A Kyrgyzman who speaks Shaanxi dialect

Text by Zhao Lei Translation by Tao Wenjia Photos by CFP

A Kyrgyzman who speaks Shaanxi dialect

Text by Zhao Lei Translation by Tao Wenjia Photos by CFP

During my overseas on-site research, I found the international community pays close attention to the“One Belt One Road” initiative. Foreign friends told me that they were very interested in Chinese culture, but felt that China's cultural supply was inadequate. Some leaders who are in charge of a country's economic affairs even don't know that “One Belt One Road” includes not only infrastructure, logistics, trade, energy, as well as investment; but also culture, education and tourism. Therefore, there is still much to be done in further promoting this international co-develpment initiative and strengthening cultural exchanges.

Among them, the language is the foundation, but also the threshold. In Cambodia, the Confucius Institute and Chinese Cultural Centre are very popular. But language and skills training institutions are still inadequate. In term of development phrase, Cambodia today is very similar to China in its early days, especially with regards to reform and opening up, and people's desire for knowledge isvery strong. In Cambodia, 70% of the population consists of young people under 30 years of age. Most people go to night schools to learn a second language after work. The reason is very simple: mastering a second language helps with employment and higher pay. During my visit to Cambodia, I noticed that on the streets, there were lots of language schools for Korean, English and Japanese, whereas Chinese schools were relatively few. I believe it will be very helpful to consolidate public opinion and social basis for “One Belt One Road” if we provide more Chinese language training and professional skills training in countries along the Belt and Road.

In many such regions, “One Belt One Road” has a deep historical and cultural trace. When I attended the 26th Eastern European Economic Forum in Poland in September 2016, I met a Kyrgyzstani Senator who was the Chairman of the Kyrgyzstan Tungan (Huejzw) Association. He speaks a very authentic Shaanxi dialect. Most of the ancestors of the Tunganis migrated to Central Asia from the Shaanxi-Gansu region more than 100 years ago. Locals from Central Asia called them "Tungani" because they were from the east coast. Now, there are more than 170,000 Tunganis in Central Asia, mainly scattered in more than 30 settlements in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. These people still retain some of the Shaanxi-Gansu dialect and traditional customs. They may serve as the “Culture Bridge” of the Silk Road. If we can fully respect and nurture such cultural linkages, it could help foreign people better understand the "One Belt One Road". In the meantime, Chinese people could be more confldent in cultural exchanges. Therefore, The influence of the “One Belt One Road” initiative will be more profound.

Zhao Lei

professor at the Institu te for International Stra tegic Studies of the Pa rty School of the Centr al Committee of the CP C, a director of the Res earch Office for Interna tional Relations and Na tional Unity. Mr. Zhao heads a key research project on the Belt and Road Initiative at CPS, and is the founder of th e forum “The Belt and R oad 100”.

赵磊

中共中央党校国际战略研究院教授、国际关系与国家统一研究室主任、中央党校“一带一路”重点研究课题主持人，“一带一路百人论坛”发起人。

一位说陕西话的吉尔吉斯斯坦人

在海外调研时，笔者发现国际社会高度关注“一带一路”。有外国朋友说：他们对中国文化十分感兴趣，但感觉中国的文化供给还很不足；甚至有一些国家负责对外经济的人，依然不清楚“一带一路”还包括文化、教育、旅游等内容，他们的认知就是“一带一路”=基建+物流+贸易+能源+投资，等等。可见，我们仍需加强外宣与文化交流力度。

其中，语言是基础，也是门槛。在柬埔寨，孔子学院、中国文化中心非常受欢迎，但语言与技能培训机构还很不足。柬埔寨的今天特别像中国改革开放的初期，人们对知识的渴求非常强烈。在柬埔寨，70%的人口都是30岁以下的年轻人。大家下班后，去得最多的地方是夜校，主要学习语言。原因很简单，掌握一门语言对就业以及薪酬提升帮助很大。在柬埔寨访问时，我发现街道两边到处是韩语、英文、日语学校，而中文学校相对较少。在丝路沿线国家多提供中文语言培训以及专业技能培训，我认为，是非常有利于夯实民意和社会基础的。

在很多地区，“一带一路”有深厚的历史文化土壤。2016年9月，在波兰参加第26届东欧经济论坛时，我遇到一名吉尔吉斯斯坦议员，他是吉尔吉斯斯坦东干（回民）协会主席，说着一口非常地道的陕西话。东干人的先人多数是100多年前由陕甘地区迁徙到中亚的回民。中亚当地人称其为“东干”，就是从东岸（东方）来的。目前，中亚东干人有17万多名，主要分散于吉尔吉斯斯坦、哈萨克斯坦的30多个聚居点，他们还保留着部分陕甘方言和传统习俗。这一群体可以成为丝绸之路上的“文化桥梁”。如果我们能充分尊重和发展这种文化联系，就可以帮助外国民众更好地理解“一带一路”，也会让中国人在文化交流中拥有更多自信。由此，“一带一路”的影响力自然会更加深刻。