Swat Valley and the whole of northern Pakistan are considered as an important link of friendship and culture between China and Pakistan. A high-level academic seminar focusing on China-Pakistan cultural and historical exchanges was held both online and offline last weekend (11th-12th).
11th (Saturday), The 70th anniversary Symposium of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Pakistan Photo Exhibition of Pilgrim to Swat Valley, hosted by Tsinghua University International Center for Communication Studies and organized by Tsinghua University Pakistan Culture and Communication Center, witnessed by many relevant scholars and friendly people from both countries, was successfully opened.
Before the ceremony, representatives of the Embassy of Pakistan in China and relevant scholars visited the exhibition which contains photographs documenting Adnan Aaurangzeb’s pilgrimage by Tsinghua University’s professor, Li Xiguang.
Adan, Wali of Swat, Former Member of Parliament from Swat, grandson of Former Pakistan President Ayun Khan, also attended the conference online and expressed wishes for Pak-China friendship. He recalled history and delivered a speech themed The Genesis of Sino-Pak Relations 1949-1969 on that occasion.
According to Li Xiguang’s dictation, “before the pandemic outbreak, Adnan and I went to Swat Valley every year to interview and inspect ancient religious buildings recorded in ancient Chinese literature,” he said. The splendid and time-honored cultures of both China and Pakistan are still flourishing in this region after thousands of years.
Peng Gang, Vice-president of Tsinghua University, said at the opening ceremony: “the friendly exchanges between Pakistan and China are rooted in history and go far beyond the formal establishment of diplomatic relations. Over 2,000 years ago, the Silk Road has become a bridge of friendship linking our two ancient civilizations.”
Moin ul Haque, Pakistani ambassador to China, also delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. “Pakistan and China are young states with deep civilization roots and a history of mutually enriching interaction, spanning several millennia. Therefore, the seed of this unparalleled relationship between the two countries was established not only late seven decades ago, but many centuries ago. The two-way exchanges between Pakistan and China have increased a lot in recent years. So, we are determined to maintain this healthy momentum and encourage more exchanges between our students, artists, intellectuals, and academicians,” he said.
Zhang Chunxiang, former Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, also recalled his story with Karakoram Highway and the mountains of northern Pakistan.
In addition, 28 scholars from Pakistan and China who have focused on studying Sino-Pakistani cultural and historical exchanges gave academic reports during the two-day conference. The academic reports are divided into three parts, including the history and importance of China-Pakistan people-to-people exchanges, Uddiyana Valley arts and culture studies, and cultural exchanges under CPEC and BRI.
