Sino-Turkey relation archives exhibited in Beijing

An exhibition of artifacts tracking China-Turkey diplomatic relations over the past few hundred years opened at the Capital Museum in Beijing on Thursday.

The ten-day display contains more than 90 items, including maps, books, photos and letters, from China's archives. They were collected between the 17th century and late 20th century and help paint a picture of the history of the two country's diplomatic relations beginning with the Qing Dynasty.

The items record visits from emissaries, trade, military cooperation, and students exchanges. They were selected among items from the China's State Archives Administration, the State Archives of the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey, the archives of China's Foreign Ministry, the First Historical Archives of China, and the Second Historical Archives of China.

Both China and Turkey are big countries with powerful influence throughout long histories, Yang Dongquan, head of China's State Archives Administration, said at the opening address.

"People of both sides created brilliant national cultures," he said. "And the ancient Silk Road closely linked us."

The Belt and Road Initiative does not limit to economic cooperation, Yang said, but also boosts the exchanges of culture, education, science, and so on.

He said he hoped the exhibition could help people better understand such history.

Ugur Unal, Director General of the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Turkey, said a portrait of a Chinese maid and an early photo of two Chinese muslims studying in Turkey's capital Istanbul are a perfect example of the historical exchanges between the two countries.

The exhibition was arranged under the 2012 archive cooperation agreement signed between China and Turkey.