China, Kyrgyzstan revitalize ancient Silk Road
By Liu
Zhonghua, People’s Daily
Tianshan
Mountain, situated in the hinterland of Eurasia, is one of the world’s seven largest
mountain ranges, stretching through four countries including China and
Kyrgyzstan.
As a
major location along the ancient Silk Road – a route that made important
contribution to the friendly exchanges and mutual learning among Eurasian
peoples and civilizations, Tianshan Mountain, for thousands of years, has been
a witness to the flourishing trade along the Silk Road and the persevering
spirit of the envoys promoting friendly relations among different countries.
Chinese envoy Zhang Qian in Han Dynasty (206 BC–220
AD), who was also a Silk Road pioneer, had left his footprints in the Tianshan
region before reaching Central and West Asia.
The
mountain often comes into the sight of the people in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, 90 percent of whose territory lies more
than 1,500 meters above sea level.
Kyrgyzstan
is halfway along the ancient Silk Road. The Kyrgyz people used to travel
thousands of miles along the Tianshan Mountain range to Chang’an (present day Xi'an), capital of Chinese Tang Dynasty
(618-907 AD), and traded their horses and furs for fine silk and ceramics. What
they brought home also included a close friendship with the hospitable Chinese
people.
Such
beautiful memory of the splendid history of the ancient Silk Road was activated
by Chinese President Xi Jinping, when he made the first-ever proposal to
jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Central Asia in
2013. The proposal has won wide support from the leaders and all walks of life
in Central Asian countries.
In 2014, with
the joint efforts of China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the Silk Roads: the
Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor of the Silk Road stretching from
Chang'an in China to Central Asia was listed as UNESCO World Heritage.
The UNESCO
World Heritage Committee believed that the Silk Road, as a road of integration,
communication and dialogue between the eastern and western civilizations, has
made important contribution to the common prosperity of mankind.
In recent
years, the tourism bureau of Kyrgyzstan introduced the Great Silk Road
traveling route, in an attempt to promote the beauty and history of the ancient
corridor. The traveling route includes the Suyab ruins, and is the country’s most important project of cultural tourism.
These ancient trade routes and historical sites surrounded by mountains are
telling beautiful stories of civilization exchanges to the visitors coming from
every corner of the world.
“The
ancient Silk Road brought opportunities and prosperity to this land, and I
believe that the Kyrgyz people will gain more by jointly building the Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI),” said Nina Nichiporova, first deputy
editor-in-chief of Kyrgyz Russian-language newspaper Vecherniy Bishkek.
As a journalist
that has covered BRI projects for times, she told People’s Daily that President
Xi’s state visit to Kyrgyzstan will further promote the friendly cooperative
relations between the two countries.
Transportation
interconnectivity, a priority in the Belt and Road construction, plays a
fundamental role in this initiative. It is especially important for a
mountainous country like Kyrgyzstan.
With
the participation of Chinese infrastructure companies, the
China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway, defying many high mountains on its route, has
become a transnational transport artery.
Besides,
China and Kyrgyzstan are actively advancing other transportation connectivity
projects, including the Bishkek road network improvement project and the alternative
North-South highway in Kyrgyzstan.
The BRI
has enriched the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Kyrgyz people.
Today, China
is Kyrgyzstan’s largest trading partner and source of investment. Bilateral
exchanges and cooperation are comprehensively expanding.
Ahead of
President Xi’s state visit to Kyrgyzstan, a series of activities were held in
Bishkek, such as a China- Kyrgyzstan BRI seminar, an economic
and trade fair, and a commercial exhibition.
Manas, a
Chinese opera created by China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, debuted
on June 11 at the Kyrgyz National Opera
and Ballet Theatre in Bishkek. The successful performance indicates further
cultural exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan and brighter prospects of the
two countries’ traditional
friendship.
China, Kyrgyzstan revitalize ancient Silk Road
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