Cultural and educational exchanges help foster bonds with Uzbekistan

Editor's note: There is a rich abundance of stories depicting people-to-people exchanges between Shanghai Cooperation Organization cities. During a session held at the Global Mayors Dialogue・SCO Summit Cities in Tianjin on Tuesday, three individuals shared their stories of committing to such exchanges and building up mutual understanding between SCO countries. Dilsora Mirzaakhmedova was one of them.

Dilsora Mirzaakhmedova, a linguist from Uzbekistan who has lived in China for 15 years, is using language, education and cultural exchange to build bridges and deepen bonds between people from the two countries.

Mirzaakhmedova began studying Chinese in 2005, eventually earning a doctorate in the language. In 2017, she began teaching the Uzbek language at the Minzu University of China's School of Foreign Studies.

"Since I fell in love with the Chinese language, I've believed that language has a powerful magic," she said. "It is not only a tool for communication, but also a window into dialogue between civilizations."

Aiming to foster mutual understanding, the associate professor shares stories with her Chinese students about Uzbekistan's ongoing reforms and its hospitable people. She also shares her experiences in China when she returns home.

Invited by the Chinese embassy in Uzbekistan, Mirzaakhmedova spent nearly a year from 2021 to 2022 translating the book Up and Out of Poverty into Uzbek.

The book is a compilation of President Xi Jinping's speeches and articles from 1988 to 1990 when he served as secretary of the Communist Party of China's Ningde Prefectural Committee in Fujian province.

China's experience with poverty alleviation, especially by emphasizing education and vocational training and encouraging youth to return home to start businesses, offers valuable lessons for developing countries like Uzbekistan, she said.

Mirzaakhmedova said that education is a bridge connecting nations and cultures. China and member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have carried out various cooperation projects among universities, focusing on areas such as language teaching and youth exchange programs.

The Minzu University of China also established cooperation platforms for students from SCO countries, including Uzbekistan, in areas such as language, culture and regional studies, she said.

As a participant in cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries, Mirzaakhmedova said she has seen many Uzbek students return home to become key contributors to their country's development after completing their studies in China.

"Having studied, lived and worked in China for 15 years, I've seen China's development and change, and feel that the SCO has provided a broad stage for people-to-people connectivity and mutual learning among civilizations."