Opening Ceremony of Silk Road Week 2023 (Photo/China National Silk Museum)

The sound of camel bells and the sight of oars have stretched for thousands of miles over thousands of years. The "Belt and Road" connects China and the world, history and the future, and is a path of win-win cooperation and common development between China and the world. This year marks the 10th anniversary of China's initiative to build the "Belt and Road" Initiative. Over the past ten years, the Belt and Road Initiative has borne fruit, and the scope and areas of cooperation have been deepening and expanding.

China's cultural heritage community carries forward the spirit of the Silk Road, and actively promotes the construction of the "Belt and Road". On July 12,  2023 Silk Road Week launched its opening ceremony at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou. This year's Silk Road Week was organized by the China Silk Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest). The theme is "Long Roads, Mutual Goals".

At the opening ceremony, official leaders, representatives of museums and cultural institutions, and curators all over the world either joined the opening ceremony on the site or delivered virtual speeches online. In the meantime, the "Silk Road Cultural Heritage Annual Report 2022" was released at the opening ceremony and the report was compiled by 21 experts in the field of cultural heritage from 6 countries. The annual report comprehensively recorded, sorted out and recommended the "Top 10" lists of archaeological discoveries, thematic exhibitions, academic achievements, and cultural events of the world's Silk Road cultural heritage in the year 2022.

Theme exhibition "Convergence of Civilizations: Dunhuang on the Silk Road" opened to the public at the same time. The exhibition breaks through the limitations of presenting mural art for the first time and innovatively showcases the ancient culture of the Dunhuang as well as the Zhejiang, the exhibitors of first-class cultural relics up to more than 30 pieces or sets, including many national treasures. It is worth mentioning that most of the cultural relics will be displayed in Zhejiang for the first time.

Poster of "Convergence of Civilizations: Dunhuang on the Silk Road” (Photo/China National Silk Museum)

It is expected that during the 2023 Silk Road Week, a series of exciting domestic and international linkage activities will be held. Since the "2023 Silk Road Week" warm-up activities started on June 27, heritage posters relay, heritage lighting Silk Road live, 100 museums and 100 objects video relay, Silk Road Week super koi and other series of activities are expected to carried out afterward. Nearly one hundred cultural and biological units take part in the linkage and a number of netizens participate enthusiastically. Up to now, the total reading volume of the topic "Silk Road Week" has reached 440 million, and the number of discussions has reached 41,000 times.

Long Roads, Mutual Goals. Equal exchanges, mutual learning and mutual appreciation among civilizations will provide powerful spiritual guidance for mankind to solve the problems of the times and achieve common development. The continuation of the Silk Road Week will further promote unity of purpose, mutual learning, mutual appreciation and win-win cooperation among regional civilizations along the Silk Road, making the Silk Road a road of mutual respect, mutual trust, win-win cooperation, and mutual appreciation of civilizations, and transforming the spirit of the Silk Road into a common spiritual treasure for the whole world. 

Translator: Yu Zhixin

Editor:Ye Ke