiza grains were found in the burial ground during excavations. This is direct evidence that the tribes that left these burials were already engaged in agriculture and pig breeding. Also discovered were straight-backed slate sickles and “violin-shaped” hoes, which are very typical of the stone industry. In appearance and physical body type, the buried people belonged to tribes that are very close to modern Evenks.
Diocese of Jilin (lat. Dioecesis Chilinensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose center is located in the city of Jilin, China. It is part of the Metropolitanate of Shenyang. The cathedral of the Diocese of Jilin is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Since 1952, the see of the Diocese of Jilin has been sede vacante. The founding date of the diocese is generally considered to be May 10, 1898, when the Holy See separated Shenyang from the modern Archdiocese and established the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Manchuria. And in 1946, on April 11, the Pope issued the bull “Quotidie Nos”, thanks to which the Apostolic Vicariate of Jilin was transformed into the Diocese of Jilin.
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus(Chinese: 吉林耶稣圣心堂) is a Catholic church located right in the city of Jilin, China. This is the cathedral of the Jilin diocese, which is a historical and architectural monument. The cathedral is under state protection and is listed as a “state-protected building.” In 1917, a Catholic priest from the Paris Society for Foreign Missions, who arrived in Jilin 20 years ago, decided to begin construction of a temple in the Gothic style. In 1926 the temple was built. And in 1946, when the Jilin diocese was formed, the temple became a cathedral and received the name “Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” The cathedral closed in 1966, but Catholic services resumed in 1980. In 1999, the cathedral was included in the list of “Cultural Properties of Jilin Province.”

Show "Erzhenzhuan"- a dance and vocal duet whose repertoire includes humorous free musical dramas with their own unique approach. The show takes place at the Jiangcheng Theater on the "Liu Laogen Grand Stage". On stage, this specific show showcases the local styles of Manchuria, Charxiangzu and Erzhenzhuan, as well as the folk dances of the East-Northern Chinese people.
Stone meteorite(Jilin, Jilin Province, China) fell in 1976. The total mass of the meteorite fragments found was 4 tons, and the weight of the largest fragment was 1770 kg. This fragment is carefully kept in the Museum of Meteorites.

Beidahu Ski Resort– tourist state zone of the highest category. The first training base for skiing and mountaineering. This is a world-famous, highly comfortable tourism and leisure center. Located in the southwest of the city. The period of operation is October-April, i.e. from the beginning of the first snowfalls until the final melting of the snow. The total length of the ski slopes is 20 km, and their number is 13. The All-China Winter and Asian Winter Spartakiads are held here annually.

Frost on the trees of Jilin city– this is a truly mesmerizing sight. This “natural miracle” is explained quite simply: during the operation of the Fengman hydroelectric power station, which stands on the Sunguri River, the water is constantly heated, which in turn prevents the river from becoming covered with ice even in the coldest time of the year and remains at +4°C. Willows and pines grow along the banks of the river, and a thick fog rises above the river and floats just above the ground. Then the cold air instantly grabs this rising steam from the warm water on the tree branches and turns it into frost. This is how exquisite amazing patterns are obtained that fascinate all residents and guests of the city of Jilin (Girin).

Songhua Artificial Lake- a beautiful lake, it lies next to the Fengman hydroelectric station. Near the lake there are several mountain ski resorts; in summer they are surrounded by greenery and create a truly fabulous view. In winter, you can not only admire the view of the lake itself, but also have a sports holiday.
“Stone” dishes - in the spring, the Spring Festival takes place in Jilin and tables covered with special “stone” dishes appear in the city. All dishes are made of stones, but this is the whole point of this holiday.

Hotels and inns

There are not many hotels and inns in the city of Jilin, here are a few of them:

Century Swissbel Hotel 5*. A luxurious 5-star hotel is located in the very center of Jilin (Jilin). Services include free Internet, concierge, swimming pool, seminar rooms, luggage storage and currency exchange. Address: 77 Jilin Street, Fengman, Jilin, China.

Hotel Crystal 4* . Comfortable, 4-star hotel providing leisure services and conference rooms for work. There are rooms of different categories, which will allow you to choose the one that suits you. The hotel is located near Jilin Airport (about 22 km). Address: 29 Longtan Street, Longtan District, Jilin, China. Room rate per night from $20.

Hotel Jilin-Wusun 4*.Address: Jilin, Longtan District, st. Longtandajie, 29.
Hotel International 3*. A modern 3-star hotel located in Jilin. The hotel is located near Jilin Airport (about 20 km). The service staff speaks two languages: Chinese and English. Address: 20 Zhongxing Street, Jilin, China. Room rates per night from $23.
Hotel Jinjiang Inn Jilin Train Station 2*.A beautiful, cozy hotel with friendly staff. Bei Shan Park is just 3 km away. Complimentary buffet breakfast with Chinese and European dishes. Book tickets, conduct excursions. There is a laundry and dry cleaning service. Address: Beijing Road, Chuanying Dist, Jilin, China. Room rate per night from $10.
God Bless Hotel 2*. Located in Changy district. Comfortable, budget, clean hotel. Address: ZhongKang Road 9, Jilin, China.

