China News Agency, Nur-Sultan, May 1st: Director of the National Museum of Kazakhstan: How can civilizations on the Silk Road learn from each other?

  China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo

  China and Kazakhstan, both Asian civilizations, have maintained good cultural exchanges and cooperation for many years, and are constantly exploring how to expand mutual learning between civilizations on the basis of respecting differences.

  Recently, the director of the National Museum of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the Kazakh Museum), Muhamedi Ure, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East-West Question" to reveal which cultural relics related to China and which cultural relics are treasured in the largest museum in Central Asia. It also reflects the exchanges between different civilizations and cultures on the ancient Silk Road, and shares the story of the cooperation between Kazakhstan and China museums, and talks about how to expand the cognitive boundaries between different civilizations.

  The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

  China News Service reporter: The Haguo Expo, which has a short history of building, is the largest museum in Central Asia.

In your opinion, what role do museums play in Kazakh culture?

  Muhammad Ure: Museums play a special role in the development of world culture.

Haguobo is the largest museum in Central Asia and was completed on July 2, 2013 as part of the implementation of the national "cultural heritage" plan.

Today, the museum has become a treasure trove of Kazakhstan's national historical and art collections.

Not only that, the museum also has important cultural relic restoration and research functions, as well as a comprehensive cultural center covering cultural education.

  The comprehensive building area of ​​Haguobo is 74,000 square meters. There are 14 exhibition halls in the museum, displaying more than 10,000 treasures.

In terms of architectural scale, it ranks among the top ten museums in the world together with the Hermitage Museum in Russia, the Louvre in France, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States.

National Museum of Kazakhstan.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo

  China News Agency reporter: "Golden Warrior" is the treasure of the town hall of Haguobo. What is its historical and archaeological significance?

"Golden Warrior" was exhibited in China, why did you choose China as the exhibiting country?

  Muhammad Ure: "Golden Warrior", commonly known as "Golden Man", was unearthed in 1969 by Akishev, a well-known archaeologist and founder of Kazakhstan's national archaeological work, in the Almaty Issyk Tomb.

We directly connect the "Golden Man" of the ancient Saka period with the history of the founding of Kazakhstan, which is the most important national treasure in the history of Kazakhstan.

  The "Golden Man" costume is composed of more than 4,000 pieces of gold pieces, using a variety of metal processing techniques, which not only shows the superb craftsmanship of the ancestors, but also has profound philosophical significance in the patterns.

  In addition to the gold artifacts found in the tomb, the archaeological team also unearthed a small silver bowl with an inscription on the outer bottom.

The inscription on the silver bowl consists of 26 letters arranged horizontally at the bottom of the bowl in two rows.

Experts have not yet deciphered the meaning of the inscriptions, but what is certain is that these words prove that the ancient Saka tribe had its own special alphabet and writing system.

  So far, nine "golden figures" have been found in Kazakhstan.

In 2017, in order to implement the "Spiritual Revival National Project Plan", Haguobo launched the "Golden Man Touring World Museum" exhibition plan.

The "Great Prairie History and Cultural Heritage" theme exhibition under the program has traveled a lot.

In four years, "Golden Man" has been exhibited in museums in China, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, Poland, South Korea, Turkey, Malaysia, India and Greece.

  Having an exhibition in China is not an accidental choice.

First of all, Kazakhstan and China are a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, and the two countries support each other in political, economic and cultural development.

Secondly, China has a very rich historical and cultural heritage, and we have noticed that the Chinese people are very interested in foreign cultures.

Facts have also proved that our judgment is correct.

The exhibition attracted about one million Chinese visitors in two months.

Khaguobo "Golden Warrior" (commonly known as "Golden Man") was excavated in 1969 by Akishev, a well-known archaeologist and founder of Kazakhstan's national archaeological work, in the Almaty Issyk Tomb.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo

  China News Service reporter: In recent years, the exchanges between museums have become increasingly close. What is the cooperation between Haguobo and China?

  Muhamedi Ure: Khaguo Bo and Chinese officials have held many cultural activities.

For example, it has signed a memorandum of cooperation with a number of cultural and educational institutions in China.

These include signing a memorandum of cooperation with Xi'an Datang West City Museum in 2015, Shanghai Museum in 2017, and Northwestern Polytechnical University in 2018.

  In addition, many cultural relics exhibitions have been jointly held with the Chinese side.

As one of the cultural exchange activities of the China Pavilion at the 2017 Astana World Expo, the Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Cultural Relics Exhibition was exhibited at the Kazakhstan International Expo in June of that year.

In July of the following year, as one of the destinations of the "Golden Man Touring the World Museum", Ha Guobo held the "Great Grassland Heritage: Treasure Art" exhibition at the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum.

  The two countries have also held various forms of seminars and training courses.

For example, in 2018, the Chinese side held a high-level seminar in the field of museum work for managers of several museums in Kazakhstan. A total of 15 people from the Kazakh Museum were sent to participate in on-site visits to Beijing, Changchun, Harbin and other places.

  In general, the joint projects and exchange activities implemented by Kazakhstan and China have expanded the cultural cooperation between the two countries, promoted the popularization and experience sharing of historical and cultural heritage, and thus promoted the development of cross-cultural exchanges between countries.

In 2018, Kazakhstan's "Great Steppe Heritage: Treasure Art" exhibition was held at the Shaanxi History Museum.

