China-Kazakhstan relations hit high note at Beijing gala

Baidukenova, the first international competitor featured on Mango TV’s hit reality show Singer in 2024, performed Children of the Kazakhs, captivating the crowd with her remarkably high and wide vocal range and the deep emotion in her singing.

Since appearing on the show, the young Kazakh singer has remained in China to pursue her music career. She told China Daily website that she has gained a wealth of knowledge and that the high level of professionalism in the country has left a deep impression on her.

“I have a deep love for Chinese culture and society. Chinese professionals have played an instrumental role in helping me refine both my vocal technique and artistic style,” she said.

Chinese singer Tan Weiwei is known for her powerful voice and her efforts to blend folk music traditions with contemporary genres. She performed Lan Hua Hua, a new arrangement of the northern Shaanxi folk song, showcasing her extraordinary vocal prowess while merging the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments—the erhu and banhu—with the electric guitar.

“Kazakhstan and China now enjoy an unprecedented level of relations, and our comprehensive strategic partnership continues to develop. This process has been clearly demonstrated through meetings and negotiations between the heads of state,” Balayeva said in her address.

She also noted that, thanks to richer and more diverse cooperation in the cultural sector, people in both countries are showing growing interest in each other’s cultures, traditions, and histories.

The newly opened Kazakhstan Cultural Center in Beijing and the China Cultural Center in Astana, which opened in July 2024, will serve as key

platforms for advancing cultural ties and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The 2026 China-Kazakhstan Year of Cultural Exchange is jointly organized by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information. Throughout the year, the initiative will feature a series of additional events, including special performances, thematic exhibitions, joint archaeological projects, and art seminars.