Right now, the pomegranate flowers in Xi'an are in full bloom.
The pomegranate flower is the city flower of Xi'an, and the pomegranate tree is native to Central Asia. As the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road, the story of Xi'an and pomegranate has a long history.
On May 19, after the China-Central Asia Summit, President Xi Jinping and the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries jointly planted six pomegranate trees. This not only bears witness to the thousand-year-old friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia, but also symbolizes the close unity and cooperation between China and Central Asia, and pins on expectations for a bright future of China-Central Asia relations.
For thousands of years, China and the people of Central Asia have exchanged information and learned from each other, creating the glory of the ancient Silk Road and writing a chapter in the history of exchanges between human civilizations. Today, at the first China-Central Asia Summit, carefully designed cultural elements skillfully link history and reality, China and the five Central Asian countries, symbolizing the continuation of the millennium friendship between the two sides and opening up a new future.
The logo of the China-Central Asia summit is a six-colored pomegranate flower. Six petals arranged in a spiraling pattern, with the landmark bell tower of Xi'an in the center, symbolizing that friends from China and the five Central Asian countries gathered in Xi'an to share traditional friendship and seek future development.
The summit was held at the Xi'an International Convention Center on the banks of the Bahe River.
Outside the venue, a sculpture of Zhang Qian stood. More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian, an envoy of the Han Dynasty of China, set out from Chang'an to the Western Regions, opening the door to friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia. For thousands of years, China, together with the peoples of all ethnic groups in Central Asia, has promoted the rise and prosperity of the Silk Road and made historic contributions to the exchanges, integration and enrichment of world civilizations.
On the dining table of the semi-open collective state dinner, there is a set of scale-accurate 3D printed landmarks of Chinese and Central Asian countries.
Among them are Legistan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the world's largest closed Ferris wheel in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the commemorative column of the national emblem of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the observation tower of Bayderek in Kazakhstan, the State History Museum of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Yumen Pass in Gansu, China, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Drum Tower in Xi'an, Shaanxi... At China's first major home diplomacy event this year, cultural elements from China and the five Central Asian countries were carefully displayed.
During the opening ceremony of the People's Culture and Art Year and China-Central Asia Youth Arts Festival between China and Central Asian Countries, a Qin song performed by Chinese artists won warm applause from the audience. Qin cavity, known as "China's oldest rock and roll", is a treasure of Chinese national culture and the crystallization of musical and cultural exchanges among ethnic groups on the ancient Silk Road.
The dance is the first of the five ancient rites in China and has been passed down as a national ritual for thousands of years.
The ranks of ancient music and dance are called "佾", and there are "two 佾", "four 佾", "six 佾" and "eight 佾". "Eight people" is the highest specification, that is, eight people per line, a total of eight rows and sixty-four people.
The "Yazu Dance" that took place at the welcome ceremony was the highest standard ceremonial dance. Chinese greeted friends from the five Central Asian countries with the highest courtesy.
The meticulous details of the Xi'an Summit are a vivid epitome of the exchanges and mutual learning between different ethnic groups throughout the ages, releasing the consensus and voice of transcending civilizational barriers through civilizational exchanges, transcending civilizational conflicts through mutual learning among civilizations, and transcending civilizational superiority through civilizational coexistence.
Culture is the blood of a nation and the bond of the hearts of the people.
Last year, at the video summit marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries, President Xi Jinping stressed that civilizations are colorful through exchanges and develop through mutual learning. We must establish a general pattern of diversified and interactive people-to-people exchanges.
This year, at the China-Central Asia Summit, the theme of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations runs through the whole process, and is also reflected in many Chinese and Central Asian cultural elements.
During his talks with the leaders of the five countries, President Xi Jinping talked about deepening people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
In his keynote speech at the summit, President Xi Jinping gave a specific path to strengthen dialogue among civilizations - China invites Central Asian countries to participate in the "Cultural Silk Road" plan, will set up more traditional medicine centers in Central Asia, accelerate the establishment of cultural centers in each other, continue to provide government scholarships to Central Asian countries, support universities in Central Asian countries to join the "Silk Road University Alliance", hold the People's Culture and Art Year and China-Central Asian media high-end dialogue and exchange activities between China and Central Asian countries, and promote the selection of "China-Central Asia Cultural and Tourism Capital". Launched a special train for cultural tourism in Central Asia.
When meeting with reporters with the heads of state of the five Central Asian countries, President Xi Jinping further pointed out that cooperation in sports, archaeology, tourism, medical and health will be actively carried out.
Looking back at the ancient Silk Road, China's papermaking, iron smelting technology and traditional Chinese medicine spread to the world through Central Asia, and knowledge of astronomy, geography, mathematics and other knowledge in Central Asia and West Asia was also introduced to China. Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty traveled west to seek the law, and Chen Cheng of the Ming Dynasty made five envoys to the Western Regions... For thousands of years, different cultures have interacted and stirred each other on the ancient Silk Road, accumulating the silent spiritual harmony.
Today, on the "Belt and Road", from the exchange of international students to joint archaeology, from mutual translation of books to co-production of films, China's people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with Central Asian countries have become closer.
With the unprecedented breadth and depth of China-Central Asia cooperation, the people-to-people ties between the two sides have been continuously strengthened, and a new chapter of civilizational exchanges and mutual learning will be written.
Executive producer丨Geng Zhimin
Producer丨Xinglai
Editor-in-chief丨Ning Lili
Written by 丨 Cheng Yu
Vision丨Jiang Yuhang
Source: CCTV News Client