China's people-to-people, cultural exchanges with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan deepening

China's people-to-people and cultural exchanges with both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have deepened in recent years under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, with new progress in terms of cultural heritage preservation, films and publishing cooperation.

Artists from Tajikistan dance during a performance in Beijing, capital of China, May 17, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Some facts are as follows:

– Since 2013, China has continued to hold the "Happy Spring Festival -- China Tajikistan One Family" event in Tajikistan, which has been warmly welcomed by local people.

– In 2014, the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, following a joint application by countries including China and Kyrgyzstan.

– Under the framework of the "Silk Road Film & Television Bridge Project" launched in 2015, Tajik and Kyrgyz language versions of some outstanding Chinese movies and TV series were made, including the documentaries "Tea: Story of the Leaf" and "Porcelain Story" in Tajik and "Silk Road: The Journey Goes on" and "China's Mega Projects" in Kyrgyz, which have been aired through the two countries' national television broadcasts.

– In 2018, China exported copyrights of more than 190 books to Kyrgyzstan. A book on jointly building Belt and Road was among those translated into Kyrgyz and published in Kyrgyzstan.

Shans, a bookstore in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, is the first bookstore in Central Asia selling works of Chinese authors translated into Kyrgyz and Kazakh languages and serves as a window for local readers to learn about China.

– In June 2018, delegations from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan attended the first Shanghai Cooperation Organization film festival in China. Tajik film "Air Safar" was among the winners of the Special Jury Awards, while Kyrgyz film "Night Accident" got the Best Actor Award.

– In May 2019, representatives of the cultural and artistic circles of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan attended the thematic forum "Culture, Tourism and People-to-People Exchanges" of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations as well as events like the Asian culture carnival.

– On June 10, 2019, a major event featuring Chinese cultural elements was held to mark the inauguration of the "China Pavilion" at the Bishkek Humanities University. Programs with Chinese features like the Kunqu Opera, ventriloquism, the dramatic art of Face-Changing, as well as traditional Kyrgyz dances were performed.