People of Western Regions 'co-creators' of Chinese identity

The internationally prevalent narrative that portrays the relationship between the culture in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, historically known as the Western Regions, and Chinese culture as being the "assimilation" of the former into the latter is untrue and reflects the widespread ignorance of Chinese history, Pan Yue, director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said.

"In fact, peoples of the Western Regions have always been co-creators of Chinese culture," Pan said while delivering a speech at the International Forum on the History and Future of Xinjiang on Wednesday.

Some 170 scholars and archaeologists from countries such as China, the United States, Australia, Germany, Egypt and Kazakhstan took part in the forum in the city of southern Xinjiang, sharing the latest archaeological findings in the region and the ties between the history of the region and Chinese culture.