The Tianshan Forum on China-Central Asia Literature was held in Beijing on Thursday, bringing together more than 40 experts and scholars from China and the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — to discuss the traditions and contemporary significance of literary exchanges between the two sides.
Co-organized by the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Secretariat of the National Top Think Tank with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the forum explored how literary exchanges can strengthen people-to-people ties and promote mutual understanding among civilizations.
An Deming, director of the Institute of Ethnic Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and the Central Asian countries are connected by mountains and rivers and bound by the ancient Silk Road. The poetry of Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai, along with heroic epics such as Manas and Jangar, offers a vivid record of the literary traditions and cultural exchanges linking China and Central Asia.
Literature, An noted, is one of the most enduring forms of dialogue among civilizations. He said the forum aimed to advance the consensus reached at the China-Central Asia Summit, strengthen literature's role in fostering understanding, building common ground and sustaining friendship, and create a cultural bridge to deepen people-to-people ties between China and its neighbors. These exchanges, he added, can help carry the spirit of the Silk Road into the new era.
Li Weijian, deputy secretary-general of the National Top Think Tank with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, outlined three key contributions of the forum. It provides an important platform for research into China-Central Asia literature and encourages deeper academic exchanges. It also promotes dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations, strengthening the foundations of cultural and people-to-people ties. Finally, it responds to the evolving needs of building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, with literature serving as a bridge between hearts.
During the keynote session, six Chinese and international scholars delivered speeches drawing on their respective fields of research.
Three parallel sub-forums focused on literature and mutual learning among civilizations: "epics and contemporary life", "intangible cultural heritage", and "digitization". Discussions covered the translation and introduction of literary classics and their mutual influence, the shared epic traditions of China and Central Asia, and the use of digital technologies to support the protection of intangible cultural heritage.
