Several models wearing Han Chinese clothes put on an exhibition at  the first Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo.

Over a thousand years ago, Dunhuang, Gansu Province, was a strategic location and important commercial port. On Sept. 20, the first Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo (SRDICE) was held. People from more than 80 countries along the routes of the “Belt and Road” initiative gathered in Dunhuang and carried out various cultural exchanges.

The Dunhuang Cultural Exposition is a unique and comprehensive platform focused on the Belt and Road and international cultural exchanges. Around 1,500 participants from 86 countries and five international or regional organizations attended. The interest in the Belt and Road initiative can be gauged by the scale, level and the number of countries who attended the expo. In addition to international attendees, departments from China’s central and regional governments showed great enthusiasm for the Expo, and organized 23 delegations to attend.

Through forums, exhibitions, shows and a series of activities, the Expo aims to create cultural achievements, share new platforms, improve cultural cooperation, develop new mechanisms, boost mutual cultural learning, cooperation and development, promote communications among countries along the road and establish a community with a common destiny.  

During the Expo, the summit conference and sub-forums were set up to promote high-level cultural exchanges and inter-governmental cooperation among the countries, and contribute wisdom and suggestions. The annual cultural exhibition included 8,000 precious items from more than 60 countries on display, collectively showing the cultural achievements of the Belt and Road. The dance drama Silk Road and Flower Rain and other plays further enriched the audience’s experience.

The SRDICE inherits the spirit of the Silk Road “peace, cooperation, openness, inclusiveness, mutual learning and reference, mutual benefit and win-win results,” and insists on the principle of discussing, building and sharing together. The Dunhuang Declaration, a statement that included information on the development of human civilizations, was also announced during the expo.

The declaration is expected to play a significant role in preserving and protecting various countries’ historical and cultural heritage. It lays out methods to strengthen inter-governmental cultural exchanges, deepen various countries’ exchanges and cooperation on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and promote cultural trade and cultural industry cooperation.