This ancient genre with a history of nearly 2,000 years received a new lease of life when a modern band played a piece based on historical music scores at the Xinjiang Pavilion of the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing in September.

Before a large, appreciative audience, the band composed of students from the Traditional Chinese Musical Instrument Department of the Central Conservatory of Music presented the evolution of the legacy music from its origin, development, formation and peak to its contemporary inheritance. Additionally, the performance included a dance segment, reviving artforms previously existing only in ancient documents and scores.

Guo Yi, Chairman of Xinjiang Tianshanfeng Culture Media Co. who headed the project, told Xinjiang Daily that they leveraged the international platform that is CIFTIS so that more people could appreciate the unique charm of the ancient art and promote Chinese classical folk music to the world.

This year's Xinjiang Pavilion, designed around the core theme "Xinjiang is a Wonderful Land," comprised six sections: petroleum and petrochemicals, software and information technology, environmental protection and new materials, cultural trade, modern logistics, and new forms of trade in services. Fourteen local enterprises from Xinjiang participated in the 2025 CIFTIS.

Held annually in Beijing since its inception in 2012, CIFTIS has since grown into the world's largest comprehensive event for trade in services. Guo said through the platform, his company has already established cooperation with three cultural communication companies in Beijing and two overseas performance agencies. The plan is to promote Xinjiang's distinctive cultural programs globally.

China Radio and Television Xinjiang Network Co. Ltd. was one of the participants in the cultural trade section. The cable TV company is the international promoter of the hit TV show To the Wonder, which began airing in neighboring Kazakhstan last July. Adopted from the novel My Altay, the show depicting the lives of local residents has boosted the popularity of Altay as a tourist destination.

The company's Bawrsak Theater project is a popular China-Kazakhstan film and television cultural exchange initiative that broadcasts popular Chinese television shows in Kazakhstan, dubbed into the Kazakh language. Launched from the Huoerguosi (Khorgas) section of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the project gets its name from the bawrsak, a popular Kazakh pastry.

Last year, through Kazakhstan's Almaty TV and new media platforms, the project delivered productions introducing Xinjiang's natural landscapes, diverse folk customs and rich cultural heritage to Kazakh audiences.

"From music and dance performances to film and television exports, and from local corporate initiatives to cross-regional cooperation, Xinjiang is using culture as a bond to build an international communication bridge," said Song Li, Deputy General Manager of the China Radio and Television Xinjiang Network Co. Ltd.

Another Xinjiang company at the 2025 CIFTIS was the Beiken Energy Group. Based in Karamay City in north Xinjiang, the company specializes in drilling equipment and integrated engineering technical services for the exploration and development of petroleum, natural gas, coalbed methane and unconventional energy. In recent years, it has intensified its efforts in the services trade sector.

"Leveraging high-quality products, technologies and services, we have achieved breakthroughs in overseas markets such as Central Asia and Eastern Europe, with [our] international business scale steadily expanding," Li Yuanjun, vice president of the company, told People's Daily. "Xinjiang's inherent strengths in the petrochemical sector have driven greater technological progress for the company."

Li called CIFTIS an important platform for expanding domestic and international markets, learning advanced management concepts and business development models, and accessing the latest industry and market information. 

Chen Shizhong, a business representative from Sichuan Province in southwest China, showed strong interest in the intelligent oil and gas field exploration technologies and integrated green refining solutions showcased by Xinjiang enterprises at the fair. "Xinjiang's green and low-carbon technologies in the petroleum and petrochemical service sector are highly advanced," Chen remarked. 

Enhancing digital reach 

The software and information technology section was another highlight of the Xinjiang delegation at this year's CIFTIS. Products such as cross-border e-commerce platforms, intelligent security system and big data analytics applications presented by companies like Xinjiang Brothers Union Network Technology Co. Ltd. attracted both visitors and buyers alike due to their functionality and cost-effectiveness.

"Our cross-border e-commerce service platform already covers major cities in all five Central Asian countries, providing one-stop comprehensive foreign trade services to help Xinjiang's specialty products reach international markets more easily," said Chen Longren, chairman of the company.

With the support of the CIFTIS platform, the company has expanded its cross-border e-commerce services to sectors such as medical services and cultural trade. It signed memorandums of cooperation with several universities and medical institutions at this year's fair, broadening its international network.

Li Xuan, Deputy Director General of Xinjiang's Department of Commerce, said CIFTIS, as an important channel for China's opening up, not only provides a stage for Xinjiang to showcase its industrial strengths but also serves as a bridge connecting global resources and deepening win-win cooperation. By the end of the fair, the Xinjiang delegation had received 2,180 client visits, and four Xinjiang companies had received cooperation intentions from 11 institutions and enterprises.

Li also said that Xinjiang's services trade is experiencing robust growth. In the first half of 2025, the total import and export volume of services trade in Xinjiang reached $1.24 billion, a year-on-year increase of 39.1 percent, significantly outpacing the national average growth rate.

Li emphasized that against the backdrop of services trade globalization, Xinjiang is expanding into new areas of services trade. "We hope to foster in-depth exchanges and enhanced cooperation between Xinjiang enterprises and participating organizations to jointly accelerate the development of services trade," he said during the fair.

He also drew attention to the role played by the Xinjiang Pilot FTZ as the "core engine" of Xinjiang's high-quality development in services trade. He said it has continuously deepened institutional innovation since its establishment in 2023, injecting strong momentum into the development of the sector.

"In the future, Xinjiang will continue to focus on key areas such as cross-border e-commerce, bonded maintenance and digital trade, promoting more new business models to expand services trade to more countries," he said.

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