The first International Silk Road Week 2020 was held in Hangzhou from June 19 to June 24, 2020. The idea of Silk Road Week was conceived in 2019 during a meeting of the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles in partnership with Chinese Museums Association’s Committee of Museums.

Every year, within the week around June 22, museums and other cultural institutions are supposed to organize a variety of activities, including exhibitions, performances, reports, seminars etc, in celebration of the anniversary of the Silk Road (from Chang’an to the Tianshan Corridor) becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site on June 22, 2014. The theme of this year’s annual event is “The Silk Roads: Mutual Learning for Future Collaboration.”

The central events of the Silk Road Week this year are two exhibitions:  and  run from June 19 through August 23 at China National Silk Museum.

The first exhibition illustrates a history of academic studies of the Silk Road. In 138BC, Zhang Qian went westward to explore China’s west and opened up a trade route between the east and the west. In 1877, German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the Silk Road academically. In 2014 Silk Road became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between 128BC and 2014 AD is 2,152 years.

In response to the three historical events, the exhibition is composed of three sections, which examine the evolution of Silk Road in reality and in academic studies. The first part looks at the real trade routes and exchanges through these routes between the east and the west. The second part examines the Silk Road suggested by Ferdinand von Richthofen. The third part reviews the concept of the Silk Road as a world heritage site. There are hundreds of exhibits from museums and other cultural institutions across the world, including nearly 10 first-class cultural relics from museums of China.

At , each of the 20 objects on view from 20 different museums tells a story about the Silk Road.

“Academic study is the heart of Silk Road Week 2020,” emphasizes Zhao Feng, curator of China National Silk Museum. “Mutual learning is the fundamental part of the Silk Road spirit.”

In addition to the two exhibitions, there are some other events. China National Silk Museum is going to issue a report on the cultural heritage of the Silk Road for the year 2019. The Silk Road Week will see the launch of an international cooperation project on silk maps of the world. Initiated and directed by Chinese scholars, the project will be carried out in many countries. There will be a work shop for producers of theme exhibitions and academic studies on the Silk Road.

China National Silk Museum, in partnership with other museums, universities as well as internet celebrities, carries out a series of promotions online to go with the Silk Road Week events. Of these events,  presents the best views of the museum.  showcases how masters at seven museums in China repair and maintain precious objects in their respective collections.  is a short video series which one can view on two major platforms in China. The objects in this series are from 20 museums across the country.