Source: CCTV News Client
The China-Central Asia Summit will be held on May 18-19 in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.
In the middle of Asia, west of the mainland Xinjiang, there are five Central Asian countries. The thousand-year-old Silk Road connects the East and the West, and China and Central Asian countries have known each other and integrated each other through close exchanges. Central Asia is also the first place to initiate the "Belt and Road".
How much do you know about Central Asia? Beautiful natural scenery, glorious Silk Road culture, modern and trendy cities, dazzling cuisine... Come and embark on a wonderful trip to Central Asia!
Millennium Silk Road
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is known as the "middle of Central Asia" and is the hinterland of Asia. It shares borders with five landlocked countries and is one of the few "double landlocked countries" in the world (generally referring to countries that are landlocked and their surrounding neighbours are also landlocked).
Uzbekistan is a famous country of the "Silk Road" and the country with the richest Silk Road cultural heritage in Central Asia. Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, three UNESCO World Heritage cities, dot Uzbekistan from west to east.
"I would like to give out a bag of gold and only want to see Khiva." An old Central Asian proverb speaks of the historical and cultural value of the ancient city of Khiva. The ancient city of Khiva is the first World Heritage Site in Uzbekistan. The city is home to dozens of protected historical and cultural sites, some of which have fallen into disrepair. In cooperation with the Ukrainian side, the mainland launched a project for the protection and restoration of monuments in 2013, which has now been successfully completed.
Samarkand, the "Pearl of the Silk Road", is one of the most important transportation hubs on the ancient Silk Road, located at the crossroads of the three major civilizations of China, India and Persia. American sinologist Xue Aihua once wrote the book "The Golden Peach of Samarkand", he used the golden peach produced in Samarkand to refer to the rich imported products of the Tang Dynasty, and it can also be seen from the side that Samarkand is famous on the Silk Road.
Walking into Legistan Square in the city center is like stepping into a fairy tale world, with magnificent buildings, azure mosaics and intricate decorative patterns, which are unforgettable. It is worth mentioning that the city of Samarkand is also a sister city with the city of Xi'an, which is a friendship that spans thousands of years.
Bukhara is a "city of epic and fairy tales". It is said that the story of "Alibaba and the Forty Thieves" in "One Thousand and One Nights" takes place in this city.
Walking in the ancient city of Uzbekistan, walking into the bustling bazaar, one stall after another, all kinds of goods are dazzling, and the shouting is endless... In a trance, it seems to travel through thousands of years and return to the prosperous Silk Road.
Thanks to abundant light and heat resources and irrigation water, Uzbekistan has become the largest melon and fruit production base in Central Asia, and the fruits produced here are rich in sugar and juicy and thick. Here, you can see a wide variety of fruits throughout the year: apples, pears, citrus, strawberries, cherries, mulberries, plums, apricots, grapes, melons, cantaloupe... Breathe deeply, and Uzbekistan smells of fruit.
When it comes to food, you can't fail to talk about pilaf. Pilaf is the most national food in Uzbekistan, and it is inseparable from various commemorative activities and important occasions, which can be called the "national meal". In the capital Tashkent, there is also a "Central Asian pilaf center", where countless people check in.
Across Asia and Europe
Kazakhstan
The thousand-year-old Silk Road connects the East and the West. In 2014, the Silk Road: Road Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, jointly nominated by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List. A thousand years of friendship, a new chapter. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, where Kazakhstan was initiated.
When it comes to Kazakhstan, many people will think of Dimashi, a singer from this country, who has also appeared on the stage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala many times. Recently, in the "High-end Interview" column of China Central Radio and Television Corporation, Kazakh President Tokayev praised Dimashi and thanked his Chinese fans, saying that Dimashi is largely "due to China" for his global reputation.
This is not the first time that music has become a link connecting China-Kazakhstan friendship. The famous Chinese musician Xian Xinghai spent the last years of his life in Kazakhstan. In honor of him, the people of Almaty named "Xian Xinghai Street" after him.
How much do you know about Kazakhstan? It is the world's largest landlocked country, straddling Asia and Europe, bordering the Caspian Sea to the west and China to the east, ranking ninth in the world in terms of land area. Kazakhstan is a vast country with a wide variety of natural landscapes: snow-capped mountains, clear blue mountain lakes, endless steppes, rocky canyons, majestic deserts...
In addition to its stunning scenery, Kazakhstan has a modern, trendy side. In just over two decades, the capital city of Astana has grown rapidly from a prairie town to a modern city, with bold and trendy landmarks, many of which are the work of the world's top architects. One of the most representative is the Khan's Tent, a comprehensive shopping and leisure center, which is the world's largest tent-shaped building and uses heat-absorbing materials, even if it is as low as minus 30°C outside, the interior is as warm as spring.
Kazakhstan is also a "meat-eater's paradise", where people "do not enjoy meat". One of the most popular is the national dish Beshbarmak, which literally means "five fingers", referring to the fact that the dish is eaten with the finger of the hand. Cook the soup with large pieces of boneless lamb or horse meat, then add hand-rolled noodles to the delicious soup. Imagine stuffing the noodles and meat into your mouth at the same time, and in an instant, the fragrance of the meat and the glutenness of the noodles permeate between the lips and teeth, and then drink a sip of broth, comfortable!
Tourist paradise
Kyrgyzstan
With its stunning snow-capped mountains and glaciers, and the clear blue of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan is known as a paradise for travel lovers.
