People were admiring Central Asian oil paintings when they suddenly heard the cheerful singing and dancing of Southeast Asia; Xinjiang Muqam actors dressed in costumes were immersed in the fragrance of South American coffee, and the passionate sound of African tambourines made them stand on tiptoe to find... This is a vivid scene at the 8th China-Asia-Europe Expo, which concluded not long ago. In the exhibition hall, the crowd is bustling, with different languages, different skin colors, and different civilizations blending with each other, just like a historical scene once in this land. The theme of this expo is "Silk Road, New Opportunities and New Vitality for Asia and Europe"-the Silk Road, which historically connected the Eurasian continent, is now prospering and rejuvenating in a new form.

"Keeping the world in mind" is the sentiment of Chinese Communists. In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, combining Marx's theory of world history with China's traditional outlook on the world. Time has proved that this is a major public good that China contributes to world peace and development and represents the outstanding inclusiveness and peaceful characteristics of Chinese civilization. Time has also proved that the great joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has activated Xinjiang, which was once the hub of the ancient Silk Road, and transformed this vast land from a relatively closed and remote area into the "protagonist" of China's opening up to the west.

A refrigerated truck loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables drove out from the warehousing and logistics base of Horgos Jinyi International Trading (Group) Co., Ltd. data map

How popular is Xinjiang today

"One is hard to find!" Xiong Zhejia, deputy secretary-general of the People's Government of the Autonomous Region, talked about the enthusiasm of exhibitors at the 8th China-Asia-Europe Expo and couldn't help but sigh. He summarized three characteristics: a wide range of exhibitors and high-level participation, a large number of merchants, many trade promotion activities, and a strong desire for exchanges among foreign merchants.

How popular is Xinjiang today? By midnight, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport is still crowded; bookings for some popular tourist attractions and hotels have been scheduled for several months; when the Xinjiang Mining Rights Transfer Project Promotion Conference was broadcast online, more than 10 million netizens watched it online...

A set of data can show that Xinjiang has become a hot spot for economic development: in 2023, Xinjiang will achieve a GDP of 1.912.591 billion yuan, an increase of 6.8% over the previous year at constant prices; in 2023, Xinjiang will receive 265 million domestic and foreign tourists, setting a record high; In 2022 and 2023, Xinjiang's total import and export volume will increase by 57% and 45.9% respectively over the previous year.

What "ignites" Xinjiang is the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

A refrigerated van loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables drove out from the customs supervision warehouse of Horgos Jinyi International Trade (Group) Co., Ltd., exited the country through the "green channel" for rapid customs clearance of agricultural and sideline products between China and Kazakhstan, and headed for Kazakhstan. Hours later, these fruits and vegetables can appear on the market in Almaty. Such scenes are staged almost every day.

"We now export about 1600 tons of goods and about 80 vehicles every day. We have also invested in the construction of an overseas warehouse covering an area of about 2000 acres in Almaty, making full use of our location advantages to further radiate to the five Central Asian countries and the Russian markets." Yu Chengzhong, chairman of Horgos Jinyi International Trading (Group) Co., Ltd., said that the company's export trade volume has been rising steadily in recent years. In 2021 and 2022, the export trade volume exceeded US$600 million for two consecutive years, and in 2023 it reached US$1.53 billion. From January to June this year, the export trade volume was US$1.2 billion and is expected to exceed US$2.5 billion by the end of the year.

He sincerely lamented: "The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' initiative has brought huge opportunities for the development and growth of private enterprises!"

Kashgar, in the autobiographical novel "Journey to the West" by the late famous writer Zhou Tao in Xinjiang, is a remote and khaki city."The houses are like beehives, the roads are like spider webs, and the buildings are muddy yellow." Today, Kashgar is already a hot spot among Xinjiang's tourist hotspots, and it is hard to find a bed during peak season. The color of this city is no longer khaki, but gorgeous. At the Kashgar branch venue of the Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Dragon, Dilireba danced in an Edelis dress, stunning the Chinese people. Nowadays, wearing a set of clothing similar to Dilireba's for photo shoots has become a new fashion for photo shoots in the ancient city of Kashgar. The latest statistics from the Kashgar Ancient City Scenic Area Management Committee show that as of now, there are more than 160 tourist shops in the ancient city of Kashgar.

Kashgar's tomorrow will be better. This famous ancient Silk Road city will be reproduced with the beauty of railways: the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway starting from Kashgar will be the shortest freight route from China to Europe and the Middle East. The freight distance will be shortened by 900 kilometers and the time will be saved by 7-8 days. Taking a train from Kashgar to Europe will turn your dream into a reality.

