Cultural relations between Oman and China are rooted in a long history of civilisational contact, commercial exchange and people-to-people interaction, with ancient maritime trade routes connecting the two countries and fostering engagement between their peoples.
Oman's geographical position and its openness to the Indian Ocean, together with China's ancient civilisation, provided common ground for the exchange of knowledge, expertise and traditions.
In recent years, cultural relations between the two countries have gained growing momentum, reflecting the depth of historical and civilisational ties and the diversity of cooperation in the arts, heritage and knowledge.
Oman has hosted numerous events, including performances by Chinese artistic troupes and ballet companies; seminars examining the historical relations forged along the Maritime Silk Road and the role of Omani frankincense in promoting civilisational exchange; the exhibition 'China through Omani Eyes', which documented aspects of Chinese culture and nature; and cultural events hosted by Sultan Qaboos University to introduce Chinese heritage.
In October 2026, Muscat hosted the first Chinese Film Week in Oman, featuring a selection of films reflecting the diversity of Chinese cinema — a step that strengthens cultural exchange and opens broader horizons for engagement between talents and audiences in both countries.
In China, a range of Omani cultural events and initiatives have sought to showcase Oman's civilisational identity and historical legacy.
Prominent among them was the Oman-China Cultural Forum, hosted in Beijing in December 2023 to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations, which examined milestones in the shared history, Omani literature and the connections forged along the Maritime Silk Road, alongside the exhibition 'The Frankincense Road: Oman in Ancient Chinese Records'.
Academic initiatives — foremost among them the Sultan Qaboos Chair for Arabic Studies at Peking University — have helped to foster interest in the Arabic language and Omani culture within Chinese academic circles. Together, these events reflect the two countries' commitment to drawing on their shared historical legacy to build sustainable cultural bridges, strengthen mutual understanding and cement friendship and cooperation between the Omani and Chinese peoples.
In the modern era, Omani-Chinese cultural relations have developed markedly through cultural events and exhibitions, exchanges of artistic and academic delegations, and closer cooperation in education, language, heritage and the arts.
The introduction of Chinese language programmes in Oman and the expansion of student and research exchange opportunities have deepened rapprochement between the two peoples and reinforced cultural bridges.
Heritage and the arts receive particular attention within these relations, with both sides keen to showcase their respective civilisational heritage, including traditional arts, handicrafts, music and literature.
Such initiatives offer an opportunity to explore the similarities and differences between the two cultures and to foster mutual respect and understanding between the two societies.
Prof Said bin Mohammed al Hashmi explained that these relations date back thousands of years, when Oman's strategic location and its outlook onto maritime trade routes strengthened its presence in the network of commercial exchange between East and West. China came to know Oman and its products through Omani commercial activity in Chinese ports, while Chinese navigation extended to a number of Omani ports — from Sohar in the south to Dibba in the north — reflecting the depth of maritime contact between the two sides.
He noted that Chinese historical sources attest to the standing enjoyed by Arab and Muslim merchants in international trade during the Middle Ages, when they played a pivotal role in transferring goods and knowledge between the Gulf, the Indian Ocean and Chinese ports.
The Chinese Tang records also contain references to the arrival of official envoys from Arab regions — including one associated with the name 'Tashi' — in China in the 7th century AD, reflecting the antiquity of official and civilisational contact between the two sides.
He added that the Omani presence in China was not confined to commercial and maritime activity but extended to settlement and participation in social and administrative life. Some historical accounts refer to the figure of Abu Ubaydah Abdullah al Sahari, who lived in China during the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) and attained prominence in the city of Canton, present-day Guangzhou.
He noted that some sources mention that Al Sahari assumed responsibilities relating to foreign affairs and was held in esteem by the Chinese authorities of the time — an indication of the presence and influence Omanis achieved in Chinese ports.
This example reflects the nature of historical relations that went beyond direct commercial interests to cultural and social interaction, helping to build mutual confidence between the two peoples.
He said that, in reviving this civilisational legacy and the Maritime Silk Road, the Omani ship Sohar sailed from Muscat to Canton on a historic voyage that set out on November 23, 1980, from Sultan Ahmed Naval Base under the command of Tim Severin, with a crew of Omani sailors.
The ship reached the Chinese port on July 11, 1981, after covering some 6,000 nautical miles, giving practical expression to Oman's maritime history and reviving one of the sea routes that linked Oman and China across the ages.
He affirmed that Omani-Chinese relations have developed markedly in the modern era, with horizons widening to encompass political, economic, cultural and technological fields, as well as logistics, e-commerce and investment cooperation. This evolution is a natural extension of historical ties and a response to global economic changes that require greater coordination and integration among states.