The picture shows the re-dressed "Golden Man" costume and weapons.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Yuan

  China News Service reporter: Kazakhstan is an important node on the ancient Silk Road. Which cultural relics or archaeological discoveries in the Kazakhstan National Museum can reflect the dialogue and exchanges between different civilizations and cultures on the "Silk Road"?

  Muhammad Ure: Kazakhstan and China are the disseminators of the "Silk Road" civilization and the supporters of friendly exchanges between the people. With the emergence of this ancient cross-continental trade route, signs of different historical civilizations have begun.

The two Asian civilizations have each gone through different stages of historical development and created splendid and unique spiritual and material civilizations.

The archaeological discoveries and cultural heritage of the two countries have also become the carrier and evidence of the splendid Asian culture.

  In my opinion, it is necessary to continue to strengthen research on the subject of the "Silk Road", and it is necessary to increase the scientific interest in the great "Silk Road" extending from China to Europe, which is of great significance for historical research.

In addition, joint scientific surveys of historical and cultural heritage should be promoted, standards for protection of heritage sites should be jointly formulated, and the application of digital technology in museums should be developed.

  According to historical records, ancient cities such as Otrar and Taraz became the most important places in the Kazakhstan section of the "Silk Road". The Kazakh steppe civilization flourished.

There are ceramic and glass vases unearthed from sites such as Otrar and Taraz in Bonet, Kazakhstan.

Collection of the National Museum of Kazakhstan.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo

  China News Service reporter: Chinese readers are very concerned about the cultural relics related to China and Chinese culture hidden in Ha Guobo. It is known that there is a stone tablet with Chinese characters inscribed. Please tell us the story behind it.

  Muhammad Ure: As one of the unique collections of the Harbin International Expo, this stone monument witnesses a different history of exchanges.

  The stone tablet is engraved with the words "Monument of Guque Teqin", which was written during the Kaiyuan period.

The stele is made of marble, the upper part is decorated with arches and depicts three fighting dragons.

The surface of the stele is inscribed with Chinese and ancient Turkic languages, and the back (west side) is in Chinese.

This inscription provides evidence for Kazakhstan's historical role on the "Silk Road".

  The inscription clearly depicts the mutual respect and cultural integration among various ethnic groups, which has also become one of the key factors in the socio-economic development of the region.

  China News Service: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. How will the two countries further conduct cultural exchanges and dialogues through cultural relics and museums?

  Muhamediouray: Different countries have their own historical development trajectories and have different understandings of each other's national culture.

I believe that there should be an open and inclusive attitude towards recognizing different cultures, which requires close interaction between countries.

To this end, it is necessary to strengthen humanitarian exchanges on the basis of international and bilateral joint projects.

  In recent years, Kazakhstan and China have conducted cross-regional cultural dialogues through joint activities such as museum exhibitions, festivals, language competitions, joint scientific research, and restoration of cultural relics.

  Language is the basis of "dialogue". By learning the language of each other, the people of the two countries will help to enhance each other's cultural understanding.

According to statistics, there are currently 5 Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan.

Since 2015, the "Kazakhstan Center" and the Kazakh Language Research Institute have been operating in many places in China.

In addition, in Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and other foreign language universities, there are also "Kazakh language and literature" majors to recruit Chinese students.

In 2019, the "Seventy Years of Brilliant Achievements - Themed Photo Exhibition Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of New China" hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan was held at the National Museum of Kazakhstan.

The picture shows the local people viewing the exhibition.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Wen Longjie

  China News Service reporter: Kazakhstan belongs to the Asian civilization and occupies an important position in the Eurasian continent. In your opinion, how should we continue to expand the boundaries of civilization exchanges?

  Muhamediouray: The most urgent task for the development of civilization in any country is to protect the historical and cultural value system and cultural identity passed down by our ancestors.

From a historical perspective, cultural heritage is the foundation of any national policy design.

Therefore, each country should create a complete system of social memory institutions for the restoration, preservation and popularization of historical and cultural heritage.

  What I want to stress is that exchanges are a way of mutual understanding and respect between friendly countries and peoples.

The significance of maintaining communication and enhancing cross-cultural communication is also here, that is, countries can recognize and retain their own cultural characteristics on the basis of respecting cultural differences.

  The stability of any civilization depends not only on the existence of historical and cultural regions with spatial boundaries, but also on the unique spiritual values ​​behind different historical and cultural phenomena, such as language, tradition, customs, religion, and art.

  To truly strengthen exchanges between Eastern civilizations, we should also attach importance to mutual respect and overall coordination of national development plans.

For example, the promotion of cooperation projects in important fields such as economy, energy, security, transportation, and culture.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

  Muhammad Uly, Director of the National Museum of Kazakhstan, served as the Director of the National Academy of Arts of Kazakhstan, Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan and other positions.

He is a well-known politician in Kazakhstan and a doctor of history and art history. He is also a composer and has directed and completed many musical works.

Because of his achievements in the field of culture and art, he has won the Kazakhstan National Medal of Honor and international awards for many times.

In his working life, he has been committed to carrying out multi-field cultural exchanges and cooperation with China, and he has also become a promoter, participant and witness of many cultural exchange activities between Kazakhstan and China.

With the support of him and relevant departments of Kazakhstan, the two countries have successfully held activities such as Kazakhstan's "Chinese Culture Day" and the Silk Road International Film Festival.