STORY: Joint archaeological work along ancient Silk Road forges friendship, yields results
DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:00
LOCATION: XI'AN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Xi'an
2. various of joint archaeological work in Kazakhstan
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DING YAN, Researcher, Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Kazakh): GULMIRA MUKHTAROVA, Director of the State Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserve "ISSYK"
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Kazakh): GULMIRA MUKHTAROVA, Director of the State Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserve "ISSYK"
6. various of joint archaeological work in Uzbekistan
7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG JIANXIN, Chief scientist with Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology of Silk Roads
8. various of joint archaeological work

STORYLINE:

Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was founded around 3,100 years ago.

Formerly known as Chang'an, it is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

In recent years, a number of Chinese scholars have set out from the city to explore the cultural relics along the route, together with scholars from countries along the Belt and Road.

Some 3,000 km from Xi'an, the Rahat site in Kazakhstan was home to an ancient civilization that thrived at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

Since 2017, the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology and the State Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserve "ISSYK" have formed a joint archaeological team to carry out investigations and excavations at the site and others nearby.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): DING YAN, Researcher, Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology
"So far, we've cleaned up and excavated the remains of ash pits and unearthed some stone tools and pottery pieces. Therefore, we can get a preliminary understanding of the Rahat site. It has a long history and rich connotation."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Kazakh): GULMIRA MUKHTAROVA, Director of the State Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserve "ISSYK"
"We consider the Rahat site as a 'monument' on the Chang'an-Tianshan Silk Road corridor. It enables us to observe the traces of people's lives along the ancient Silk Road. It was once an important cultural center along the great Silk Road."

Mukhtarova said that eight Kazakh scholars have also traveled to China to participate in archaeological excavations and exchange experiences.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Kazakh): GULMIRA MUKHTAROVA, Director of the State Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserve "ISSYK"
"The China-Kazakh joint archaeological project is of great significance. We and the Chinese archaeologists have learned from each other. We have lots of fun working together."

Wang Jianxin is another Chinese scholar who has engaged in joint archaeological work under the Belt and Road Initiative for a long time.

Since 2009, Wang has led a team from Northwest University to Uzbekistan to carry out joint archaeological work along the Silk Road.

They have made a series of finds, including a batch of settlements of ancient nomadic and agricultural cultures in the western Tianshan Mountains.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): WANG JIANXIN, Chief scientist with Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology of Silk Roads
"The deepening understanding of the history, culture, and traditions of countries along the Silk Road helps promote mutual learning, cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonds between China and those countries."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xi'an, China.
(XHTV)