The Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah Traverses China’s Cultural Landscape
H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi journeys through Fuzhou and Guangzhou, addressing students on knowledge, integrity and cross-cultural understanding while tracing ancient maritime connections between the Emirates and China.
The historic corridors of Fuzhou University recently welcomed a distinguished visitor when H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, addressed the institution’s students on the enduring value of learning and the bridges that knowledge builds between nations. Speaking with characteristic eloquence about the acceleration of ideas across borders, he encouraged the gathered scholars to embrace lifelong study, to cultivate strong character and to recognise that the future belongs not to those who await it passively, but to those who prepare for it with discipline, purpose and courage.
The Ruler’s remarks reflected a deeper truth about the contemporary relationship between the UAE and China. As trade routes that once moved slowly across deserts and seas now transmit ideas almost instantaneously, the connections between these two civilisations have only deepened. “Ideas, talent and knowledge now travel between our nations almost instantly,” H.H. Sheikh Saud observed, inviting Fuzhou’s students to become partners in shaping that shared future. “Knowledge brings authority, but wisdom requires character.”
Beyond the lecture hall, the visit unfolded across Fuzhou’s layered landscape of heritage and tradition. The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys cultural district, with its exquisitely preserved architecture, offered a tangible expression of how the past remains woven into the present. Nearby, the Zheng He Historical Relics Exhibition Hall stood as testament to the great maritime explorer whose voyages once bound distant shores together in a network of commerce and cultural exchange.
These landmarks carried particular resonance for the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. Beneath the sandy soil of the modern Emirate lies archaeological evidence of a centuries-old connection to these very Chinese trading traditions: artefacts from the 13th-century Yuan Dynasty, discovered in Ras Al Khaimah and documented by the Emirate’s Department of Antiquities, serve as silent witnesses to the merchants and mariners who once sailed the routes linking South China with Julfar, the ancient port that would eventually become Ras Al Khaimah.
The week-long delegation, which traversed the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, extended beyond ceremonial visits to encompass deeper human connections. In Guangzhou, H.H. Sheikh Saud met with three Emirati students pursuing their academic ambitions in China, among them Zayid Alkalbani at Jinan University and Maha Alketbi and Shaikha Alhebsi, both studying at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou). The conversations ranged across their academic experiences and future aspirations, underscoring the Ruler’s conviction that education remains fundamental to the Emirates’ continued advancement and prosperity.
These engagements, conducted in the presence of Her Excellency Mariam Alshamsi, UAE Consul General in Guangzhou, reflect a consistency of purpose: to strengthen the cultural and economic foundations upon which the UAE and China have built their partnership. The Maritime Silk Road, that great artery of historical exchange, continues to pulse with contemporary meaning, its ancient rhythms now matched by modern cooperation and mutual respect.
Source: WAM