Silk Road International Cultural Expo Opens in Dunhuang in China’s Gansu Province

Dunhuang: The 6th Silk Road International Cultural Expo commenced in Dunhuang in China’s Gansu Province on Wednesday, showcasing a series of exhibitions present cultural relics, artworks and merchandise that can be seen along the Belt and Road routes, official sources said.

Dunhuang is a major hub for the integration of multiple civilizations on the ancient Silk Road in northwest China’s Gansu Province.

Promoting the Silk Road spirit of connectivity and cooperation, the theme for 2023 expo is titled “Connecting the World, Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations,”.

Turkmenistan is the Guest of Honor of 2023 Silk Road International Cultural Expo, a platform to showcase the efforts to promote the Global Civilization Initiative, and accelerate extensive international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

The two-day event aims to explore the essence of the Silk Road culture, further develop people-to-people exchanges, and consider how best to preserve the region’s varied cultural heritages and traditions.

Some 1,200 delegates from over 50 countries, regions and international organizations attended the expo.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Right after the opening ceremony, a major forum discussion addressing the “global significance of Dunhuang studies” was held on Wednesday.

More than 100 international experts from countries such as Russia, the US, the UK and South Korea addressed 13 conferences along the expo.

The China-Central Asia and ASEAN Development Cooperation Forum will be held on Thursday to cover agendas such as China-Uzbekistan’s cultural and educational cooperation, China and Tajikistan’s mutual sharing in the technological field as well as the strategic overseas development of Chinese enterprises in the Singaporean market.

Talking to local media, Ma Xiaojie, an expert from Lanzhou University while attending the forum said “BRI has become a popular global public product and international cooperation platform,” and with a decade of development “win-win cooperation” has manifested in areas such as “policy exchanges,” “road connectivity” and “trade” between China and Central Asian countries, as well as China and ASEAN countries.

The expo also marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting cultural and common heritage of humankind.

The delegates from local and foreign lands, expressed their commitment to respecting the diversity of civilizations and pursuing common development through openness and mutual learning.

“Mr. Zamir Awan, a sinologist from Pakistan, stressed the need for advancing international cooperation on cultural heritage in areas such as research into ancient civilizations, joint archaeological projects, ancient relic restoration and museum construction”.

Zhao Shengliang, secretary of the CPC Committee of #Dunhuang Academy, said, “As we have access to many digital resources, we can leverage them to create videos and animations. We also make cultural and creative products explaining Dunhuang culture in popular and easily understandable language, as well as develop products that showcase Dunhuang’s art and distinctive features. This is what I call innovative development, and that’s what we should focus on making more promotion efforts so that more people can fall in love with Dunhuang.”

Following the charms of Silk Road, the Shazhou Night Market in #Dunhuang came alive. From traditional stalls to various snacks, every corner was filled with life and cultural rhythm of Silk Road. Visitors were seen wander through and experiencing the bustling vibes of Silk Road in #Dunhuang.

Amplifying the global significance of the ancient Silk Road, the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo was launched in 2016, focusing on international cultural exchanges among BRI countries.