Busy border trade ports, rumbling westbound China-Europe (Central Asia) trains, more and more international flights... Xinjiang is regaining the historical glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties,"envoys facing each other on the road, and business travelers are endless", just the sound of camel bells has been replaced by the long whistle of the "Steel Dragon".

Tourists take buses to the European Duty Free City of the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center for shopping. data map

"Xinjiang is experiencing another great moment of prosperity"

"The Silk Road is emerging again"-this is the judgment made by Peter Francopan, a professor of history at Oxford University, in his book "The Silk Road: A New History of the World."

Since the book was published, many overseas media have commented that the book breaks the long-standing "Western-centered theory", interprets a world history focusing on the East with a radical attitude, and restores the ancient Silk Road that originated in China. The prosperous picture of trade and civilized exchanges on the Silk Road.

"I fully agree with Peter Francoppan's judgment." said Mark Lin, honorary professor at Griffith University in Australia and academician of the Federal Academy of Humanities in Australia. In June this year, experts from more than 10 countries gathered in Kashgar to participate in the "History and Future of Xinjiang, China" International Forum. Marklin was one of the participating experts.

Marklin believes: "The historical Silk Road is a long-established network of roads centered on China. It merges in Kashgar to form a main road that flows westward through Central Asia and Persia, leading to Rome and the West. This road dominated exchanges, including religion, culture and various commodities. For example, papermaking was spread to the West through the Silk Road. It is impossible to overstate the importance of Western civilization."

He particularly emphasized that the Silk Road completely subverted the "Eurocentric" view of history that is still taught as common sense in the West and may even be taught elsewhere, and that "no one denies the importance of Rome and the Byzantine Empire." But what the Silk Road shows is that these empires accounted for only a small part of their entire history. The kingdoms of the West are only a small part of the vast western edge of Eurasia."

This is indeed the case in history: in the long period before the era of the Great Navigation, the main communication channel for human civilization was the Silk Road connecting the Eurasian continent. Xinjiang is the core area of the ancient Silk Road and the golden channel for exchanges and convergence of Eastern and Western civilizations. From the map, Xinjiang is located in the hinterland of Eurasian continent, while the geographical center of the Asian continent is in Urumqi.

The ancient Silk Road was not only about silk, porcelain, tea, jewelry, and sweat-blood BMW... It was also a road of exchanges between human civilizations, forming a core of peaceful cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. The Silk Road spirit, which is a precious legacy of human civilization. Today, as the "geographical center of Asia", China's Xinjiang and the countries and regions jointly building the "Belt and Road" have strengthened connectivity and sought common prosperity and development. They have once again become the core and hub of exchanges among civilizations, giving them "trust, harmony, benevolence and good neighbors" The new connotation of the way of communication.

"The joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' is a model of seeking common ground while reserving differences." Uzbekistan scholar Mirzojid Rahimov visited Xinjiang in June this year. He said that in ancient times, Xinjiang was a bridge for exchanges between China and Central Asia. Now, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has returned Xinjiang to its hub status. It has also brought opportunities to Central Asia."Central Asian countries should actively cooperate extensively with countries and regions co-building the 'Belt and Road' in the fields of high-tech, education, diplomacy and tourism."

During the 8th China-Asia-Europe Expo, wonderful Xinjiang song and dance performances attracted many people. data map

In 2023, Xinjiang organized a delegation to visit five Central Asian countries and 19 countries and regions including Europe and Africa. Heads of state and political figures such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan have successively visited Xinjiang, China. Throughout the year, they visited more than 390 foreign delegations with more than 4300 people to experience the long history and splendid culture here on the spot.

At present, more than 20,000 international students from Central Asian countries are studying in Xinjiang universities, and a considerable number of foreigners work and live in Xinjiang. Spaniard Fernando Cipetria is the head coach of Xinjiang Silk Road Eagle Football Club. Xinjiang's towering snowy mountains, enthusiastic people, and rich food... all make him forget, but what he likes most are those who love football. Xinjiang teenagers; Haidiya, from Zanzibar Island, Tanzania, came to China to study as a student from a country co-constructing the "Belt and Road". She fell in love with and married Dilishaati Turxun, a young man from Kashgar. The couple opened a cafe in the ancient city of Kashgar, and the business was booming.

