A statue of the great Kazakh poet, composer and philosopher Abai Qunanbaiuly was created by a Chinese sculptor and has stood in Beijing's Chaoyang Park since March 2014.

On the base of the reddish-brown monument is engraved Abai's motto — Wisdom is the driving force of life.

Many Chinese got to know the great steppe country of Central Asia through this founder of modern Kazakh literature and enlightener of modern thought, and the statue in Beijing has become a microcosm of cultural and people-to-people mutual understanding between China and Kazakhstan.

As an important cultural symbol, Abai is increasingly known by the Chinese people. In the 10 years since the statue was erected in Beijing, many readers have gathered here on every Abai anniversary to recite his classic poems.

The poet built a bridge of cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan, and has been mentioned and affirmed by the leaders of the two countries many times. In 2013, when President Xi Jinping gave a speech in Kazakhstan, he quoted Abai's famous saying, "The world is an ocean. Time, like the wind, drives waves of generations replacing each other." In 2022, when President Xi visited Kazakhstan, he once again mentioned this great poet in his signed article.

When I walked in the streets of Kazakhstan, I could see Abai everywhere, because there are lots of streets, theaters and schools named after the great poet. According to the data released by Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics, nearly 20,000 citizens in the country have the same name as Abai. The Kazakh government also signed a decree to officially establish Aug 10 every year as the Day of Abai.

The great Abai is one of the many bridges connecting China and Kazakhstan.

More than 10,000 Kazakh students are studying in China, and thousands of Chinese students are studying in Kazakh universities. Five Confucius Institutes have been set up in Kazakhstan, and five universities in China offer Kazakh language majors.

I deeply felt during the interviews that the common language between Chinese and Kazakh people is increasing, and I met more Kazakh people who had been to China than on the last time I visited the Central Asian country.

"The interaction between the two countries is obviously more frequent this year, and more Kazakhs have the chance to travel to China. One of the main reasons is the two countries exempted visas from each other in November last year, allowing people from the two sides to visit each other as often," said Yang Lei, director of a Confucius Institute in Astana.

Kazakhstan is not only the birthplace of the Belt and Road Initiative, but also has deep connections with the ancient Silk Road.

The ancient Silk Road was a trade route, as well as a road for the integration of civilizations. In the future, China and Kazakhstan will further strengthen their cooperation across various sectors such as education, tourism, archaeology, art and media. They aim to enhance the scope and scale of cultural exchanges and offer increased opportunities for young people to engage and connect.

Standing at a new historical starting point of China-Kazakhstan relations, I feel that President Xi's visit has created a new atmosphere for Sino-Kazakh ties.