Silk Road expo explores international cultural exchanges

BEIJING, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily: 

The seventh Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo (SRDICE) held its opening ceremony on Saturday in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province, with the theme of "Implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, Deepening Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations".

Around this theme, the organizers planned 18 activities in five aspects, including the opening ceremony, Dunhuang Forum-themed events, cultural exhibitions, artistic performances and investment promotions, which attracted the attendance of more than 14,00 guests from around the globe.

As home to the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city used to be a key hub on the ancient Silk Road and one of the melting pots of culture.

With hundreds of Buddhist Grottoes dating from the fourth to the 14th centuries, the Mogao Grottoes are known for their exquisite murals and statues.

The opening ceremony was attended by leaders of the Communist Party of China. The keynote speech delivered China's propositions and positions on cultural exchanges with foreign countries, echoing the theme of the conference.

High-profile officials from countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and diplomats and representatives of international organizations delivered speeches to promote the spirit of the Silk Road and advance cultural exchanges.

At the opening ceremony, Chinese and foreign guests said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the beginning of another golden decade for BRI construction.

At this time, they expressed their hopes to promote the Silk Road spirit with cooperation, mutual learning and inclusiveness. They committed to facilitating high-level cultural exchanges and cooperation among countries and regions involved in the BRI.

The expo also hosted a high-level Dunhuang Forum covering seven topics of innovation and development in Dunhuang studies; innovative practices and international cooperation in intangible cultural heritage protection; the inheritance and modern performance of Dunhuang dance; literary expressions of Dunhuang culture; international youth dialogue on mutual learning; cooperation between China and Central and South Asia under the BRI; and the inheritance and development of Chinese culture. Those events helped business insiders delve deep into the essence of the Silk Road culture and build models for cultural heritage protection in the Dunhuang area.

From Friday to Tuesday, the expo offered exhibitions including the Dunhuang Academy's achievement exhibition; intangible culture and creative boutique exhibition; fine arts exhibition of the Silk Road and Dunhuang; as well as a Chinese-Uruguayan photography exhibition. The exhibitions showcased the protection and inheritance of Dunhuang cultural heritage, Gansu's cultural essence, intangible cultural heritage and creative artworks of calligraphy and photography.

Additionally, the expo featured large-scale performances such as the drama Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye, performance by the Opera Hong Kong, an international cultural exchange concert Meeting in Dunhuang and many more performances, which invited artists from the United States, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and other countries to tell the fascinating stories of the Silk Road.

The expo has become a significant platform to promote the joint efforts in the construction of the BRI. It has enhanced the influence of Chinese culture and built a community with a shared future for humanity, said He Xiaozu, deputy head of the Gansu province's culture and tourism department.

"SRDICE is building bridges for the cultural integration, ideological fusion and emotional communication of the people of countries and regions involved in the BRI, and injecting a profound power in human civilization. The organizers consider three objectives when holding the event: to better serve the BRI, to better showcase confidence in Chinese culture and to better empower economic and social development," He said.

Gansu, as one of the birthplaces of the Chinese civilization, possesses signature cultural resources and historical heritage. The hosting of the SRDICE is an important measure for Gansu to utilize its resources and promote the development of the cultural industry.

This SRDICE invited prestigious domestic entrepreneurs and travel agencies and provided them a cooperation platform for investment in the cultural tourism industry. The signing of key projects in fields such as transportation facilities, general aviation, car rental services, characteristic hotels, intangible cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries has provided impetus for the social development of the province.

At the forum about China's cooperation with Central and South Asia involved in BRI — which focused on economic cooperation, people-to-people connectivity, green and sustainable development — in-depth discussions were conducted under the framework of the BRI.

Through the hosting of such event like SRDICE, Gansu can not only showcase its cultural heritage and tourism attractions but introduces domestic and foreign tourists and investors. Such efforts have greatly boosted the economy, officials said.

The SRDICE, sponsored by the Gansu provincial government, was created under the Belt and Road Initiative. It has been held for six sessions since 2016. Over this period, more than 20 national leaders and international organization heads and more than 6,000 guests from 120 countries and regions have attended.

Content-rich forums, cultural exhibitions, artistic performances, investment promotions and a series of thematic activities have achieved fruitful political, cultural and economic results.

Representatives from international organizations such as UNESCO; the World Bank; the United Nations World Tourism Organization; officials from embassies in China; internationally renowned Sinologists and Dunhuang experts; as well as leaders of well-known cultural and tourism enterprises and institutions from home and abroad attended the expo.