The second Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, held in September 2017, garnered worldwide attention. Featuring a high-level forum and four sub-forums, the event brought together over 400 guests from China and abroad for in-depth discussions on the significance, characteristics, and pathways of cultural exchange and mutual learning.

Guests at the 2nd Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, held from Sept 20 to 21, 2017 in Dunhuang, Gansu province [Photo provided to silkroadexpo.gogansu.com]

Experts and scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds and disciplines shared valuable insights, contributing to the advancement of cross-civilization dialogue and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Dunhuang art school forum explored the past, present, and future of Dunhuang's artistic heritage. A key milestone was the global launch of the English version of the Digital Dunhuang resource platform, expanding access to the region's cultural treasures.

International industrial capacity cooperation remains a driving force behind the BRI. At the industrial park construction forum on international capacity cooperation, senior officials and representatives—including Hou Wei, director-general of the Cabinet Office of the President of Zimbabwe, and Samuel Atta Akyea, Ghana's Minister of Works and Housing—shared their experiences and perspectives, offering fresh insights into global capacity collaboration.

Guests at the 2nd Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo, held from Sept 20 to 21, 2017 in Dunhuang, Gansu province [Photo provided to silkroadexpo.gogansu.com]

The university presidents' forum focused on fostering partnerships to build world-class universities. Since 2016, Lanzhou University has actively promoted the Belt and Road University Alliance. By the following year, 23 new universities had joined, bringing the alliance's total membership to 149 institutions across 27 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America.

A major highlight of this year's expo was the Cultural and Creative Forum, which centered on collaborative cultural resource development and the expansion of creative industries among Silk Road countries. Ahmed Eiweida, World Bank's Global Coordinator for Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, and Marielza Oliveira, director of UNESCO's Beijing Office, discussed how leveraging the influence of global institutions could strengthen international cooperation in cultural and creative industries along the Silk Road.

A shared consensus emerged from the expo: the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo should continue to serve as a platform for deepening cultural cooperation and fostering people-to-people exchanges, ensuring that the BRI delivers lasting benefits to communities along its route.