Hotel Motel 168 2* . Conveniently equipped inexpensive hotel. Address: No. 199 Tianjin Street, Changyi District, Jilin, China. Room rates per night from $12.
Hotel Super 8 Hotel Jilin Da Jie2*.The budget hotel will provide an inexpensive holiday in a family environment. There is a tour desk. You can book theater and cinema tickets. Breakfast includes coffee and fresh pastries. There are many cafes and restaurants near the hotel. Free internet access is provided. Address: No.360-20 Jilin Avenue, Jilin, China.

GreenTree Inn Jilin Wealth Square Hotel 2*. Inexpensive, comfortable, homely, quiet hotel in the center of Jilin (Girin). A buffet breakfast is available (at an additional cost). The hotel also features a business center, conference room and free internet access. Translation and travel services can also be ordered for a small fee. Free newspapers and bottled mineral water are provided in the rooms. All rooms have balconies. The bathrooms have free toiletries, slippers and towels, use of an iron, telephone and hairdryer. All rooms are non-smoking. Address: 150 Jilin Avenue, Jilin, China. Room rate per night from $15.

Jilin cuisine

Jilin cuisine is replete with mushrooms such as black mushrooms, Yuan mushrooms, Yuhuang mushrooms and honey mushrooms.

Also on the tables of Jilin people are always Wei vegetables, pine cone, hickory and other forest products, such as forest game. It is famous for its delicious pork dishes, which are stewed and served with starchy noodles, as well as sauerkraut, which is prepared according to a local recipe. Local cuisine is also incomplete without Korean noodles, salted cabbage with mustard and the Manchurian dish “Badawan”. Representative dishes from fish caught in Songhua Lake, ordinary Guangdong peasant dishes, traditional Manchurian cuisine and Korean dishes. Below are dishes from Jilin cuisine, photos of some of them:

Along the streets of Jilin (Girin) there are a lot of small cafes serving fish dishes. There is a restaurant that serves fish caught exclusively from Songhua Lake, as well as a whole street of live Qingling fish. Large and small exotic restaurants serving dishes from Manchuria and Chaoxiangzu are scattered throughout the city.

Restaurants

Tsaihongge Restaurant. Address: Fengman district, 9 km from the street. Jifengdonglu, Jilin, China
Starbucks coffee shop. Address: Caifu Plaza, Changyi District, Jilin, China
Cafe-restaurant Hotel Mindy. Address: Jilin Street, Changyi District, (Jilin) Jilin, China

Sang Ge Luo KaFei Restaurant. Address: FengMan District HuaShan Road Middle Ring, BinJiang Garden 4 Building, Jilin, China
Restaurant BiShengKe CaiFu GuangChang Dian. Address: ChangYi District ChongQing Road, CaiFu Plaza 1 Floor, Jilin, China
YanBian GouRou Guan Village Restaurant. Address: JieFang East Road, Jilin, China

Restaurant Tai Sheng Yuan Lao BaiRou Guan. Address: ChuanYing District BeiJing Road 101-3, Jilin, China
Restaurant ManHan BaZhen Ge. Address: ChuanYing District JieFang Main Road West 181, Jilin, China
RuYi Fang Restaurant. Address: Shang Hai Road, Jilin, China
Restaurant ShangHai WangShi KaFeiGuan. Address: FengMan District Tai Shan Road, Jilin, China

Shopping Jilin (China)

Shopping in Jilin is very interesting due to the many boutiques, shops, large shopping centers and handicraft shops. They all work from early morning until late evening, as they say, “until the last customer.” This city certainly cannot be compared with Beijing or Hong Kong, but this has its advantages. For example, no one will raise prices by three times if they see tourists.

The city of Jilin is rich in the “three jewels of the Northeast” - ginseng, sable fur and antlers. Also valuable are: Small-haired codonopsis or Danshen (mainly its root), Amur cork trees, whorled hazel grouse, as well as 70 species of wild medicinal herbs. Very common gifts for family and friends, especially among tourists, are frog oil, bear bile powder, pullo, agaricus and stones of strange, amazing shapes from the Sunguri River. The province is also known for such types of folk art as the art of cutting figures from paper, painted wood carvings and other types of art.

Gold Coast Piazza Shopping Center is a large center with open terraces where restaurants serving Japanese, Italian, Chinese and French cuisine are located. The windows offer a wonderful view of the azure bay.

