SINO-SERBIAN CULTURAL TIES: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Jelena  Gledić

doi:10.21618/fil2633111g

Autori

Jelena Gledić University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology Department of Oriental Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21618/fil2633111g

Parole chiave:

China, Serbia, cultural ties, international relations, Iron Friendship

Abstract

The general history of Sino-Yugoslav relations has been well-researched in the past few decades, and recently, there has been a proliferation of studies on the cooperation between China and Serbia focusing on the 21st century. However, cultural cooperation has been underresearched, with few attempts to systematically analyze its history and understand its significance for present and future bilateral relations. This paper aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing a comprehensive overview of the history of Sino-Serbian cultural ties. Serbia has become one of China’s closest partners in Europe, and the narrative of a so-called “Ironclad Friendship” between the two countries emerged, embedding political and socio-economic cooperation within a cultural and historical milieu. This makes research on Sino-Serbian cultural ties important not only for the humanities and social sciences but also for the practical realm of foreign policy and geopolitics. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the role of culture in international relations through a qualitative comparative analysis of primary sources in Serbian and Chinese (bilateral agreements, cultural policy papers, etc.) and a secondary literature review. The results are examined and synthesized to highlight changes over time and to evaluate the linkages between political and socio-economic relations and cultural cooperation.

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