Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — “Nothing is more beautiful than living in friendship,” wrote Alisher Navoi, the great Uzbek literary figure. Five centuries later, these words, full of human warmth, remain an apt reflection of the relationships between people living along the route of the ancient Silk Road.
The ancient Silk Road connected Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara with Dunhuang, Lanzhou and Chang’an, now known as Xi’an.
For centuries, trading caravans, diplomatic missions and ordinary people travelled along this route, exchanging goods, sharing stories and learning about one another. Today, that friendship continues.
It is this enduring bond that is explored in the documentary series “From the Yellow River to the Syr Darya”, jointly produced by China Media Group’s CGTN and Uzbekistan’s National Television and Radio Company. The films look beyond official protocol and statistics to reveal the human stories behind bilateral relations. Such media projects play an important role in breaking down stereotypes and helping the people of China and Uzbekistan see one another as genuine friends.
“Foreign lands become home.” For many Chinese people, Uzbekistan has become a second home, including teachers of Chinese at the Confucius Institute in Tashkent.
They do more than teach the language. They also take part in local life, sharing plov and flatbread with local teachers and students, celebrating Navruz, and visiting one another’s homes and weddings. Many Chinese craftsmen work alongside local specialists to restore Uzbekistan’s ancient madrasahs and mosques, helping preserve cultural heritage for all humanity. Chinese entrepreneurs also live in Tashkent, where their children attend local schools. Through such everyday interactions, friendship takes root and grows stronger.
Friendship is always a two-way street. Many young Uzbeks also live, study and work in China, including a large number at Lanzhou University. In class, they study the history of the Silk Road alongside their Chinese classmates. After lessons, they travel around Gansu Province to experience the region’s Silk Road culture firsthand. They enjoy Lanzhou cuisine, particularly its beef noodles.
After returning home, many become Chinese-language teachers, translators or cultural-sector professionals. They bring back stories from Gansu and become ambassadors of friendship between the peoples of China and Uzbekistan.
Farukh Azimov, one of the people featured in the documentary, stayed in Lanzhou after graduating from Lanzhou University. He married there and pursued his chosen profession in early childhood education. The city is also home to scholars who teach Navoi’s literary heritage and the history of Central Asia, introducing Chinese audiences to Uzbekistan’s rich culture.
Together with their Chinese colleagues, these scholars conduct research and regularly exchange ideas at academic seminars.
Young entrepreneurs also travel between the two countries, introducing Chinese consumers to Uzbek products such as dried fruit and silk goods. Through trade, they are building another bridge of friendship. Their experience of studying and living in China has helped them gain a deeper understanding of the country while introducing Uzbekistan to Chinese consumers.
Intergovernmental cooperation provides a platform for expanding these contacts. China and Uzbekistan already have more than 30 pairs of sister cities and sister provinces. Despite differences in language and traditions, people in both countries share an appreciation for sincerity, kindness and harmony.
Scholars recommend books to one another and edit each other’s manuscripts. Teachers and students support one another. Neighbours help each other, sharing food, joys and sorrows. People living abroad come to call themselves locals because they have learned the customs and traditions of their adopted homes.
This is the very spirit that Navoi wrote about. A new generation continues the dialogue by studying abroad, taking part in cultural and sporting events, and communicating online. In doing so, young people are adding new chapters to the history of friendship among the peoples of the Silk Road and helping strengthen relations between their countries.
Young people from China and Uzbekistan are increasingly choosing joint educational programmes, research placements and volunteer projects. Fluent in each other’s languages and familiar with one another’s cultural traditions, they are laying a solid foundation for future relations.
Across the centuries, Navoi’s words continue to remind us of the value of friendship. The story of friendship between the peoples of the two countries continues along the Great Silk Road.
In classrooms in Tashkent and Samarkand, on university campuses in Lanzhou and Xi’an, at sites where historic monuments are being restored, and around dining tables at home, thousands of ordinary people from China and Uzbekistan are getting to know one another and learning more about each other’s countries.
May this friendship, born of sincere hearts, flow continuously like the great rivers of the Silk Road, bringing benefits to generations in both countries.
Zhang Hongli is a visiting professor at the School of Politics and International Relations and the Institute of Central Asia at Lanzhou University.