On the cultural and academic front, he said that efforts to bring the two countries closer continue through seminars, conferences and scholarly lectures that highlight the historical roots of Omani-Chinese relations and examine ways to develop them in keeping with the requirements of the next phase. On July 21, 2025, Salalah hosted a seminar entitled 'Chinese Modernisation and Oman Vision 2040: Our Work and Proposals', which examined points of convergence between China's development experience and the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 and ways to expand bilateral cooperation.
Prof Fu Zhiming, Deputy Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, and Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Peking University, and Professor of the Sultan Qaboos Chair at Peking University, presented a paper entitled 'Building New Bridges to Strengthen Bilateral Ties between China and Oman', in which he reviewed the role of the Sultan Qaboos Chair at Peking University in promoting cultural and academic relations between China and the Arab states.
Since its establishment in 2007, the Chair has supported educational and cultural exchange, fostered interest in Arabic studies and Chinese-Arab relations, and widened opportunities for engagement among researchers, students and academic institutions in both countries.
In February 2025, the Oman Studies Centre at Sultan Qaboos University organised a lecture entitled 'The Political, Economic and Cultural Dimensions of Omani-Chinese Relations', with the participation of professors and researchers from Shanghai International Studies University. The lecture examined multiple aspects of the bilateral relationship and highlighted the importance of integrating political, economic and cultural dimensions in building a sustainable partnership.
In documenting historical ties, the National Records and Archives Authority organised a conference entitled 'The History of China's Relations with the Muslim World, with Oman as a Model' on December 23-24, 2019, aimed at highlighting the historical reach of civilisational contact and Oman's role in trade, navigation and cultural exchange between East and West.
Taken together, these events reflect the interest of Omani and Chinese institutions in documenting historical relations, promoting joint research and expanding academic and cultural cooperation, so that this civilisational legacy is passed on to new generations.
Al Hashmi explained that cultural forums and reciprocal visits confirm that relations between the two countries possess solid foundations and wide scope for growth. The shared historical legacy provides a firm basis for deeper understanding, while global economic and technological transformations open new fields for expanding the partnership across sectors.
He said there is a clear need to develop cultural and academic exchange programmes, encourage joint research and studies, promote the teaching of Arabic in China and Chinese in Oman, and support initiatives that acquaint new generations with the history and civilisational heritage of both countries.
Prof Said Al Hashmi explained that the future of Omani-Chinese relations is not only founded on economic and investment interests but also on a deep cultural and civilisational legacy that has proven, throughout history, its capacity to transcend geographical distance and shifting international circumstances.
Building on this legacy and developing the tools of cultural, scientific and technological cooperation will strengthen the partnership between the two countries and take it to broader horizons of integration and cooperation, serving the interests of the two friendly peoples and enhancing their standing regionally and internationally.
Dr Salim bin Mohammed al Hinai, Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, affirmed that Omani-Chinese cultural relations extend back many centuries, founded on a deep historical legacy of maritime contact, commercial exchange and civilisational interaction. He noted that Oman was not merely a transit point on the Maritime Silk Road but played an active role in building bridges between Omani and Chinese civilisations.
He said that talk of the Silk Road usually conjures the trade caravans that crossed the deserts of Central Asia, yet the maritime route linking the ports of the Gulf and the Arabian Sea to the southern coasts of China represented another dimension of no less importance in shaping relations between peoples. Oman's presence on this route was evident from an early date, thanks to its strategic location and the expertise of its people in navigation and international trade.
He added that Omanis knew the route to China from the earliest Islamic centuries, and historical memory preserves the name of the Omani merchant Abu Ubaydah Abdullah bin Al Qasim, who sailed to China in the second Hijri century — an example of the Omani sailor's capacity to venture into distant seas in search of broader horizons for trade and knowledge. These voyages were not confined to the movement of goods; they also carried customs, languages, ideas and beliefs.
A number of Arab and Muslim merchants settled in cities along the Chinese coast, including Canton, and helped to introduce Islam and Arab culture.
Al Hinai noted that archaeological evidence in Oman offers tangible proof of the depth of these historical ties.
Numerous fragments of Chinese porcelain dating from various periods have been found at Sohar and Al Baleed in Dhofar, reflecting the nature of commercial and cultural exchange between the two sides and confirming that Chinese goods reached Omani shores centuries ago.
Dhofari frankincense, in turn, held an important place among the goods for which Oman was known in Asian markets, given its commercial value and its standing in religious and social uses.
He explained that Chinese maritime voyages to the region reinforced this contact, noting the arrival of the fleets of the Chinese admiral Zheng He in Dhofar during the 15th century AD, with accounts of his voyages describing the region's markets and the frankincense trade — a further reflection of Oman's presence on the maritime and commercial routes linking East and West.
