Deepening cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in the humanitarian and cultural fields further strengthens the ties between our peoples. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is regarded as the principal driver of cultural and humanitarian exchanges between our countries and, together with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, implements various projects. A pavilion titled “A Window to Azerbaijani Culture,” established by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in the Ancient Residences Cultural Park in Bengbu City, Anhui Province, introduces the Chinese public to Azerbaijan’s ancient history and rich cultural heritage. In April 2023, the Azerbaijan–China Friendship Concert was held at the Silk Road International Arts Center in Langfang, Hebei Province, and organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. In July 2023, Chinese musicians participated in the “Silk Road” International Music Festival in Sheki. In addition, in 2023, an exhibition of Chinese artworks from the Azerbaijan National Art Museum's collection was held.
Thanks to shared values, our people understand and connect with one another through culture and the arts. As early as the mid-20th century, the Chinese people demonstrated their appreciation for Azerbaijani art through the operetta Arshin Mal Alan by the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. This masterpiece of Azerbaijani music was first staged in Wuhan in 1957 and later in Beijing in 1959, becoming the first foreign musical comedy performed in the Chinese capital. Following this production, the operetta rapidly gained popularity in China and was staged more than 300 times nationwide.
In addition, the renowned ballet One Thousand and One Nights, by Azerbaijan’s prominent composer Fikret Amirov, was staged at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts from August 23 to 25, 2024, and drew strong interest and acclaim from Chinese audiences. The ballet’s music was performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the National Ballet of China, conducted by Azerbaijan’s Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev.
On September 13, 2025, a classical music evening was held at the Concert Hall of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the National Ballet of China under the artistic direction of Ayyub Guliyev, Chief Conductor of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and an Honored Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The concert program also featured a performance by the renowned composer and pianist Tamilla Akhmedova.
On October 18, 2025, the Baku State Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Fuad Ibrahimov, presented a concert program at the 24th China Shanghai International Arts Festival in Shanghai.
An Azerbaijani-language department operates at Beijing Foreign Studies University, while Confucius Institutes continue to operate successfully at universities in Azerbaijan. On 28–29 September 2024, at the initiative and under the organization of the Azerbaijani Language Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University, with support from the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the People's Republic of China, the First International Academic Conference on China–Azerbaijan Studies was held at the university under the theme “Strengthening China-Azerbaijan Relations in the Spirit of the Silk Road.”
On 24 April 2025, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, visited Beijing Foreign Studies University during her visit to China. She familiarized herself with the Azerbaijani Language Department's activities and met with the university’s Vice President, Gang, and Chinese students studying Azerbaijani. Since the establishment of the Azerbaijani Language Department at Beijing Foreign Studies University, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has donated more than 500 publications to the department and provided ongoing support for its activities. In addition, with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, visits by young Azerbaijani scholars to Beijing Foreign Studies University have been organized. On 7 December 2023, a trilateral agreement was signed among Baku State University, Anhui University, and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.
Efforts to expand cooperation and promote mutual visits between the regions and cities of the two countries continue. Documents establishing friendly and cooperative relations have been signed between Baku and Sichuan Province, between Ganja and Qingdao, between Sumgait and the Jiangjin District of Chongqing, and with Xi'an and Mianyang. In addition, memoranda establishing friendly and cooperative relations have been signed between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the cities of Chongqing and Urumqi, and between the Khazar District and the Nansha District Municipality of Guangzhou. In addition, memoranda establishing friendly and cooperative relations have been signed between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the cities of Chongqing and Urumqi, as well as between the Khazar District and the Nansha District Municipality of Guangzhou. Cooperation between the think tanks and scientific and academic circles of the two countries continues to expand rapidly. In 2024, representatives, scholars, and experts from various Chinese think tanks participated in a conference titled “Reassessing Azerbaijan-China Relations: The Way Forward,” held in Baku and organized by the Center of Analysis of International Relations.
The Center of Analysis of International Relations and the Shanghai Institute for International Studies jointly organized the CICA Think Tanks Forum in Baku in September 2025.
On May 27, 2025, the Nizami Ganjavi International Center served as a partner at the 11th China and Globalization Forum in Beijing.