Boosting the “Belt and Road Initiative” and Cultivating “Silk Road Language and Art” Talents—An Analysis of the Ideas for Strengthening Aesthetic Education in Foreign Language Universities

Against the backdrop of the “Belt and Road” Initiative, the demand for “Silk Road Language and Art” interdisciplinary talents who are proficient in both foreign languages and art & culture has been constantly growing. These talents serve as an important carrier for people-to-people and cultural exchanges among countries along the “Belt and Road”, and their cultivation also puts forward new requirements for the educational reform of foreign language universities. Taking Beijing International Studies University as an example, this paper further supplements that foreign language universities should give full play to their advantages in foreign language disciplines, deeply integrate aesthetic education into the talent training system, and continuously optimize the implementation paths such as curriculum setting, art popularization, and international exchange platforms. This not only helps to improve students’ humanistic literacy and crosscultural communication capabilities but also enables foreign language universities to better assume the responsibility of serving the national “Belt and Road” development strategy and promoting the mutual learning of Chinese and foreign cultures.