3rd Silk Road Week set for mid-June

The 2022 Silk Road Week will open in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on June 17 and run until June 23, the China National Silk Museum said in a news briefing on Friday.

Themed "The Silk Roads: National integration and common prosperity", this year's event aims 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.

Hosted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Zhejiang government, the 2022 Silk Road Week will feature online and offline exhibitions, academic conferences, livestreaming and immersive and interactive workshops for the public. A campaign to introduce Silk Road culture to primary and middle school students across China will run throughout June.

A new initiative for the 2022 Silk Road Week is the introduction of a Guest Province of Honor and Guest Country of Honor. Qinghai province and the Republic of Uzbekistan 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 thee 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."

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 this time, unlike the previous two years, when it was held at the China National Silk Museum.

Supported by UNSECO, Silk Road Week is an annual event that was first unveiled at the China National Silk Museum in 2020. It is 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.

The themes for 2020 and 2021 are "The Silk Roads: Mutual learning for future collaborations" and "Cultural diversity and sustainable development".

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.