In a train

• Hello!

• Hello!

• Where are you from?

• I´m from Chita. And you?

• From Irkutsk. I know Chita is the capital of Zabaikalsky Kray and what other towns are important there?

• The oldest town is Nerchinsk. We have known about it since 1654. The trade with China was going through Nerchinsk, in 1689 Nerchinsky Treaty was concluded to establish relations between Russia and Manchzhuria. This town was the basic town in military, political and economic affairs of this region.

• What is Shilka famous for? We are passing by this station now…

• Shilka was founded in 1897 as a transport settlement on the railway, later it became famous all over country for its prisons where political exiles served their terms.

• The development of Zabaikalsky Krai is closely connected with mining industry, isn´t it?

• Yes, for example the development of Baley is connected with gold deposits, Krasnokamensk,a very young town (1969), is famous for its uranium ore production.

• I´ve got much information about this area, thank you!

6. Speak about Zabaykalsky Krai.

Conversational topic: Chita

My native town is Chita. It is an old town with its interesting history and traditions. It was founded more than three hundred years ago. In 1653 the people of a Russian land explorer Peter Beketov founded the Chita ostrog which consisted of only 6 houses. Chita was given the status of a town in 1851.

Chita was a place of exile for some centuries. A bright landmark in the history of our town is connected with Decembrists. Thanks to these people Chita became well-known all over Russia and abroad. All in all 85 Decembrists served penal sentences in our town or in our region. They were S. Trubetskoy, S. Volkonsky, A. Muravyov, I. Annenkov and others. The Decembrists made great contribution to cultural and economic development of our town and our region. At present in Chita a street and a square bears the name of Decembrists, a monument of the 18th century- the Decembrists´ Church became a museum now.

For many years our town remained a provincial and backward one. Beginning with 1858 the first plants began to appear in Chita. In 1895 the construction of the railway started and in 4 years the first train arrived in our town. It was a great event for industry began to develop more rapidly in the region.

At present Chita became a big industrial centre of Eastern Siberia. A number of construction materials enterprises, food processing enterprises, the electric power station, the machine- building plant, a locomotive repair plant, a fur and leather processing factory, some sewing factories, motor transport enterprises and many others are situated here. Recently, many of these industries underwent a transformation into joint-stock companies. There are now numerous trade centres and shops, commercial banks and firms, holding companies and joint ventures in Chita as well.

Chita is a cultural and educational centre. There are several higher educational institutions (Zabaikalsky State University, the Academy of National Economy, the Medical Academy and others), colleges, some research institutes and numerous libraries in Chita now. There is a wide network of secondary schools in our town; there are schools with extensive German, Chinese, and English teaching. There are also five music schools in Chita. Besides, our town has a Drama Theatre, the Philharmonic Society, concert and exhibition halls, cinemas and palaces of culture. Four museums- the Museum of Regional Studies, one of the oldest in Siberia, Fine Arts Museum, the Military Museum, and Decembrists´ Museum receive many visitors every day. There are three squares (the Lenin Square, where different meetings and demonstrations take place, the Decembrists Square, the Revolutionary Square) in our town.

During World War II Chita like other Siberian cities provided the industrial power of the country producing tanks, trucks and military ammunitions. In commemoration of the Victory of Soviet People over fascism the Memorial of Battle and Labour Glory was erected in our town.

Now Chita is an administrative centre of Zabaikalsky Krai with the population of about 400 thousand people. The history and present day are well combined in its architectural design. Chita is a centre of construction. Many modern buildings and new districts appeared within the town, making it much more attractive. You can see new districts of multi-storied buildings and offices with new architecture. Many residents live in spacious, bright and comfortable flats.

As a special attention is paid to the development of sport and physical training some sports facilities function constantly in our town. The stadiums with well equipped sports grounds, tennis courts and swimming pools provide excellent opportunities for those who go in for sports.

The environs of Chita are absolutely picturesque and are surrounded by splendid forests. The town is crossed by two rivers –the Chita and Ingoda, the lake Kenon lies in the western part of the town. Not far from Chita there are well-known mineral springs: Molokovka and Kuka.