Institute of Applied Ethnopolitical Research
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As is well known, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a conceptual initiative of the Silk Road in Kazakhstan in 2013. Kazakhstan is a key partner in the framework of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The country was chosen for the place of the announcement of this initiative is not accidental, since back in the days of the Great Silk Road, Kazakhstan played the role of a kind of hub. Plus, there is a geographical advantage and close interstate relations between China and Kazakhstan.
One belt and One Road, based on the basic principle of interconnectedness, today the initiative unites 151 countries and 32 international organizations, in other words, these are two-thirds of the world's countries and 63% of the world's population. The mutual flow and spread of cultures provides countries with excellent international talents and a high-quality incentive for the development of international cooperation.
Some progress has been made in this regard today. This can be seen in the example of the most obvious development in the economic sphere. According to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China in Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao at a seminar of mass media and experts of Kazakhstan and China dedicated to the decade of the initiative-China's International Initiative "One Belt, One Road" will help increase the GDP of the Republic of Kazakhstan by 21 percent according to World Bank estimates. This is confirmed by the fact that last year the turnover of China and Kazakhstan increased by 23.06%, for the first time exceeding the mark of 31 billion US dollars. And in the first quarter of this year, the trade turnover of our countries increased by another 26.08%" [1].“The Belt and Road has led to economic development, thanks to which tens of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created in various countries.
In the context of economic globalization, countries around the world are in a state of interconnection, but the limited understanding of people and the importance of their own interests inevitably lead to conflicts and misunderstandings between cultures and population groups.
"One Belt, One Road" in its geographical coverage extends from the entire Asia-Pacific region to the whole world, creating a more complete and extensive network for cultural mobility. "One Belt, One Road" is aimed at creating a community of human destiny, strengthening global ties and uniting the political, economic and cultural development of all countries into a single platform.
In 2014, the Ministry of Culture of China proposed to create a "Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt", the main content of which will be exchanges and cooperation in the field of cultural industry [2]. The Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt will be built as an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Cultural exchanges and trade with neighboring countries are strengthened through cultural trade. Through the construction of the Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt, it strengthens exchanges and cooperation in the fields of cinema and television, performing arts and entertainment, animation and games, cultural tourism, arts and crafts, intangible cultural heritage, ethnic culture, industrial production, architectural design, cultural sports, etc., in order to break down cultural barriers, strengthen cultural communication power countries and improve cultural soft power.
It will enrich the development plan of the Silk Road Economic Belt, promote the integration and development of the cultural industry, accelerate cultural trade and promote sustainable economic development; in addition, it will strengthen understanding and solidarity between different ethnic groups and religions, strengthen international exchanges and mutual trust; and ultimately, it will achieve mutual benefit and prosperity, peace and stability for all countries and regions along the Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt. This plan is of great importance for global civilizational interaction.
The Action Plan of the Ministry of Culture for the Development of Culture along the Belt and Road (2016-2020) has developed a roadmap for the development of cultural construction along the Belt and Road [3]. China has signed 108 bilateral documents on cooperation in the field of culture and tourism with countries along the route, and a number of multilateral mechanisms have been established. The International Alliance of Theaters, Museums, Art Festivals, Libraries and Art Galleries of the Silk Road was gradually created and improved, it included 319 foreign cultural institutions from 88 countries and regions. 17 Chinese cultural centers and several tourist offices were established in the countries along the route, and comprehensive festivals such as the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and the Silk Road International Tourism Festival Dunhuang Walk attracted the participation of countries along the route. Such events organized by China, Kazakhstan and other countries as the Year of Tourism, the World Tourism Alliance and the Great Tea Way International Tourism Project contributed to the construction of the Belt and Road in the direction of high-quality development, exchange and mutual appreciation of civilizations and further promotion of exchanges between people [4]. Exchanges and cooperation in the field of culture and tourism will help to break down geographical and sectoral barriers, integrate resources from around the world in the field of culture and tourism and lay the foundations of consensus for the construction of the "Belt and Road" and the community of human destiny.
For a long time, the Silk Road was an artery that connected the nomadic peoples and oases of the Eurasian continent with the empires of ancient civilizations. Thanks to the Silk Road, the world began to understand China and other countries along the route. The ancient Silk Road promoted the exchange of ideas and cultures between East and West, playing an important role in shaping the community of destiny. From the point of view of material culture, the opening of the Silk Road brought East and West closer together and contributed to the progress and development of world civilization. From the point of view of ideology and culture, the opening of the Silk Road allowed religions from all over the world to penetrate into China and other countries; on the other hand, it also brought traditional Chinese Confucianism to the West and contributed to the birth of modern European civilization.
In addition, the Silk Road was also a route of ethnic integration. Humanitarian exchanges within the framework of the Belt and Road allow cultures and customs of various ethnic groups to interact. International students have become the driving force of cultural exchanges between countries, adding to the diversity of world civilizations.
The culture of the Silk Road is a kind of cultural memory and a cultural symbol common to the countries along the route. The ancient Silk Road was not only a channel for commercial trade, but also a bridge between Eastern and Western civilizations. The Silk Road has played a very important role in the development of economic and trade exchanges between East and West, cultural integration and diversity of civilizations. The influence of culture transcends time and space, crosses national borders, promotes the exchange of ideas and the mixing of cultures between East and West, which is the indelible historical role of the Ancient Silk Road.
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