The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative is profoundly changing the world. In Marklin's view, the "Belt and Road" continues the peaceful spirit of the ancient Silk Road, which is extremely precious in today's world. The Australia scholar made a confident prediction:

"Xinjiang is experiencing another great moment of prosperity, and Xinjiang's future will have bright prospects!"

The dividends of the times belonging to Xinjiang

The international bus drove in and stopped steadily. As soon as the door opened, the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center became lively.

This is the first international border cooperation center established by China and foreign countries, bringing together nearly 10,000 commodities from China, Central Asian and European countries. Citizens of China and Kazakhstan and citizens of third countries can freely enter and leave the two countries for negotiations and trade without visas. Each person can also carry duty-free goods worth 8000 yuan per day. From January to May this year, the number of people entering and leaving the cooperation center exceeded 2 million, a year-on-year increase of 148%.

Foreigners can fully experience China's new era of technology and culture here. Take payment as an example. There are foreign currency self-service exchange machines, WeChat, Alipay, and UnionPay cards. Foreigners can handle the card at the card issuing center, for food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, medical treatment, medicine... all kinds of scenarios, you can swipe your card.

This lively scene was often seen in history when the ancient Silk Road was prosperous.

"Establish wasteland in fertile fields, and place postal services on the key path. We must travel to the post station every day, and merchants and tourists must pay our daily lives under the fortress." This passage, found in the "History of the Western Regions of the Later Han Dynasty," truthfully records the great popularity of the ancient Silk Road at that time against the background of the effective governance of the Western Regions by the central government in the Han Dynasty.

"The History of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of the Western Regions" was compiled by Fan Ye. The important material he referred to was the lost "Records of the Western Regions". "Records of the Western Regions" is the earliest important document in my country that specifically records the situation of various ethnic groups in the Western Regions and countries in Central Asia. The author is Ban Yong.

Looking back at Xinjiang's history,"Xie Zuo Gong" also has to "Xie Ban Yong".

More than 1700 years before the Qing court's "coastal defense and blockade" dispute in the 1870s, there was also a famous court debate in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The theme was: Should we abandon the Western Regions? The Later Han Dynasty records this court discussion in detail.

In the sixth year of the early Yuan Dynasty of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 119), the Han army stationed in the Western Regions was completely wiped out under the attack of the rear of the Northern Xiongnu Alliance and the Che Division. Some ministers believed that the roads in the Western Regions were dangerous and far and that it was very costly for officials and soldiers to open up farmland."They thought it appropriate to close the Yumen Pass, so they abandoned the Western Regions." At this time, a man in his prime stepped forward and argued against his ministers. He said that if the Western Regions were lost, Hexi would be in danger. By then,"China's expenses would exceed hundreds of billions."

This knowledgeable man is Ban Yong, the son of the famous Ban Chao. A tiger father has no son. Later, the development of the situation fully complied with Ban Yongzhi's prediction. In April of the second year of Yanguang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (123 AD), the court appointed him as the chief historian of the Western Regions, leading 500 soldiers out of the fortress. From this point on, Ban Yong united the cities and counties of the Western Regions and launched a war to unify the Western Regions. Three years later, he completely defeated the Xiongnu and caused the latter to migrate westward, and never recovered.

Since Xinjiang was incorporated into China's territory in 60 BC, successive central governments have exercised military and political jurisdiction over Xinjiang, demonstrating the outstanding unified characteristics of Chinese civilization. Even when national strength was declining and the Western Regions were in turmoil, there were also insights such as Ban Yong and Zuo Zongtang. People stepped forward to safeguard the integrity of the country. In 1903, Dr. Sun Yat-sen proposed to build the railway to Ili, and later he ambitiously proposed a grand Xinjiang railway plan. But in old China, which was poor and weak, it was easier than done? By the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang in September 1949, no inch of railway had been built in the vast Xinjiang.

History has proved that if China is strong, the Silk Road will prosper; if China is weak, the Silk Road will be blocked. The Silk Road spirit that came from the depths of history has been activated in the new era. It is precisely based on this background of the times that today, the Chinese people are closer, more confident and capable of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history!

Today, Xinjiang has clarified its strategic positioning in comprehensively building a modern and powerful socialist country, and proposed to actively build the Asia-Europe golden channel and a bridgehead opening to the west, a strategic fulcrum for building a new development pattern, a national energy resource strategic guarantee base, and a national high-quality agricultural and pastoral products. An important supply base for agricultural and pastoral products and a strategic barrier to maintain the country's geographical security.

This is the opportunity of the times! (Reporters Xiao Chunfei, Jia Chunxia, Yin Lu, Ren Jiang)