The percussion and swaying rhythms of Al Ayala, the scent of incense and the brewing of strong Emirati gahwa greeted visitors as the Beijing International Book Fair opened on Wednesday with the UAE as guest of honour.
Running until Sunday, the UAE programme brings together more than 20 cultural, publishing and research institutions under one pavilion, Al Bait Al Emarati, or the Emirati House. It forms part of one of the UAE’s largest cultural showcases in China to date.
The participation continues a growing cultural exchange between the two countries. China was the guest of honour at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in 2017, while Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in April during an official visit aimed at further strengthening UAE-China ties.
Hussain Al Hammadi, UAE ambassador to China, said the country’s participation in Beijing marked another step in the development of UAE-China co-operation.
“The relationship between the UAE and China has grown greatly over the years,” he told The National. “There is a clear understanding between both countries, and there is a shared commitment from government and institutions to continue building this relationship. This participation is another step in strengthening collaboration between the UAE and China, especially in the cultural field.”
The role of cultural diplomacy in UAE-China relations was highlighted at the opening session, where author and former speaker of the Federal National Council Mohammed Al Murr said cultural ties were now building on a strong political and economic base.
“The political and economic relations between the leaderships and the important institutions in both countries are model relations,” he said. “They are relations that have reached a high level of co-ordination, co-operation and consultation between the different leadership components in China and in the UAE.”
Al Murr said language had become one of the clearest ways of turning official relations into cultural exchange.
“One of the things that helps co-operation between peoples is the question of languages and language teaching,” he said.
He pointed to the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Beijing, established in 1994, as one of the early institutions to support Arabic learning in China, including among Chinese diplomats and officials.
He said the UAE had also responded to China’s growing interest in the region by expanding the teaching of the Chinese language and culture in schools and universities across the Emirates.
“These institutions, particularly in the field of language, will help in the future to build bridges of friendship and co-operation between the two countries and between the two societies,” he said.
Translation, he added, was also entering a more mature phase.
“Because many Arab talents have begun studying Chinese in China, translation into Arabic is now being done directly from the Chinese language,” he said. “This has helped improve these texts and refine them. It has helped transmit the image and spirit of Chinese literary and intellectual writing more accurately.”
Ali bin Tamim, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said the UAE’s role as guest of honour carried wider significance because it came as both countries were discussing the future of their cultural relationship.
“Culture remains a central pillar in the future of any relationship between peoples,” he said.
He said it was also important to remember the long history of Arab-Chinese exchange through the Silk Road.
“Before entering into, or speaking about, the future, we should point to the relations that began between the Arabs and China in an organised way, dating back to the 10th or ninth century AD, through the Silk Road,” he said.
Bin Tamim said modern UAE-China relations were now supported by educational programmes, cultural institutions and more than 150 agreements between the two countries. He also pointed to the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's visit to China in 1990 and the opening of the Sheikh Zayed Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Beijing four years later as milestones in the relationship.
“This formed a different, important and direct channel for the Chinese-Arab encounter, and for the cultural encounter between Arabs and China,” he said.
Qian Shuren, from China’s National Press and Publication Administration, said China and the UAE were both inheritors of ancient civilisations and active participants in contemporary cultural exchange.
“For thousands of years, the ancient Silk Road connected us. Across mountains and seas, it closely linked China and the UAE,” she said. “Culture has always been the foundation of mutual trust between the peoples of the two countries.”
Qian also highlighted Chinese translations and publications of Emirati works, including Mohammed Al Murr’s short story anthology Dubai Tales, as well as books by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi.
Al Bait Al Emarati will continue to host sessions at the Beijing International Book Fair covering heritage, literature, translation, publishing and the future of cultural exchange between the UAE and China.
Al Hammadi said the value of the programme lay in showing how culture could extend the relationship beyond official ties.
“Culture has great value,” he said. “It brings people closer and allows societies to understand each other better. The UAE and China enjoy strong and resilient cultural links, and these links are not only about governments. They extend to families, generations and communities.”
