China and Kazakhstan are both important countries on the ancient Silk Road, with historical trade and cultural integration, forming a profound cultural connection. Nowadays, the tourism industry is increasingly becoming an important link for cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan. The year 2025 is the "China Tourism Year" in Kazakhstan. The two peoples will have more opportunities to get closer to each other, enhance understanding and friendship, and inject new vitality into bilateral relations. What are the unique features of historical and cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan? How can tourism deepen people's understanding and comprehension of different cultures? How to make tourism a new engine for cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and Kazakhstan? Recently, Kalamkas Esimova, Chief Researcher of Kazakhstan Public Opinion Research Institute, was interviewed on this matter. The interview summary is as follows: Reporter: China and Kazakhstan are both important countries on the ancient Silk Road. What are the unique cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan? Karamkas Yesimova: As an important country on the ancient Silk Road, Kazakhstan and China have maintained frequent trade and cultural exchanges since ancient times, accumulating profound cultural ties. As a bridge connecting different civilizations, the Silk Road promoted the interaction between grassland nomadic civilization and agricultural civilization, which is particularly prominent in Tang Dynasty poetry. In the works of poets such as Wang Wei, Gao Shi, and Cen Shen, we see the magnificent scenery of deserts and mountains, and feel the details of people's lives in that era: soldiers not only guarded the border, but also engaged in trade and exchange with neighboring tribes, and their lifestyles also merged accordingly. The Tang Dynasty's frontier poetry often featured the imagery of "blue felt tents", which were typical residences of nomadic peoples and reflected the contact and integration between the Central Plains civilization and grassland culture in history. Culturally, Kazakhstan and China also share many similarities, such as commemorating and expressing respect for ancestors during traditional festivals, which play an important role in the cultures of both countries; Culturally, people respect their parents, respect the elderly and love the young, believing that the new year begins in spring and using the twelve zodiac signs to mark the year. These similar cultural traditions are powerful witnesses to the cultural exchange between Kazakhstan and China. On January 1, 2018 local time, people in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, enjoyed the fun of ice and snow on the Ishim River and celebrated the New Year. (Information picture) Photo by Wen Longjie, reporter from China News Service: In the context of cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan, how do you evaluate the role of tourism in it? Karamkas Yesimova: The establishment of a tourism year between Kazakhstan and China is not only a practical measure to promote economic cooperation, but also creates more opportunities for the two peoples to understand each other. As an important carrier of cultural exchanges, tourism enables the two peoples to establish a more authentic and deeper mutual understanding through personal experience and face-to-face exchanges. In recent years, with the continuous increase of personnel exchanges, the understanding between the two countries' people has gradually deepened. For example, my students have developed a strong interest in Chinese culture after visiting China and plan to study there specifically; My son took the initiative to learn Chinese after traveling to China. At Astana Airport, I met a young tourist from Shandong. He said that this trip to Kazakhstan was very rewarding and left a deep impression on him. After returning to China, he plans to learn Russian and Kazakh, and hopes to one day bring his friends back to see this charming land. These authentic communication experiences demonstrate that tourism can promote cultural awareness and mutual respect at the grassroots level, inject vitality into the cultural exchange between Kazakhstan and China, and lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations. On February 8, 2025 local time, the "Happy Spring Festival" lantern lighting ceremony and the 2025 Kazakhstan "China Tourism Year" promotion event organized by the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan were held at the MEGA Silk Road Shopping Mall in Astana. The picture shows cultural and creative products from China attracting the attention of local people. Reporter: Against the backdrop of the "China Tourism Year" in Kazakhstan, cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan are facing new opportunities. How can Kazakhstan better showcase its cultural characteristics? How can China enhance its cultural awareness and influence in Kazakhstan? Karamkas Yesimova: The Tourism Year provides a new opportunity for cultural exchange between Kazakhstan and China. However, in order to truly leverage the role of tourism in promoting cultural exchange, there are still some practical challenges to be faced. At present, there is still inequality in cultural dissemination between Kazakhstan and China. Chinese culture has a high level of popularity in Kazakhstan, but public awareness mostly remains at the surface level of impressions such as Kung Fu, the Great Wall, and Chinese cuisine; However, the presentation of Kazakh culture in China is relatively insufficient, often simplified as grasslands and yurts, with few people understanding its rich music, festivals, handicrafts, and culinary traditions. A large number of distinctive natural landscapes and