ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China launched several media projects to promote tourism and bilateral cultural interests at the cultural exchange event on July 2 in Astana.
Kazakh and Chinese officials and media heads during the launch of “Xi Jinping’s Classical Quotes” program in the Kazakh language. Photo credit: The Astana Times
Titled a New Chapter of Advanced Relations, the event coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to Kazakhstan from July 2-4 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, providing new impetus for the development of bilateral relations.
Apart from cooperation in politics, trade and transport, cultural exchange plays a crucial role in strengthening bilateral ties, according to Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva.
“A very important aspect of our cooperation is strong ties in the field of culture. In particular, organizing performances of creative groups, museum exhibitions, art expositions, screenings of new films in the film industry, and the opening of memorials is very important,” said Balayeva.
The exchange of official visits by both leaders will pave the way for successful cultural cooperation in the future. “Thanks to the personal friendship of our heads of state, cooperation between Kazakhstan and China is experiencing a real renaissance today,” she said.
The three-part documentary “Bond with China—For the Common Dream” premiered on the CCTV4 channel, showcasing Kazakhstan’s key tourist destinations, such as Almaty, Big Almaty lake, Sharyn canyon, Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, Turkistan, and Astana. Produced with support from the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Kazakh Tourism national company, the documentary was part of Kazakhstan’s promotion efforts of the country’s tourism year in China.
The event was held in close cooperation with China Media Group (CMG), which showed the promo of the third season of “Xi Jinping’s Classical Quotes” program. The third season marked its debut in the Kazakh language.
Speaking at the event, CMG President Shen Haixiong expressed gratitude for Kazakhstan’s warm welcome and underscored the significance of the program.
“Today we begin the third season of ‘Xi Jinping’s Classical Quotes’ in Kazakh, which collects classic Chinese sayings quoted by the Chinese President in significant speeches, articles and conversations. The broadcasts reveal the meaning and global value of profound Chinese traditional culture in the new era. These classical expressions actually reveal China’s past, present and future,” said Shen.
He also shared the heartwarming friendship story betweens the famed Chinese composer Xian Xinghai and Kazakh musician Bakhytzhan Baikadamov. In the early 1940s, Xian ended up stuck in Kazakhstan while trying to return to China from Russia. Sitting on his suitcase with a violin in hand, he was approached by Kazakh musician Baikadamov, who invited him into his home. Hence began the enduring friendship between two legendary composers from two nations.
“The Kazakh proverb says that true friendships never dry up, and this is exemplified by the relationship between Xian Xinghai, a Chinese musician who lived and composed in Almaty, and Kazakh musician Baikadamov. Their friendship stands as a symbol of the enduring friendly relations between Kazakhstan and China,” said Shen.
