Against the backdrop of ongoing Belt and Road cooperation, telling Silk Road stories in more vivid, tangible ways and promoting mutual learning among civilizations has become a key task for international communication. Co-produced by Hunan Broadcasting System and Dimash Studio and jointly conceived by Chinese and Kazakh creators, the Silk Road cultural exchange and musical performance program VOICE BEYOND HORIZON follows the field visits of eight young Silk Road musicians and records a moving chapter of civilizational exchange across four Kazakh cities.
As of March 27, 2026, VOICE BEYOND HORIZON has aired eight episodes and topped the ratings for eight consecutive weeks, achieving 1.59 billion total online impressions and appearing on hot search lists 329 times across platforms. By building a cultural bridge along the Belt and Road through music, the program earned three commendations from People’s Daily and was recommended and reported by more than 500 central and mainstream media outlets including Guangming Daily and China Daily, becoming a “golden calling card” for contemporary cultural exchange between China and other countries.
Cultural tourism as bridge: a deep dialogue between music and civilization
The program breaks with conventional competition formats by pioneering a “field visit + competition” model that encourages musicians to immerse themselves in the Silk Road’s heartlands and turn cultural experiences into artistic expression.
Touching the genes of civilization at historical sites. Singers visited the ruins of the Otrar ancient city, ran their hands over rammed-earth walls dating back centuries, and traced medieval Silk Road imprints. Giulia drew associations with Roman civilization and reflected on commonalities across cultures; Cai Chengyu recalled the profound history of Datong in Shanxi and performed “Dreams of Old Friends at the World’s End,” using bel canto to stage a time-crossing dialogue between the two ancient cities.
Gathering everyday life’s rhythms in bustling markets. In Turkestan, performers entered folk villages, sampled kumis, tried traditional wrestling, and improvised with dombra performers—experiences that became the emotional foundation of their music. At the Almaty Apple Festival, artists sang and danced with locals and felt the city’s lively atmosphere. La Danzhu and a veteran Kazakh artist joined forces to perform “Migration” from a shared reverence for nature, while Zhang Xiyun, inspired by foreigners’ enthusiasm for Chinese culture at the Apple Festival, passionately performed the guofeng (Chinese-style) song “Proper Pronunciation, Full Tone.”
Seeking echoes of earth and sky in natural wonders. From Turkestan’s golden flower fields to Aktau’s “half-sea, half-desert” panoramas, from the 200-million-year rock strata of Bozjyra Canyon to the “submerged forest” of Kaindy Lake, nature became a reservoir of musical inspiration. Standing between weathered cliffs, the singers remarked that “the wind’s voice is the most primitive music.”
Stage as Mirror: A Seamless Fusion of Diverse Cultures
The program uses format innovation to promote deep encounters between musical languages, making the artists’ stage performances a window onto civilizational exchange.
Solo performances highlight cultural essence. Kazakh singer Nurzhas’s “Breeze” delivers a rich, pastoral timbre; Chinese Yi singer La Danzhu fuses horse-herding melodies with modern arrangements, her ethereal throat vibrato electrifying the audience; Serbian performer Princ tenderly interprets a hometown love story that exudes Balkan romance. Kyrgyz singer Nur Cholpon re-arranges the ethnic piece “Besh yrgai,” pairing the traditional komuz with coloratura to showcase Central Asian musical charm. These stylistically diverse pieces map a musical Silk Road and reveal the distinct allure of different civilizations.
Duets spark new blended sounds. Nurzhas and Princ duet on “Tamo daleko / Samaltau,” linking historical memory through classic songs of two countries. Cai Chengyu and La Danzhu collaborate on “Landscape Scroll,” evoking the shared grandeur of China and Kazakhstan’s mountains and rivers. Nur Cholpon and Giulia join to sing “Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare),” celebrating nature and conveying the magnitude of the Silk Road journey. Jeryl Lee and Zhang Xiyun perform “Whispers of the Fish,” rendering a poetic “Silk Road double-fish” image. In a short time, artists adapt styles and forge emotional connections, demonstrating the Silk Road’s wisdom of “harmony in diversity.”
Hearts Connected: Emotional Resonance Across Time and Space
By sincerely documenting encounters, the program dissolves cultural barriers and builds a community of shared sentiments among young people along the Silk Road.
Silk Road history echoes in the present. The program records narrator Lei Jia’s account of “every household in Luoyang learned the Hu music,” showing viewers the long tradition of cultural fusion along the Silk Road. The story of Xian Xinghai and Baykadamov is frequently invoked as a symbol of Sino-Kazakh musical exchange heritage. Dimash’s evolution from a contestant on Singer 2017 to a driving force behind the project embodies a spirit of reciprocity and has injected new momentum into contemporary Silk Road cultural ties.
Silk Road stories focus on ordinary people. In sunflower fields, Chinese new-generation farmer Zhao Feng brings Chinese techniques to Kazakhstan; at Aktau port, Chinese builders and local workers together construct an international container hub, witnessing the new Silk Road speed that moves goods from China to Europe in two weeks. These stories make the Belt and Road initiative tangible—a lived practice rather than an abstract concept.
Emotional exchange seeps into daily life. La Danzhu and Princ improvised with street performers and Chinese students on Almaty’s Arbat Street, sensing the city’s street-music vitality; Zhang Xiyun, Nur Cholpon and Giulia sang and danced with locals at the Apple Festival, building bridges of cultural exchange; artists learned each other’s languages and shared culture during rehearsals, forming deep friendships. These intimate, vivid interactions are living proof of close bonds between peoples.
Music knows no borders and friendship endures. From the echoes of ancient Turkestan to Almaty’s snowy lakes, from solo performances to duets, VOICE BEYOND HORIZON demonstrates that when youth co-create through exchange, the Silk Road spirit finds its most vibrant expression. The civilizational flame of the ancient Silk Road has not gone out; a new era of Silk Road friendship is being written. With the program’s broadcast, a beautiful tableau of mutual understanding and harmonious coexistence among Belt and Road peoples is unfolding.
