CMG held China-Kazakhstan cultural exchange event in Astana

China Media Group (CMG) hosted a China-Kazakhstan cultural exchange event entitled "New Chapter of the History that Connects Mountains and Rivers" in Astana on Tuesday as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a state visit to Kazakhstan.

Nearly 100 distinguished guests from different fields in Kazakhstan attended the event to witness the announcement of several cooperation projects and a documentary co-produced by China and Kazakhstan, "Shared Dreams."

CMG President Shen Haixiong delivered a speech in which he said CMG has always been committed to pushing forward the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Kazakhstan. CMG has reported many times about the story of Chinese musician Xian Xinghai and Kazakh musician Bakhytzhan Baikadamov, who got to know each other in Almaty and forged a deep friendship. He believed that the launch of the China-Kazakhstan co-produced documentary "Shared Dreams" and other cooperation projects will further enhance the mutual understanding and exchanges between the two peoples and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Kazakh Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva said in her speech that the peoples of Kazakhstan and China have enjoyed a history of friendly exchanges for thousands of years; the two countries are closely linked through the ancient Silk Road. In recent years, the cooperation between the Kazakhstan media and China Media Group has played a positive role in the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. She said the Ministry of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan will continue to maintain a close cooperation with CMG in spreading the history, culture, customs and folk customs of the two countries.

In a speech delivered by Director of the Kazakhstan President's TV and Radio Complex Kazhibayeva Raushan Zhanabergenovna, she said a series of high-quality programs from CMG have been broadcast in Kazakhstan, which strongly promoted the dialogue between the two civilizations. Kazhibayeva said the two sides will jointly produce more programs and documentaries to showcase the cultural treasures and to present the economic and social development achievements of China and Kazakhstan.

Vice-Minister of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan Yerkinbayev Yerzhan Malikovich gave a speech, saying that traveling between the two countries has become more convenient as the visa-free policy came into force. He noted that the tourism cooperation has large potential and broad prospects, and that the co-produced documentary "Shared Dreams" is a good start for more cooperation.

"We can work together with CMG to strengthen cooperation in content production and event hosting to attract more Chinese tourists to come to Kazakhstan and experience the beautiful scenery and colorful culture," said Malikovich.

Acting CEO of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) Temirlan Mukhanbetzhanov noted in his speech that cultural and people-to-people exchanges serve as a solid foundation for the financial cooperation between the two countries.

"AIFC is an important spot in the Eurasia region and a financial platform for implementing the Belt and Road Initiative. We look forward to working with CMG to carry out exchanges in more areas and promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road to contribute to the economic and cultural prosperity of the two countries," said Mukhanbetzhanov.

In Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao's video address, he said that China and Kazakhstan are geographically close and have a long history of cultural exchanges. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are an important part and driving force of China-Kazakhstan relations.

He noted that the event is very meaningful as it is held during President Xi Jinping's state visit. It can summarize the achievements so far and open a new stage for cultural cooperation and exchanges.

The documentary "Shared Dreams" was also launched at the event. It demonstrates the cooperation and joint construction between China and Kazakhstan in humanities, art, ecology, economy and trade. It is co-produced by CMG and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan, and is the first and largest cooperative production. The documentary, consisting of three 26-minute episodes, is scheduled to be broadcast from July 2 to 5 on Kazakh State Television and CMG's International Channel (CCTV-4).

Several agreements on future cooperation were signed at the event. The Research Institute of CMG and Eurasian National University of Kazakhstan reached an agreement on further deepening cooperation and exchanged a memorandum. The two sides will promote innovations on media technology and boost academic and think tank exchanges. Founded in 1996, Eurasian National University is the largest comprehensive university in Kazakhstan.

CMG also signed memorandums of cooperation with Astana International Financial Center and Kazakh State Tourism Company, which will strengthen information exchanges in the economic and tourism fields.

Baikadamov's daughter Baikadamova was also invited to the event and had a video talk with Xian Xinghai's daughter Xian Nina. They talked about the touching stories between the two families, showing the friendship between the two countries passing to the next generation. After this, Kazakh artists performed extracts from Xian Xinghai's symphonic poem and the Chinese classic song "On the Field of Hope."