Supported by UNESCO, The Silk Road Week (SRW), an annual cultural event first introduced at the China National Silk Museum (CNSM) in 2020 and organized by the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles and the Chinese Museums Association's Committee of Museums along the Silk Road, aims at engaging the public and academics to get into the deep of the Silk Road and the cultural and social legacy of silk culture and cultural exchanges from the ancient times till now on. 

From June 17 to June 23, the third SRW will open in Hangzhou, the capital city of East China's Zhejiang Province, representatives from CNSM at a briefing meeting on Friday. 

The theme post of 3rd Silk Road Week (Photo/China National Silk Museum)

The theme of this year is called "The Silk Roads: National integration and common prosperity", for which the primary aim of the 3rd SRM is to highlight the ethnic diversity of China and countries along the Silk Road, said Zhao Feng, secretary-general of the Silk Road Week Academic Committee and director of the museum.

"We hope to further foster the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit and help countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to achieve common prosperity through cultural exchanges," Zhao said at the briefing.

According to the organizers of the 3rd SRM - China's National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Zhejiang government, the 2022 SRM will bring a wide range of cultural activities to the public, including both the online and offline exhibitions, academic conferences, live-streaming, and immersive and interactive workshops. A promo event to introduce SRM to the primary and middle school students across China is set to run throughout June. 

An exhibition on "The Silk Roads in the 6th-8th Centuries" during the 3rd SRW (Photo/China National Silk Museum)

Moreover, Qinghai Province and the Republic of Uzbekistan will be the Guest Province of Honor and Guest Country of Honor for the 3rd SRM, respectively. The two guests will be the inaugural guests of honor for the weeklong event, during which cultural heritage, customs, and scientific studies of the Silk Road related to the two places will be showcased.

"Qinghai and Uzbekistan are traditionally among the most important regions along the Silk Road," Zhao said. "Using the guest of honor format, it is hoped that more countries and regions will be able to partake in the Silk Road spirit."

As scheduled, a series of activities, including exhibitions and lectures, will be held in Qinghai and in the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Tashkent. The closing ceremony will take place at the Qinghai Provincial Museum. 

China and Uzbekistan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on Jan 2. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the China Silk Museum, which was founded in Hangzhou in 1992. The largest silk museum in the world, the museum boasts a collection of nearly 70,000 items and hosts nearly two dozen domestic and international exhibitions every year.

Editor: Ye Ke