A sculpture composition featuring two great Eastern thinkers was unveiled in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Friday.

Titled "Dialogue of Great Thinkers", the work portrayed the eminent Kazakh philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi (870-950 AD) and the Chinese thinker Confucius (551-479 BC).
The new composition showcases the ideological dialogue between the two historical figures, symbolizing the strong cultural ties between the peoples of Kazakhstan and China.
"Confucius and al-Farabi were great thinkers. The unveiling of this composition shows that friendship between China and Kazakhstan has entered a new stage of development, and the ideas and legacies of these great sages should be passed down from generation to generation. President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, and I believe that today's event is a tangible concrete manifestation of it in practice, promoting educational exchanges between our two countries," said Han Chunlin, ambassador of People's Republic of China to Kazakhstan.
"Confucius and al-Farabi lived 1,500 years apart. Al-Farabi and we are also more than a thousand years apart. Yet their great Eastern wisdom still inspires us to continually enhance our academic achievements. The unveiling of this sculptural composition, together with the broader prospects for friendly relations between China and Kazakhstan, have raised us to a higher level -- we must now prepare not only specialists in language and culture but also technical professionals across all economic fields, where active cooperation between Kazakhstan and China is taking place," Serik Aztaevich Irsaliev, president of the Astana International University, noted.
Created by renowned Chinese sculptor Wu Weishan, the sculptural composition was presented to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his visit to China in 2026. The Kazakh leader, then in turn, gifted it to the Astana branch of the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU).
"The head of state has instructed us to establish branches of the most advanced technology universities. We are currently negotiating with the Xi'an Jiaotong University, one of the strongest institutions, the Shanghai Jiaotong University, and the Tsinghua University, a top-tier university. The Shanghai Innovation Institute, a leading institution in the field of artificial intelligence, has become a partner in the new National Research University of Artificial Intelligence, which is due to open in just a few days," said Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan.