When I woke up on the third day (2 July 2023) of our visit to China, it was past eight in the morning. Belayet Hossen, an executive producer of Rtv, was still sleeping. Olivia, our tour guide, sent a message on Wechat, “Today we will go to visit Kazakh village and Haven Lake. Exactly 9am, cars will leave from the hotel. All are requested to carry their passports.”
Belayet and I quickly got ready and left the room. I told him that I do not think we will have time to have breakfast on the ground floor of the hotel, because it was too late. However, we had a quick breakfast, and reached the bus a bit late. Everyone was waiting for us in the car. We total 18 Bengalis and Chinese started the journey together.

Eighteen Bangladeshis and Chinese, including journalists, writers, publishers, senior government officials and a delegation from China Media Group, started the journey together.

The group first visited Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province in China, at the invitation of China Media Group’s Dhaka studio.

Shortly after leaving the car, many of us took out our mobile phones and started making videos of the beautiful landscape around them. As soon as we left the city by the highway, from the car we could see big beautiful houses, clean roads, green trees and beautifully decorated gardens on both sides of the road. At that time I thought I should praise the Chinese government for organising the city so beautifully.

The sun was shining outside. As soon as the highway left the city, one could see the high mountains that looked like clouds, and the vast plains surrounding a forest.

There were planned cultivation and afforestation across the land. Despite developing numerous modern facilities, not an inch of land was left unused there. Both sides of the road were decorated with colourful flowers.

I was lost in a dream when I saw the wonderful scenery. Just then I heard a song, “Amaroparanojaha chai, tumitai, tumi tai go”. Turning my head around from the outside scenery, I saw that Yang Weimimg (Shorna), a journalist of the China Media Group and DrHarun Rashid, deputy editor of Jagonews24.com, were singing the song with their sweet voices and everyone in the bus was enchanted.

I did not realise when we arrived at the main gate of the Kazakh village, which was about 50 km away from the Urumqi city. Thousands of tourists were passing through the grand entrance.

The Kazakh village, bustling with life from morning till night, attracts thousands of tourists daily. The Chinese government has meticulously organised various things to showcase the rich culture of the Kazakh people. Visitors to the village can gain a comprehensive understanding of the Kazakh nation, experiencing everything from ancient handicrafts to silk-making methods.

Before entering the village, the group was organised under the leadership of Xie Nan (Akash), a journalist of the China Media Group, to enable the visitors to properly appreciate the cultural values of the Kazakh community.

The Kazakhs warmly welcome Muslim visitors, fostering a sense of acceptance and cultural exchange. The village features ancient carriages with horses and camels on display, adding to the immersive experience. Numerous stages across the village serve as platforms for Kazakh men and women to entertain tourists with dances, songs and traditional musical instruments, providing valuable insights into Kazakh culture.  

Yu GuangYue, director of the Bangla Department of China Media group, said the government’s support is evident in providing allowances to every participant in the Kazakh community’s cultural fair, ensuring that each family has a representative employed in the village.

This concerted effort contributes to the preservation and continuity of the Kazakh nation’s culture, she added.
The production of Kazakh embroidery, recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage item, has contributed to an increase in income for female members of a village cooperative in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

Kazakh embroidery is traditionally featured on carpets, tapestries, and various household items, showcasing distinctive ethnic patterns related to a nomadic grassland life.

The village cooperative, established in 2012, exports its products to Kazakhstan, where they are well-received for their quality and reasonable prices. This initiative not only preserves the Kazakh’s cultural heritage but also provides economic opportunities for the community.

The total number of ethnic groups in China is 56, all but one of which are minority groups. As we have curiosity about the 13 ethnic minorities in the Chattogram Hill Tracts and several others in the plains, the people of the country have a natural curiosity about their ethnic minorities.

Thanks to the newspapers in Bangladesh, we know about the Uyghur people of China who follow the Islamic religion. But there are some other ethnic minorities in China, who follow Islam, and one of them is Kazakh. We do not get to know much about them because there is no such publicity in the media.

Kazakhs are Muslims. So they pray and fast like other Muslims. Their major festivals are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. They also follow some cultural customs of their own. Nowroz, the New Year according to the Kazakh calendar, is their biggest cultural festival. It is usually held around the 22nd of March.

Turkish and Uyghur languages are very similar to the Kazakh language. Kazakhs are mainly of Turkic origin. They are mainly natives of Kazakhstan. However, they are also found in Uzbekistan, China, Russia and Mongolia. Kazakhs have historically lived in the steppe grasslands of Central Asia and Xinjiang.

Kazakhs have been in the region since before the birth of Christ, according to historical texts. Earlier, they practised shamanism – their own tribal religion. When Islam spread to Central Asia in the mid-seventh and eighth centuries, they too converted to Islam. But they also continued following their own culture, which they still do today. Many groups of Kazakhs also migrated to Eastern Europe during the Mongol invasion.

Although the majority of Kazakhs are believed to be native to present-day Kazakhstan (which was part of the Tsarist Russian Empire in the 18th century), the steppes of Sichuan have also been home to numerous Kazakh groups since time immemorial. Many Kazakhs fled to Xinjiang during the Tsarist regime.

The writer is a journalist with the Daily Sun. Email: [email protected]