• Similar to the journey of the human beings starting from their mothers' wombs, or the long constantly evolutionary changes in the history of humanity, the Silk Road is a long trip that touches the very fundamental interactions within the human community. Since the concept of "Seidenstrassen" or "Silk Roads" was first popularized by the German geographer Ferdinand Paul Wilhelm, Baron von Richthofen in 1877, the term has already risen to become a beacon of European and Asian cultural interchange. In modern days, the ancient Silk Roads and its legacy can contribute new ways for mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between various civilizations and landscapes. 

As a strategic hub on the Silk Roads since ancient times, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province - Hangzhou is home to big fans of silk culture and oriental charm. This summer, this glamorous Chinese city is going to surprise us with a new spiritual feast themed on silk culture, which is called the "Silk Road Week" - an initiative proposed to preserve this "megaproject" created by ancient people and its legacy in areas of culture, trade, religion and so on. 

On May 13th Beijing Time, the press conference of "Silk Road Week (SRW)" was opened at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou. 

(Zhao Feng, Secretary-General of the Academic Committee of SRW)

According to the keynotes of Director Zhao Feng, also Secretary-General of the Academic Committee of SRW, the first SRW will be hosted from June 19 to June 24, 2020, in Hangzhou by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province. 

This year's theme - "The Silk Roads: Mutual Learning for Future Collaborations", takes its inspiration from the idea that the Silk Roads is a history of global civilization, and when we look back on past collaborations and how we have learned with, and from, each other, we see that this can help us promote mutual cooperation in the future. 

The birth of the "Silk Road Week" idea

(The theme of the 1st SRW)

(The logo of Silk Road Week)

According to Mr. Zhao, the idea for an annual SRW was first raised on June 21, 2019, when the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT) and the Chinese Museums Association’s Committee of Museums along the Silk Road jointly proposed the "Hangzhou Initiative for Dissemination and Promotion of the Silk Road Spirit", which aimed to better recognize and draw on the contents and value of the Silk Road, and to strengthen the protection of the Silk Road sites and relics. 

The plan for the SRW is that within the week around June 22 each year, museums and other institutions around the world organize activities, including exhibitions, performances, reports, seminars, etc, to mark and celebrate the anniversary of the Silk Road - from Chang'an to the Tianshan Corridor - becoming a UNESCO World Heritage location on June 22, 2014.

Events to be included in the 1st SRW

By working with partners throughout the world, the 1st SRW will host a series of activities and events, including two temporary exhibitions entitled "The Silk Roads: before and after Richthofen" and "Mutual Learning on the Silk Roads: Stories of the Silk Road Treasures"; the launch of "Annual Report of Silk Road Cultural Heritage 2019"; the official launch of "World Map of Silk Project" and a museum curator’s symposium. 

(Illustration of "World Map of Silk Project")

Taking the "World Map of Silk Project" as an example, according to Mr. Zhao, this "megaproject" will be similar to a giant and interactive database of users' online activities related to silk cultures on one hand, and a research platform for researchers of silk culture on the other hand. 

In addition to the theme activities, the 1st SRW will also organize associated activities, such as live streaming, short videos, poster relay, and so on, to make SRW an international festival and thus promote the Silk Road Spirit widely. 

Nowadays, we are faced with an interconnected but somehow divided world, linking far and different countries by commercial interests and cultural communication. Very interestingly, the fact that people want to build up a global village that fits all will lead us to a cultural rediscovery and renaissance of the Silk Roads. And perhaps, that's the significance of the birth of "Silk Road Week". 

For more details about the "Silk Road Week", please go to the official site at http://www.silkroadweek.com/cn

(Correspondent: Lou Hangyan)