He noted that Oman revived this historical legacy in the modern era through the voyage of 'Sohar,' which sailed from Muscat to Canton in the early 1980s in the traditional style of Omani ships, in an endeavour aimed at reviving Oman's maritime heritage and restoring the historic routes of contact with China. The voyage was not merely a maritime adventure but carried a cultural message affirming that relations between the two countries rest on deep historical roots predating the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1978, which opened broader horizons for bilateral cooperation across various fields.
He affirmed that cultural and academic relations between the two countries have developed markedly through numerous initiatives and programmes, foremost among them the Sultan Qaboos Chair for Arabic Studies at Peking University, which has helped to promote the teaching of Arabic and to introduce Arab and Omani culture to Chinese academic circles. Cultural weeks, exhibitions and exchanges of visits between artistic troupes and academic delegations have widened cultural rapprochement, while book fairs in both countries serve as important platforms for showcasing intellectual and literary output, giving Omani readers access to translated Chinese literature and introducing Chinese readers to Oman's history, literature and civilisational heritage.
Al Hinai noted that this cultural engagement is inseparable from the economic and strategic transformations in Omani-Chinese relations, foremost among them the Belt and Road Initiative, which in one of its dimensions evokes the spirit of the historic Silk Road.
He explained that Oman's maritime position and its long heritage in navigation and trade give it important assets for strengthening its presence in initiatives aimed at connecting markets and expanding trade and investment flows.
He added that growing economic cooperation between the two countries opens the way for closer cultural engagement in multiple fields, including language education, tourism, student exchange and academic cooperation, alongside a shared interest in preserving maritime heritage and highlighting its role in shaping historical relations between peoples.
Dr Salim affirmed that what distinguishes Omani-Chinese cultural relations is that, across their various historical phases, they have been founded on peaceful exchange, mutual interests and mutual respect.
Having first been bound by trade and maritime navigation, the two countries' channels of contact expanded to encompass knowledge, culture and education, enhancing the prospects for a deeper and more sustainable civilisational partnership, preserving shared historical memory and giving future generations broader scope to learn about the other's culture and deepen understanding between the two friendly peoples.
Dr Maryam bint Said al Bartamani, an expert on Omani-Chinese relations, explained that many sources affirm that Omani-Chinese relations are of great antiquity, with historical roots reaching back to remote eras and early centuries, and that these relations took clearer shape after the spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in the 8th century AD, when Omani ports became active centres in the maritime trade that connected the countries and territories of the Indian Ocean as far as China.
She said that among the most prominent historical evidence of this close contact is the voyage of the Omani merchant Abu Ubaydah Abdullah bin Al Qasim to China, regarded as one of the earliest known Omani voyages to the Far East.
According to Oman's Embassy in Beijing, this merchant reached China around 750 AD, while some historical studies give differing dates for his commercial activity — which requires distinguishing between the well-known historical account and the precise dating of the voyage.
She added that Arab geographical sources — including the works of Al Masudi, Al Istakhri and Al Maqdisi — abound in references to Sohar and its extensive commercial activity with China.
Al Maqdisi described Sohar as 'the antechamber of China', a reference to its commercial standing and the navigation and trade linking it with the countries of the Far East. Similarly, Chinese sources contain numerous references to Arab commercial centres and the maritime networks connecting China with the Indian Ocean and its littoral states.
She noted that, alongside these written records confirming trade between Oman and China since ancient times, Chinese archaeological finds in Oman — foremost among them porcelain discovered in numerous Omani regions, especially Sohar — provide material evidence of the arrival of Chinese goods in Oman through maritime trade networks. Excavations at Al Baleed have also revealed Chinese coins from the Tang and Song dynasties.
She said that it is important to affirm that historical relations between the two countries were not confined to the exchange of goods but extended to the exchange of navigational knowledge, commercial expertise and cultural influences. Omani-Chinese contact can therefore be viewed as one of the streams of civilisational interaction that introduced the Arab world to Chinese civilisation and allowed it to draw on its riches.
She noted that Oman's geographical position is among the most important factors behind its historical relations with China. Oman overlooks maritime routes linking the Arabian Peninsula to East Africa, India, Southeast Asia and China. This position gave Omani ports — foremost among them Sohar, Qalhat and Muscat — strategic and commercial importance and made them key stations for provisioning, re-export and the exchange of goods from different regions and countries.
She added that Sohar is regarded as a cornerstone of maritime trade during the various Islamic eras, and Oman was linked to numerous networks of commercial exchange with many countries, including China. The evidence confirming the port's importance can be grouped into three interrelated aspects.
