Published on: 2026-07-24
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Lanzhou, July 24 /Xinhua/ — Chinese and Kyrgyz researchers are closely collaborating to advance projects for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Great Silk Road, said Pei Qiangqiang, deputy head of the China-Kyrgyz Joint Laboratory for the Protection of Cultural Heritage under the “Belt and Road” initiative, during a joint demonstration training course dedicated to preparing highly qualified specialists in the preservation of the Great Silk Road’s cultural heritage for 2026.
The training course takes place in the city of Dunhuang /Gansu Province, Northwest China/ and will last until August 21. 25 young participants of the course, representing 19 higher education institutions, research institutes, museums, and cultural institutions from China and Central Asian countries, will take part in a 40-day training program. The average age of the participants is about 30 years.
This training course covers aspects such as a general overview of the heritage of the Great Silk Road and international standards for its protection, the scientific understanding of traditional technologies and methods of diagnostic analysis, the interpretation of damage mechanisms, and the scientific management of heritage sites.
According to Pei Qiangtian, one of the important tasks of the aforementioned laboratory is the preservation of the ruins of the ancient settlement Ak-Beshim /Suyab/, which are located in Kyrgyzstan and are part of the site “Silk Road: network of routes of the Chang’an-Tian Shan corridor.”
He noted that researchers from both countries have installed a meteorological station on the territory of the Ak-Beshim ruins and are conducting round-the-clock monitoring of climate changes. The collected data will help them understand the patterns of development of negative factors affecting this site, predict possible changes that may occur at the site in the future, and also provide a basis for developing measures for its protection.
In the second half of this year, the joint laboratory will build a test platform near the ruins of Ak-Beshim. The researchers will construct walls using materials and technologies similar to those used in the construction of this structure and will place monitoring equipment on the platform. This way, they will be able to observe the effects of temperature and humidity changes on the artifacts without causing them any harm, added Pei Qianqian.
The above-mentioned laboratory was established in 2025 by the Dunhuang Academy and the Republican Inspection for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, Information, and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan.
One of the participants in the training course, an employee of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Nazira Duishembekova, noted that historical monuments are not only the heritage of the state but also of all humanity. The joint work of Kyrgyzstan and China will help better protect the monuments of both countries and train personnel in this field.
Since the training course began a week ago, Emirlan Myrzabekov, an employee of the State Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve “Sulaiman-Too,” has gained a wealth of new knowledge. The lectures combine theory with practical demonstrations of conservation technologies, which, in his opinion, will be very useful in his work in Kyrgyzstan.
During a recent visit by students of the Great Wall course in Dunhuang, he was deeply impressed by China’s approach to integrating cultural heritage preservation with tourism development. He noted that China’s experience in combining cultural heritage protection with urban development should be emulated by other countries.
Such heritage requires extensive work for its preservation and international participation, said E. Myrzabekov, expressing a desire to establish closer ties with Chinese institutions engaged in cultural heritage.
Cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan in the joint preservation of cultural heritage is continuously strengthening. In 2014, the “Silk Road: the network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor routes,” jointly nominated by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, was successfully inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 2017, the Dunhuang Academy signed a memorandum of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and sent experts to the ancient settlement located in the Naryn region of Kyrgyzstan to explore possibilities for its preservation. In 2025, the China-Kyrgyzstan Joint Laboratory for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the cities of Dunhuang and Bishkek was officially opened.
In February of this year, the reconstruction and modernization of the Bishkek platform of the mentioned laboratory were completed. According to the director of the Dunhuang Academy, Guo Qinglin, after the reconstruction was completed, it became a comprehensive experimental platform for the study of the Ak-Beshim ruins with functions such as rapid diagnostics, geodetic and cartographic research, analysis of key physical properties, testing of operational characteristics of materials, remote monitoring, and early warning.
The platform, covering an area of about 200 square meters, is equipped with more than 50 sets of professional equipment. The academy annually sends two or three groups of employees for joint work with Kyrgyz researchers and restorers, he said.
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