cultural relics are not known to people. This uneven dissemination has not fully realized the potential of tourism in promoting cultural exchange between the two countries. I believe that Kazakhstan can utilize its cultural resources to create more immersive experiential projects. For example, the cultural charm of Kazakhstan can be demonstrated to tourists through representative cultural activities such as national festivals, traditional music, featured food and folk competitions, and can be effectively spread through Chinese social media platforms such as Tiktok, Xiaohongshu, WeChat, etc. In addition, the fields of film, television, and publishing are expected to become new growth points for cooperation between Kazakhstan and China. Chinese online literature, comics, and film and television dramas are gradually becoming popular among young people in Kazakhstan, and some people spontaneously translate them. This bottom-up cultural dissemination is worth encouraging. At the same time, universities should be encouraged to support students in establishing cultural clubs and deepen cultural exchanges. It is gratifying that filmmakers from Kazakhstan and China have started joint creation. If more films from both countries can enter each other's cinemas, it will effectively enhance the influence and visibility of cultural products. As early as the late 1990s, Kazakhstan's television stations broadcasted Chinese TV dramas such as "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "Dream of the Red Chamber," and "Journey to the West," which sparked strong reactions. In recent years, realistic film and television works have become increasingly popular. By showcasing universal emotions such as family, friendship, and love, shared values transcend language and culture, evoking resonance. I still remember that the students were particularly excited when they first watched director Zhang Yimou's' My Father and Mother ', marveling at how similar the story and emotions were to their own experiences. Art has the power to transcend cultures and touch people's hearts, evoking resonance in different languages and backgrounds. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the dissemination channels of cultural works and the cultivation of translation talents. Only with language proficiency and emotional connection can cultural bridges truly be established. On October 5, 2024, citizens and tourists walked into Tianjin Museum to visit the "Golden Warrior and Rich Grassland - Exhibition of Historical Relics of Kazakhstan in the National Museum of Kazakhstan". The picture shows the audience visiting the costume and weapon equipment restoration of the "Golden Man". Reporter Tong Yu from China News Service: How should China and Kazakhstan further deepen tourism cooperation, promote people to people and cultural exchanges? Karamkas Yesimova: Kazakhstan and China are close neighbors, and many Kazakhstani people initially learned about China through books, images, and materials in Russian, English, and other languages, that is, "seeing China through the eyes of others", lacking direct communication and on-site experience. Tourism makes up for this. At present, significant achievements have been made in tourism cooperation between Kazakhstan and China. In the first half of 2024, China has become the second largest source of tourists for Kazakhstan, second only to Russia. But it should be noted that we are still in the initial stage of 'mutual understanding'. Looking to the future, it is necessary for Kazakhstan and China to develop a long-term cooperation strategy that takes into account cultural, economic, and social dimensions. On the basis of the existing agreement, both parties still need to continue to make efforts in various aspects, such as strengthening the exchange and training of tourism practitioners, holding seminars and industry conferences, promoting experience sharing and professional cooperation, etc. Both parties can enhance their mutual attraction by organizing cultural festivals, exhibitions, food festivals, and other activities, and deepen cooperation in ecological tourism, cross-border routes, and other areas to create a distinctive brand between Kazakhstan and China. At the same time, by combining virtual reality and other technologies, they can expand their promotional channels. I have noticed that in cities like Xi'an, which have significant historical significance, language services for Central Asian tourists are still insufficient. Many scenic spots are mainly in English and lack Russian and Kazakh language guides. It is precisely these 'language gaps' that make it difficult for culture to be truly understood and communicated even when it is right in front of us. Kazakhstan is also facing similar problems and needs to build bilingual tourism websites, guidebooks, and mobile applications, and improve Chinese signage and information systems in public places to continuously optimize service environments and enhance tourist experiences. In addition, both sides need to continuously adjust their cooperation strategies through social research and other means, so that tourism can play a sustained and far-reaching role in cultural exchanges and become an important force in promoting the deepening development of bilateral relations. (End) Interviewee profile: Karamkas Yesimova. The interviewee provided a picture of Kalamkas Esimova, the chief researcher of the Kazakhstan Public Opinion Research Institute. She has long been engaged in research on higher education and international issues, mainly focusing on cross-border population movements, ethnic relations, and exchanges and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. She has published multiple research results on social development in China and Central Asia.(outlook new era)