Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) meets on Wednesday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing with Chinese engineer Peng Pai (center), who was photographed with Putin as a child in 2000 during his first visit to China. VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/SPUTNIK

Twenty-six years ago, a "foreign uncle" walked up to a young boy seated on a balustrade along a lake in Beijing, spontaneously greeted him with a kiss on the forehead, and posed for a photo with him and his family.

Fast forward to 2026. The boy, Peng Pai, now 38 years old and a civil engineer specializing in bridge construction, rebuilt that heartwarming connection through a reunion on Wednesday with this uncle, who is none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two met in Beijing during Putin's state visit to China. A video posted by Russia's RT television network shows Putin and Peng sharing a warm handshake, holding a brief conversation, and then Putin signing a copy of their group photo from the summer of 2000.

Peng, a native of Yueyang, Hunan province, who pursued his engineering studies in Moscow because his first meeting with Putin piqued his curiosity about Russia, said he never thought he would have the opportunity to meet the Russian leader again.

During their chat at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Putin asked Peng who the person standing beside the boy in the photo is. "Learning that the man standing beside me is my father, he asked me to give my father his regards," Peng said.

They hugged each other goodbye after the chat, and Peng presented Putin with a gift — a tea set made of porcelain from Liling, Hunan. "I will remember this day for the rest of my life," Peng said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) poses with Peng Pai (front, center) from Hunan province at Beihai Park in Beijing on July 19, 2000. WU ZHIYI/CHINA DAILY

Back in 2000, Peng, then 12, and his family were touring Beihai Park during a trip to Beijing when they ran into Putin, who was making his first official visit to China as the Russian president.

The Russian leader made an impromptu stop at the park, indulged in some boating activities and greeted people. He approached the boy, picked him up and planted a kiss on his forehead. "It was completely spontaneous," Peng recalled. "I remember him as a kind, gentle uncle."

In an interview with RT before their reunion on Wednesday, Peng left a lighthearted message for the visiting leader.

"Dear President Putin, you still look the same, but I have changed from a little boy into a middle-aged man with a bigger belly," he said.

While Peng didn't fully grasp the meaning of their encounter more than two decades ago, it certainly did increase his interest in Russia. After finishing high school, he decided to apply for higher studies in the Russian capital.

From 2007 to 2013, Peng studied bridge and tunnel engineering at the Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees.

"During my years in Moscow, I gained a deeper understanding of Russia's vast territory, its rich history and culture," Peng said.

He said that the teachers and students he met along the way left a lasting impression. "They were very kind to international students," he added.

Upon returning to China, Peng joined Hunan Construction Investment Group, a State-owned enterprise based in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, which has projects in more than 60 countries.

He is now a senior engineer at the group, leading an engineering technology team. Among the projects he has worked on, a pedestrian bridge on the Liuyang River in Changsha received the National Quality Engineering Award for 2020-21.

Although Peng has not returned to Russia, he has been closely following the development of China-Russia bilateral relations. "High-level exchanges between the two sides have been frequent in recent years, with interactions taking place in many areas, including at grassroots and online levels," he said.

As a bridge engineer, Peng expressed his hope for greater infrastructure cooperation between the two countries. Both sides have strengths that can complement each other for mutual benefit, he said.

Now a father of two, Peng hopes to take his family to Moscow one day and walk through his old university campus. "I would tell my children everything I know about that country and its people," he said.

Peng Yixuan in Beijing contributed to this story.