Page 1 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

WORkING TOGETHER TO BUILD
THE SILk ROAD ECONOMIC BELT

September 7, 2013

More than 2,100 years ago during the Han Dynasty, a Chinese
envoy named Zhang Qian was twice sent to Central Asia on missions of
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peace and friendship. His journeys opened the door to friendly contact
between China and Central Asian countries, and pioneered a Silk Road
linking East and West, Asia and Europe.
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My home province of Shaanxi is right at the starting point of the
ancient Silk Road. Today, as I stand here and look back on history, it’s as
if I can hear the echo of camel bells ringing in the mountains and see the
wisps of smoke rising from the desert. It’s a truly gladdening feeling.
Kazakhstan, located on the ancient Silk Road, played an important
part in connecting the civilizations of the East and West and in fostering
communication and cooperation between different peoples and cultures.
This land has borne witness to a steady stream of envoys, caravans,
travelers, scholars, and artisans journeying between East and West. Along
the way, by exchanging goods and learning from each other, together
they promoted the progress of human civilization.
The ancient city of Almaty was also on the ancient Silk Road. In
Almaty, there is a Xian Xinghai Boulevard, which got its name from a
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true story. In 1941, after the Great Patriotic War broke out, a well-known
Chinese composer named Xian Xinghai eventually found his way to
Almaty. With no one to turn to and beset by poverty and illness, he was
taken in by the Kazakh composer Bakhitzhan Baykadamov, who gave
him a place to call home.
It was in Almaty that Xian composed his famous works the
Liberation of the Nation, Sacred War, and Red All over the River. He also
wrote the symphony Amangeldy based on the exploits of the Kazakh

Part of a speech at Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.

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