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    Asia-Europe Fashion Conference Promoting Cultural Exchanges along the Belt and Road

    Written by: Bai Jiali
    Posted on: November 07, 2018 | | 中文

    Dresses with Etles silk details

    On the sixth China-Eurasia Expo, 2018, Asia-Europe Fashion Conference themed “Beautiful Xinjiang Colorful Fashion” kicked off. Designers from various countries and regions showcased their works, and thus the conference was a window for displaying fashion culture.

    The collection of one designer

    The collection of one designer

    Bright Etles dresses, elegant cotton and linen dresses, smart ethnic minority headwear, suits combining simple blue and white porcelain colours, and denim fabric was displayed. Models from various countries, accompanied by changing lights and music, demonstrated the dresses of designers on the platform.

    According to Xie Qing, Deputy Director of Economic and Information Commission of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Asia-Europe Fashion Conference has been held since 2012, aiming to develop local dress designing capacity of Xinjiang and attract excellent designers, who then release their fashion lines in Urumqi. Over the past six years, 42 designers and over 30 brands from China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, India, France, Netherlands and Italy have been invited here, with 109 shows.

    Ethnic Chinese dresses

    Ethnic Chinese dresses

     “Asia-Europe Fashion Conference has become a window for fashion brands and designers in the countries and region along “Belt & Road,” to publicize their image, demonstrate originality, popularize fashion and seek mutual benefit and cooperation. As a hub of exchanges between western and eastern cultures, and the core area of Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang is a proper place for exchanges of different styles and types of dresses, and I hope more fashion will be nurtured here,” said Xie Qing.

    Liao Yaping, a fashion designer from Xi’an who has been in Xinjiang for years, said she had witnessed great changes in the field of dress design in Xinjiang. Many designers began to come back to Xinjiang. “Among the 16 participants in this news conference, the majority are young people, and six are fashion designers of ethnic minorities. Many of them once worked in coastal areas of China,” she said. 

    Ethnic dresses

    Ethnic dresses

    Xie Qing also expressed that fixed asset investment in Xinjiang textile industry has amounted to 146 billion Yuan since 2014, and more than 2200 textile and clothing enterprises have been newly established, with 540,000 staff and workers.

    Translated by Xin Yuan


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021