新疆各民族文化始终扎根中华文明沃土，是中华文化不可分割的一部分。早在伊斯兰文化传入新疆之前，包括维吾尔族文化在内的新疆各民族文化已在中华文明沃土中枝繁叶茂。源自7世纪的阿拉伯文明体系的伊斯兰文化，直到9世纪末10世纪初，随着伊斯兰教传入西域才对新疆各民族文化发生影响。宗教对文化的影响，既有自愿接受的途径，也有通过文化冲突甚至宗教战争的强制方式。在新疆，伊斯兰教很大程度上是通过后一种方式进入，这导致佛教流行时期创造的新疆各民族文化艺术遭到严重破坏。伊斯兰文化传入新疆，新疆各民族文化既有抵制，更有选择性吸收和中国化改造，既没有改变属于中华文明的特质和走向，也没有改变属于中华文化一部分的客观事实。产生于9世纪至10世纪的英雄史诗《玛纳斯》，经过柯尔克孜歌手世代传唱与加工，成为享誉中外的文学巨著。15世纪前后，蒙古族卫拉特英雄史诗《江格尔》在新疆地区逐渐形成，与《玛纳斯》《格萨尔王传》一起被誉为中国少数民族3部最著名的史诗。维吾尔族文学佳作纷呈，代表作《福乐智慧》《真理的入门》《突厥语大词典》《十二木卡姆》等，都成为中华文化宝库中的珍品，新疆各民族对中华文化的形成和发展都作出了贡献。

　　The ethnic cultures in Xinjiang always have their roots in the fertile soil of Chinese civilization and make up an inseparable part of Chinese culture. Well before Islamic culture spread into Xinjiang, all ethnic cultures in the region, including the Uygur culture, had prospered in the fertile soil of China’s civilization. It was not until the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries, when Islam spread into the region, that the Islamic culture of the Arab civilization – which dates back to the 7th century – began to exert an influence on ethnic cultures in Xinjiang.

　　Religion can exert an influence on culture in two ways: willing acceptance, and forced acceptance through cultural conflict or even religious wars. In the case of Xinjiang, Islam entered mainly through the latter. This caused serious damage to the cultures and arts of the various ethnic groups in Xinjiang created in earlier periods when Buddhism was popular in the region. As to the incoming Islamic culture, the ethnic cultures in Xinjiang both resisted and assimilated it in a selective manner, and adapted it to China’s realities. This did not alter the fact that ethnic cultures in Xinjiang were ingrained with Chinese features, nor did it halt the flow of local cultures into Chinese civilization, or change the fact that they were part of Chinese culture. The epic Manas, which originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, became a literary masterpiece well-known in and outside China, thanks to performances and adaptation by Kirgiz singers. Around the 15th century, the epic Jangar of the Oirat Mongols gradually took shape in Xinjiang. These two epics, together with Life of King Gesar, are regarded as the three most renowned epics of China’s ethnic minority groups. Uygur literature has given birth to a galaxy of excellent works, including KutadguBilig (Wisdom of Fortune and Joy), Atebetu’lHakayik (A Guide to Truth), A Comprehensive Dictionary of Turkic Languages, and Twelve Muqams, all of which are treasures of Chinese culture. They represent the enormous contribution that ethnic groups in Xinjiang have made to the formation and development of Chinese culture.

　中华文化认同是新疆各民族文化繁荣发展之基。历史上，凡是中央王朝对新疆进行有效治理、社会稳定的时期，新疆各民族文化和中原文化的交流交融就畅通，经济文化就繁荣兴旺；凡是新疆各民族文化秉承中华文化崇仁爱、重民本、守诚信、讲辩证、尚和合、求大同的思想，对多元文化吸收融合、兼收并蓄，多元一体的特征就越明显，新疆各民族文化就越进步。新疆各民族文化要繁荣发展，必须与时俱进，树立开放、包容理念，坚持与中华各民族文化交流融合，与世界多民族文化交流互鉴，建设各民族共有精神家园。

　　Having a stronger sense of identity with Chinese culture is essential to the prosperity and development of ethnic cultures in Xinjiang. Throughout history, whenever the central government exercised effective governance over Xinjiang and the society of the region was stable, exchanges and communication between ethnic cultures in Xinjiang and the culture of the Central Plains ran smoothly, and the economy and culture of Xinjiang flourished and grew prosperous. Whenever ethnic cultures in Xinjiang assimilated, integrated and accommodated the diverse culture of the Central Plains, including the concepts of benevolence, people-orientation, integrity, sound reasoning, harmony and unity, diversity and integration of Xinjiang ethnic cultures were more apparent, and these cultures could make more progress. For the ethnic cultures in Xinjiang to prosper and develop they must keep pace with the times, be open and inclusive, engage in exchange and integration with other ethnic cultures in China and mutual learning with other ethnic cultures throughout the world, and play their role in fostering a shared spiritual home for all China’s ethnic groups.