Transport in Jilin

Air Transport

Jilin International Airport is located near the city. The airport provides not only domestic flights, but also international ones. There are direct connections with the following cities: Guangzhou, Haikou, Ningbo, Kunming, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Seoul in Korea, Sendai in Japan and others.

Railway

The Jilin-Changchun International Railway (Chinese: 长吉城际铁路) is a high-speed railway that connects Jilin with the provincial capital Changchun. The length of the road is 111 km. The maximum speed of the train is 250 km/h. Construction of the railway began in 2007 and ended in 2011. 9.1 billion yuan were spent on construction. The railway also runs near the airport, which makes it especially valuable and convenient.

In August 2015, it is planned to begin construction of a railway that will connect the city of Jilin (China) with Vladivostok (Russia). It will become the first high-speed cross-border highway between Russia and China.

Motor transport

Jilin (Girin) has developed both urban roads and provincial state highways. There is a bus route Jilin-Vladivostok. It is especially relevant in winter, since people go on excursion ski tours along this route.

Water transport

Jilin City is the main river port of Jilin Province. A navigable river in the city of Jilin - Songhua. Water navigation is open from mid-April until December.

Motorcycles

In the city center, they ride motorcycles just like cars, and also follow the same traffic rules on the roads. But once you leave the main roads of the city center, you find yourself in a completely different Jilin. Everyone here drives motorcycles and rides them everywhere.

Conclusion

The city of Jilin or Jilin or Ji is a beautiful green city framed by the Sunguri River - the pearl of the northeastern part of China. It is not only a cultural and historical city of China, but also a developing modern and interesting city from a tourism point of view. There is a snowy winter here, which allows thousands of athletes and simply skiing enthusiasts not only to ride on well-equipped ski slopes, but also to simply relax and admire the frozen lace called “frost.” There are no crowds of thousands of tourists scurrying around in the city, and therefore you can shop and see the sights calmly without unnecessary nerves. Gaining popularity, Jilin will soon become one of the most attractive cities in China.

On Tuesday, the Russian Hockey Federation approved the composition of the participants in the Major Hockey League championship for the 2017/18 season. The tournament will feature 27 clubs and two Chinese teams making their debut - Kunlun Red Star Heilongjiang (Harbin) and Tsen Tou (Jilin). In addition, he is preparing for his first season in the Kunlun Red Star Junior Youth Hockey League. Thus, four clubs from China have already been incorporated into domestic hockey. Let us remind you that Kunlun Red Star has been playing in the Kontinental Hockey League since last year.

A year after their debut in the KHL, the Chinese joined two other Russian professional hockey leagues - the VHL and the MHL. At the same time, Kunlun Red Star has completely built a club vertical, in which KRS Junior is a youth team, and KRS Heilongjiang is a farm club. Molodezhka, like the main Red Star, will be based in Beijing, and the farm is located in Harbin, located in Heilongjiang province (hence the name). "Tsen Tou" represents the city and province of Jilin (Girin in Manchu), which is also located in the northeast of the country.

“With the emergence of two Chinese clubs, the Major Hockey League championship is reaching a serious international level,” emphasized Dmitry Kurbatov, chairman of the VHL Organizing Committee. “The geography of the Major League is expanding,” stated FHR President Vladislav Tretyak. “This, of course, increases interest not only in the VHL itself, but also in our hockey as a whole.”

The Chinese, who have set themselves the ambitious task of raising hockey for the home Winter Olympics in 2022, are systematically implementing their program and doing this at all levels. For example, in the next five years, about 100 thousand children should get on skates and pick up sticks. The number of arenas is planned to be increased fourfold - from 250 to 1 thousand. Still, at the moment there is an acute shortage of quality home-grown hockey players in the country. Thus, only two Chinese were able to make it into the Kunlun main team - defender Zach Yuen and striker Rudy Ying. So far there are not enough players even for the youth team and farm club, although the personnel situation there is gradually changing for the better. According to preliminary data, 15 Chinese will play for the KRS Heilongjiang, and the remaining positions will be taken by the Russians. At KRS Junior, more than half of the 30 hockey players who started pre-season training are Chinese. Plus players from Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Belarus and Canada. By the way, this team is coached by Russian specialists Alexander Barkov (head coach), Mikhail Sarmatin and Igor Gorbenko (assistants).

Simultaneously with the development of children's and youth hockey - it is interesting that one of the KRS junior teams is based in Canada - serious funds are being invested in the club playing in the KHL. The leaders of “Red Star” do not want him to lose to everyone and thereby suffer significant image losses, so in this area they are still relying on foreign players. Last season, Kunlun managed to put together a combat-ready squad that immediately made it to the playoffs. And judging by the current selection campaign, in the next championship the club will be at least no weaker. The Beijingers signed contracts with good craftsmen, among whom are the Pole Wojtek Wolski, the Swedes Richard Günge, Andreas Thuresson and Magnus Hellberg, the Canadian Kyle Chipchura, the Belarusian Andrei Kostitsyn and the Latvian Arturs Kulda. And the fact that the Canadian Mike Keenan headed KRS is a good move both in a professional sense and from a PR point of view. Iron Mike enjoys great authority in the hockey world and already has experience in the KHL. His predecessor, Russian Vladimir Yurzinov Jr., played his role, providing a bright debut.

