Episode Details

Thirty-eight-year-old construction engineer Peng Pai sent a lighthearted message to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of an upcoming reunion, the plans for which were reported by Russia's TASS news agency. Putin arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night for a state visit.

38岁的建筑工程师彭湃在即将与俄罗斯总统普京重逢前夕，向他发出了一条轻松幽默的问候，俄罗斯塔斯社此前报道了两人见面的安排。普京于5月19日晚间抵京，开始对中国进行国事访问。

"Dear President Putin, you still look the same," Peng said in an interview with Russia Today. "But I have changed from a little boy into a middle-aged man with a bigger belly."

彭湃在接受“今日俄罗斯”电视台采访时说：“尊敬的普京总统，您还是老样子。而我已经从一个小男孩变成了一个肚子有些发福的中年男人。”

In the summer of 2000, Peng and his family visited the Chinese capital from Hunan province. On July 19, while sitting on the stone balustrades along the lake in Beihai Park, a "foreign uncle" approached him from the crowd, lifted him up, and kissed his forehead.

2000年夏天，彭湃和家人从湖南来到北京旅游。7月19日，他正坐在北海公园湖边的石栏杆上，一位“外国叔叔”从人群中走来，将他抱起，亲吻了他的额头。

It was Putin. During his first official visit to China as the Russian president, Putin made an unplanned trip to the park. After boating on the lake, he greeted the boy by the lakeside and took a picture with him.

那个人正是普京。当时，普京首次以俄罗斯总统身份对中国进行正式访问期间，临时决定前往北海公园。泛舟湖上之后，他在岸边向这个小男孩打招呼，并与他合影留念。

"It was a completely spontaneous moment," Peng recalled. "In my memory, he was just a kind, gentle uncle."

“那完全是瞬间发生的事，”彭湃回忆道。“在我的记忆里，他就是一个和蔼可亲的叔叔。”

At the age of 12, Peng didn't fully grasp the meaning of the encounter, but he never forgot it. "This special experience made me more curious about President Putin and his country," he said.

12岁的彭湃当时并未完全理解这次相遇的意义，但他从未忘记。“这段特殊的经历让我对普京总统和他的国家更加好奇，”他说。

That curiosity eventually took him across continents. After finishing high school, Peng decided to learn more about Russia by applying to one of its universities. Fro