First, geographical and historical sources describe Sohar as a thriving commercial centre and link Omani commercial activity to the markets of the Far East and the exchange of goods, with maritime routes enabling the export of many products — such as frankincense, horses, pearls and goods from East Africa — and the import of silk, porcelain and other Chinese products.
Omani frankincense acquires particular significance in this context, being viewed not merely as an economic commodity but as an authentic Omani inheritance and a central element in cultural practices and popular rituals associated with incense, perfumes, archaeological finds and maritime voyages.
The Chinese porcelain discovered at numerous Omani sites confirms the breadth of trade networks between the two countries, while the voyage of Sohar, which sailed from Muscat in 1980 and reached Guangzhou in 1981, demonstrates the feasibility of navigating the historic routes using techniques inspired by the ancient maritime heritage.
Perhaps what most distinguishes Oman in this regard is that it was not merely a transit point on the Maritime Silk Road but an active party in organising trade, redistributing goods and making use of the monsoon winds and accumulated navigational knowledge.
She explained that Omani-Chinese relations have passed through successive historical phases, from commercial contact in the various Islamic eras to formal institutional relations in the modern era. She traced this evolution as follows:
Eighth and ninth centuries AD: This period was marked by active maritime trade between Omani and Chinese ports and the emergence of numerous voyages by Omani merchants to Chinese commercial centres.
Tenth to thirteenth centuries AD: Commercial activity in the Indian Ocean continued, with Sohar and later Qalhat emerging within regional and international networks of commodity exchange.
Fifteenth century AD: The Chinese navigator Zheng He organised a number of maritime voyages to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf region, confirming growing Chinese interest in the region's ports.
She added that Chinese diplomatic sources refer to numerous voyages made by Zheng He with his fleet to Oman, though the ports and routes of each voyage should be verified against primary sources. She noted that on May 25, 1978, formal diplomatic relations were established between Oman and China, with the joint communiqué signed in London providing for the exchange of ambassadors and the development of relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, sovereignty and common interests. In 1980, the Sohar sailed on a historic voyage from Muscat to Guangzhou, reviving the shared maritime memory of Oman and China and standing as a cultural symbol of contact between the two countries. In May 2018, the strategic partnership between Oman and China was announced on the fortieth anniversary of diplomatic relations, strengthening cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
She said that 2022 and subsequent years witnessed further cooperation within the framework of Chinese-Arab and Chinese-Gulf relations, with continued political meetings among these countries and the development of partnerships across various fields, including economy, investment, culture and education.
These milestones reveal a gradual transformation in Omani-Chinese relations from commercial activity driven by individual initiative and merchant and sailor networks to institutional cooperation founded on diplomatic relations, bilateral agreements and strategic partnerships.
She affirmed that the state visit of His Majesty to China carries historical and civilisational significance extending beyond its immediate political and economic dimensions.
It can be viewed within the long trajectory of sustained contact between Omani and Chinese civilisations — contact that began across seas, ports and markets, developed over the centuries and has culminated in a modern strategic partnership.
She added that, from a historical perspective, the visit expresses the continuity of relations between two countries bound by commercial interests and human interaction since ancient times. Where Omani ships once carried goods and knowledge to Chinese ports, relations today are conducted through diplomatic institutions, economic agreements and scientific and cultural cooperation.
From a civilisational perspective, the visit acquires particular importance as an opportunity to evoke the shared legacy of the Maritime Silk Road, affirm the capacity of historical relations to keep pace with contemporary international transformations, and open broader horizons for cooperation in culture, research, education and technology, in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.
A further dimension of the visit lies in the continuity of Oman's diplomatic approach, founded on dialogue, mutual respect and partnership-building with countries around the world — principles consistent with the foundations of Omani-Chinese diplomatic relations since 1978 and their development within the strategic partnership announced in 2018.
She explained that the deeper significance of the visit is that Omani-Chinese relations are founded not only on cooperation between two states with present-day interests in common but are an extension of a shared civilisational history capable of renewing itself over time and moving from the sails of ancient merchant ships to the horizons of contemporary strategic partnership. Hence the importance of channelling this rapprochement into joint cultural and scientific projects that preserve the memory of the past and open new paths of cooperation and understanding between the two friendly peoples for generations to come.
She affirmed that Omani-Chinese history offers an important model of how maritime geography and commercial activity can be transformed into bridges of civilisational contact and then evolve into diplomatic relations and strategic partnerships.
If ports and ships built the bridges of contact in the past, universities, research centres and cultural institutions are today capable of serving as the new bridges that take these relations to a deeper and more sustainable stage. - ONA
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