Summary: 　　The First Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo Opens at Dunhuang 　 　　On September 20th, jointly sponsored by the People’s Government of Gansu Province, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and

　　The First Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo Opens at Dunhuang

　

　　On September 20^th, jointly sponsored by the People’s Government of Gansu Province, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, China National Tourism Administration, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the first Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Culture Expo kicks off at Dunhuang.

　　Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong read the congratulatory letter sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Expo, and delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. The Secretary of Gansu Province and the director of the Standing Committee of Municipal People’s Congress Wang Sanyun made a speech. The Vice Secretary of Gansu Province and the Provincial People’s Government Governor Lin Duo host the ceremony.

　　

    With the theme of “Promoting Common Development with the Cooperative Spirit of Silk Road,” the Expo invited 569 representatives of 95 inernational delegations from 85 countries, and 5 international and regional organizations. 66 foreign institutions and 434 foreign guests attended the forums, annual exhibitions, and performances. 6 foreign leaders and former leaders gave speeches. At the same time, 1330 guests of 23 domestic delegations from 16 provinces, municipalities along the Silk Road, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions attended the expo. On the summit conference of the opening ceremony, Deputy of the French Senate, chariman of the Armed Forces Committee, and the chief of the French Government Jean-Pierre Raffarin, speaker of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Onsari Gharti Magar, the Second Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Muhammed Muhaqiq, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia Yim Chhay Ly, the Consultant of the Moroccan Royal Family André Azoulay, and the Executive Director for Technical Cooperation and Services at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zhu Shanzhong delivered speeches respectively.

　　

    The Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Exposition is the only national level platform taking the theme of cultural exchange and the international festival during the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　

    The First Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo aims at build the new platform for sharing cultural products, reinforcing the mechanism of the cultural coorperation and development, promoting mutual learning among civilizations and cooperative development, and enhancing the communication among counties along the Silk Road, in order to build the fate community through organizing forums, exhibitions, performances, and series activities. The expo set up a summit conference with 5 sub-forums and 5 customized forums for promoting the high-standard cultural communication and governmental cooperations among countires along the Silk Road, and contributing constructive insights and ideas. It also provides well-planned annual cultural exhibitions of more than 8000 objects from over 60 countries to exhibit the achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has attracted worldly attentions and exerts impressive and significant international influences. The Expo provides performances such as the 2016 Flowers and Rains of the Silk Road, along with other prominent art programs about the Silk Road for the audiences. 72 series activities that will be held by Dunhuang and other regions of the province in the future will further enrich the activities of the Dunhuang International Culture Expo.

　　

   Based on the Silk Road spirit of “peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit” inherited and promoted by the expo, and the principle of building the spirit through consultant to meet the interests of all, Dunhuang International Cultural Expo signs the Dunhuang Declaration to announce the human civilizational value system that addresses diversity and coexistence, mutual learning and common progress, cooperation and mutual benefit,. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture will carry on multilateral talks with multinational cultural tourism sectors to explore new routes of working on the cultural communication towards the achivement of the fate community. Our province will sign up over 10 cooperation agreements with countries and international organizations concerned, while our province and regions concerned will sign up over 90 cooperation agreements about cultural industries with the amount of contracts totaled over 100 billion.

　　

A letter from Xi to the Expo

　　

   On the occasion of the opening of the First Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, I hereby, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in my own name, would like to extend warm congratulations on the Cultural Expo and express sincere welcome to all the distinguished guests and friends from different countries present at the Cultural Expo.

　　

   Over 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road connecting Asia with Europe served as an important bridge for friendly exchanges and civilization communications between the East and West. In the history, Dunhuang was the significant hub of cultural interactions between the East and West. Here different cultures converged and integrated, shaping the unique Dunhuang Culture with great charms. The history proves that mutual learning and common progress of all national cultures around the world are the basic features of human civilization as well as the driving force of its theme, the Cultural Expo will provide a significant platform for cooperation and interaction among the countries along the Silk Road. We should insist on diversity and coexistence, mutual learning and common progress, cooperation and mutual benefit, to strengthen cultural exchange, promote cultural equality, protect cultural heritage, enhance cultural innovation and reinforce cultural cooperation, to help more people enjoy the rich and colorful cultures created by the human beings, and to make the world a better place.

 

President of the People’s Republic of China: Xi Jinping