Since 2024, the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology has been collaborating with Fergana State University in Uzbekistan as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), underscoring dynamic cultural exchanges between China and other nations in the new era.

In May of this year, the Fergana-Shanxi Archaeological Research Center and the Cultural Heritage Protection and Restoration Laboratory were inaugurated at Fergana State University's Faculty of History, marking a significant milestone in joint archaeological efforts between Shanxi and Uzbekistan.

"The research center will focus on Bronze and Iron Age remains in the Fergana Basin, integrating Shanxi's archaeological expertise for systematic study. The restoration laboratory will introduce advanced Chinese cultural relic protection technologies to train Uzbek specialists," said the dean of the Faculty of History at Fergana State University.

Archaeological surveys are also advancing rapidly. Since May, a Chinese archaeological team led by Fan Wenqian, director of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, has been collaborating with Uzbek experts to conduct field surveys on 10 Bronze and Iron Age sites in the Fergana Basin. The discovery of pottery shards and copper fragments, similar to artifacts found at contemporaneous sites in Shanxi, further confirms ancient cultural exchanges between the two regions.

Over the next five years, Shanxi and Uzbekistan plan to focus on systematic surveys, exploration, and excavation of Bronze and Iron Age remains in the southern Fergana Basin. They will also utilize the research center and laboratory to advance cultural relic restoration, talent cultivation, and integrated "industry-academia-research" activities.

Fan emphasized that this joint archaeological venture is just the beginning, stating that Shanxi aims to continue its collaborative archaeological approach, enhancing the role of "Shanxi Archaeology" in cultural exchanges among the countries involved in the BRI.