White paper details measures to protect culture in Xinjiang

THE State Council Information Office yesterday issued a white paper on cultural protection and development in Xinjiang.

The white paper, titled “Cultural Protection and Development in Xinjiang,” said China is a unified multi-ethnic country. In the course of a civilization that dates back more than 5,000 years, its various ethnic groups have created a long history and a splendid culture.

Since ancient times many ethnic groups have made their way to Xinjiang, and it has become their home and a place for cultural integration. Various ethnic cultures of Xinjiang have their roots in the fertile soil of Chinese civilization, advancing their own cultural development while enriching the overall culture of China, it said.

Since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the Chinese government has attached great importance to documenting and protecting the excellent traditional ethnic cultures in Xinjiang, and ensuring that they are passed on to succeeding generations, the white paper said.

The government has promoted creative transformation and innovative development, encouraging these ethnic groups to learn spoken and written languages from each other, promoted communication and integration, respected their freedom of religious belief, and worked to develop their cultural undertakings and industries.

The government has worked to modernize ethnic cultures, to strengthen cultural exchanges with foreign countries, and to enhance each group’s cultural confidence while engaging in exchanges with and mutual learning from others, according to the white paper.

Xinjiang ethnic cultures are part of Chinese culture and Xinjiang’s religious cultures are being respected and protected.

The Chinese government is committed to protecting its citizens’ freedom of religious belief while respecting and protecting religious cultures, said the white paper, adding that many religious cultures blend and coexist in Xinjiang.

Also, Xinjiang’s cultural heritage is being protected and carried forward, it said.

Protection of cultural heritage has yielded results, the white paper said, adding Xinjiang has formed a cultural heritage protection network comprising 189 institutions at all levels. By the end of 2017, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had 9,542 cultural heritage sites, of which six were World Heritage sites.

The white paper also noted Xinjiang’s active cultural exchanges with other countries.

Xinjiang has been an important gateway for China’s civilization to open to the West, and has played a significant role in cultural communication and mutual learning between East and West.

Supported by the central government, Xinjiang has created a framework of cultural exchanges with other countries in all sectors and at all levels, it said. In recent years, Xinjiang has been active in building the core area along the Silk Road Economic Belt, strengthening cultural and scientific and technological exchanges with countries along the Belt.