When it comes to Tianshan, you must be familiar with it. The Tian Shan Mountains form a long common border between the mainland and Kyrgyzstan. The main body of the Tianshan Mountains is in the mainland Xinjiang, and most of the Tianshan Mountains outside the mainland are in Kyrgyzstan, and 80% of the entire territory of Kyrgyzstan is on the Tianshan Mountains, also known as the "country of the Tianshan Mountains".
The mountains are dotted with thousands of crystalline lakes that are intertwined with the surrounding snowy peaks, alpine meadows, snowy spruce, herders' yurts, and more. One of the most dazzling pearls is Lake Issyk-Kul. There is a local saying, "If you don't go to Lake Issyk-Kul, you don't count it as Kyrgyzstan." Lake Issyk-Kul is also known as "a mirror in mid-air", this "mirror" is more than 6,000 square kilometers in size, clear blue, reflecting the sky and clouds and the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
Amazingly, due to its high salinity, the water of Lake Issyk-Kul does not freeze and is also known as "salt lake", "hot lake" or "hot sea". When the famous monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty traveled west to seek the Dharma, he once passed by the turquoise hot sea, and the Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen also had the poem "The hot sea water in the west is like boiling".
In addition to the stunning scenery, Kyrgyzstan's rich nomadic culture is also fascinating. Kyrgyzstan means "nomadic people of the steppe", and today they are gradually settling down, but the nomadic culture has been preserved. Every spring and autumn, they hold a traditional hunting festival, the Salbron Festival, where they ride and shoot, use falcons to catch prey, and the hunting scenes are exciting.
There is also a cold knowledge about Kyrgyzstan. There is an inference that the broken leaf city, located in the country, is the birthplace of the "poet immortal" Li Bai. In 2001, the Bishkek University for the Humanities in Kyrgyzstan held a conference to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the birth of Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty in China. Then-President Akayev said at the conference: "The ancient Silk Road closely linked Kyrgyzstan and China and the two peoples, and the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai, was born in the city of broken leaves, which gave new connotation to the traditional ties and friendship between the two countries." ”
The land of high mountains
Tajikistan
Tajikistan is known as the "country of mountains", with mountains accounting for 93% of the total area, and more than half of the country's land is located in the majestic Pamir Plateau. Tajik National Park (Pamir Mountains) is a World Natural Heritage Site, full of snow-capped glaciers, mountain lakes, alpine deserts, deep canyons, and so far inaccessible to people. Here, eagles spread their wings and soar, and a variety of rare animals inhabit and breed, magnificent and mysterious.
Tajikistan is located at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, with three major ancient Silk Roads running through the entire territory. Among the winding valleys, camel bells are leisurely, and Silk Road cities are embedded in between.
Dushanbe, the capital, is an important stop on the ancient Silk Road, with an interesting name, meaning "Monday" in Persian, because on Mondays, the Silk Road town is crowded with business travelers.
It is worth mentioning that after the introduction of Chinese tea culture through the Silk Road ancient road, Tajikistan formed a unique tea culture, and today, locals not only meet and chat in tea houses, but also hold weddings in tea houses. Dushanbe has a Lockhart teahouse, covering an area of nearly 1,000 square meters, with magnificent carved columns and paintings.
In Dushanbe, there is another building that stands out - the National Library of Tajikistan. It was built by a Chinese company and shaped like an open book. As an icon, it is also printed on the 200 somoni banknote.
Today, Dushanbe is also famous for its roses, which are planted for kilometers in the center of the main street and on both sides, and the fragrance of roses comes everywhere you walk through the city.
The land of blue and gold
Turkmenistan
To understand Turkmenistan, we can start with a few words related to color: sweat and blood BMW, blue gold, white city.
The famous sweat and blood BMW was produced in Turkmenistan and introduced to the mainland through the Silk Road. Its scientific name is Akhaltekin and it is one of the oldest horse breeds in the world. In the middle of the coat of arms of Turkmenistan is a golden sweaty BMW. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Turkey, Turkmenistan also gave sweat and blood BMW as a national gift to mainland leaders on many occasions.
Not only sweaty BMW, from here galloped out, but also precious "blue gold" natural gas. Two-thirds of Turkmenistan's territory is covered by the Karakum Desert, and its natural gas reserves rank fourth in the world, from which tens of billions of cubic meters of natural gas are continuously exported every year, covering countries along the Silk Road.
Turkmenistan is also the largest source of onshore natural gas on the mainland. Through the China-Central Asia gas pipeline, natural gas from afar ignites the blue flame on Chinese home stoves.
Finally, let's talk about the "white city" - Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Because Turkmenistan is rich in marble, many buildings in the capital have white marble veneer on their facades, which also sets a world record. At a glance, the whole city is clean and unique.
After reading the introduction, do you have more understanding and yearning for the Central Asian countries?
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Central Asia is the first place of the Belt and Road initiative, and Xi'an is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. The location of the China-Central Asia summit in Xi'an can be said to be carefully arranged. With the convening of the summit, the friendship between China and Central Asian countries will also start from here again, move steadily and far-reaching, and build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
Executive producer丨Li Zhe
Editor-in-chief丨Wang Xingdong
Editor丨Xie Yujie Shao Tianfeng
Proofreader丨Zhang Tianyu
Image source丨Visual China