True, Kunlun will have to solve the problem of attendance. In the 2016/17 championship, the club set a KHL anti-record: only 550 spectators were present at its home match with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in Shanghai. In Beijing, interest in hockey was higher, but the average attendance in the regular championship was still modest - 2,952 people. This is the fourth result from the bottom (only Cherepovets Severstal, Khanty-Mansi Ugra and Novokuznetsk Metallurg have worse results). However, in the playoffs, much more people went to Kunlun - an average of 7,150 people. Nevertheless, the KRS home arena is designed for 14 thousand spectators, so we still need to work with the fans.

Clubs from the Middle Kingdom will play in the Continental, Major and Youth Leagues

The Zauralye hockey players defeated Tseng Tou away, and Artem Zagidulin scored his second shutout of the season.

For the game in Jilin, Mikhail Zvyagin’s team was forced to enter with an incomplete squad, since there was simply no one to replace Alexey Knyazev, who received a minor injury in the first period of the match with KRS Heilongjiang. Thus, only 19 field players took to the ice, and Yuri Maslov received the captain's letter for one meeting.

However, these problems did not spoil the mood of the Kurgan team, who ran forward from the very beginning of the match. “Zauralye” dominated throughout the entire opening period of the game, during which the Tseng Tou hockey players never really created any problems for Artem Zagidulin. However, the defense of the Chinese team held out for a very long time, only in the 17th minute Denis Sander opened the scoring, successfully placing his foot under a throw from Evgeniy Shakurov. The judges, after consulting briefly, counted the goal - 0:1. And before the break, another puck hit Igor Tyalo's goal - Artur Boltanov was the first to finish after Yanchevsky's click from the center of the ice. 0:2.

In the second twenty minutes the situation on the ice remained virtually unchanged. The guests created attack after attack, without forgetting about defense. In the 26th minute, Mark Yanchevsky skated freely through the center and sent the puck into the top nine, and a couple of shifts later, Artur Boltanov scored a double, completing a quick combination after a won throw-in - 0:4. The hosts almost immediately replaced the goalkeeper - Alexander Pechursky entered the game, who managed to stop the Kurgan pressure for some time. In addition, “Zauralye” remained in the minority twice in a row and “Tseng Tou” had chances to upset Zagidulin, but it was all in vain.

In the final period, the Kurgan team scored twice again, not allowing Alexei Akifiev's team to create anything. First, Denis Sander scored his second goal of the match, and then Yuri Maslov put the finishing touches, whose powerful shot from the blue line Pechursky failed to cope with - 0:6.

This success allowed Zauralye to rise to 16th place, earning 16 points in 10 games. The Kurgan team will play its next match at its home court on October 16, when Izhstal Izhstal will come to visit. The meeting will begin at 18:30.

“Tseng Tou” (Jilin) - “Zauralye” (Kurgan) 0:6 (0:2; 0:2; 0:2)

Main judges: Andrey Baturin, Ivan Frolov. Linesmen: Evgeny Antonov, Alexander Smirnov.

“Tseng Tou”: Tyalo (Pechursky, 27:06); Grebenyuk, Polinin, Ilminsky, Popov, Eremenko, Bitkin, Guan Tianyi, Zhang Jiaqi; Shvetsov, Kasitsyn, Kamaev, Yachmenev, Polozov, Zhang Hao, Shiafotdinov, Gizdatullin, Lukin, Mitrofanov, Huang Peng.

"Trans-Urals": Zagidulin; Krotikov, Glebov, Shakurov, Maslov (K), Olshansky, Sulimov, Yanchevsky, Fast; Isaev, Pervukhin, Mushtaev, Sander, Tsyganov, Avramenko, Kolgotin, Rekhtin, Petrov, Abmetka, Boltanov.

Goals: 0:1 - Denis Sander (Boltanov, Shakurov, 16:39). 0:2 - Artur Boltanov (Shakurov, Yanchevsky, 18:17). 0:3 - Mark Yanchevsky (Tsyganov, 25:10). 0:4 - Artur Boltanov (Abmetka, Sander, 26:45). 0:5 - Denis Sander (Boltanov, 47:09). 0:6 - Yuri Maslov (Olshansky, 54:05, bol).

Penalty: 12 (Shvetsov - 2, Polinin - 4, Eremenko - 2, Mitrofanov - 2, Gizdatullin - 2) - 4 (Isaev - 2, Glebov - 2).