Civilizations flourish through exchanges and enrich through mutual learning. On October 12th, the Propaganda Department of the Jinan Municipal Committee held the unveiling ceremony for the "A Glimpse of Chinese Culture · Nishan Library" at Samarkand State University in Uzbekistan. Sun Shihui, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Jinan Municipal Committee, who is in charge of daily affairs, and Akmal Akhatov, Vice President of Samarkand State University, attended the unveiling ceremony. During the event, Jinan City also appointed Vice President Akmal Akhatov as Jinan’s City Referrer, serving as Jinan's city image ambassador in Samarkand, comprehensively and objectively introducing Jinan and promoting the City of Springs to the world.
Samarkand is located in the central region of Uzbekistan, a former Central Asian country, covering an area of 108 square kilometers with a population of approximately 560,000. It is around 300 kilometers away from the capital, Tashkent, and is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan. The city is also a renowned ancient city and a hub for tourism and culture in Central Asia, serving as a crucial node on the Silk Road and often referred to as the "Pearl of the Ancient Silk Road". In 2019, Jinan City and Samarkand signed a friendly cooperation city agreement, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the friendly cooperation between the two cities.
"Friendship is valued in just a few words, and meetings are anticipated over great distances." 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal for the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative. The establishment of the "A Glimpse of Chinese Culture · Nishan Library" by Jinan City at Samarkand State University aims to further deepen the relationship between friendly cooperating cities, promote the spirit of the Silk Road, facilitate cultural exchanges, and narrate the story of Jinan. By providing bilingual Chinese books tailored to the needs and reading habits of overseas readers, the initiative aims to disseminate the story and voice of Jinan, thereby bridging the gap for in-depth exchanges between the two cities. The Nishan Library, as a cultural dissemination platform, will help scholars, students, and various sectors of society in Uzbekistan to gain a deeper understanding of Jinan's history, culture, and social development. This initiative holds significant importance for cultural dissemination and friendly cooperation between Jinan and Samarkand.