Global diplomats visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, a county-level city in Jiuquan, Gansu province. [Photo/Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism]

As a key hub on the Silk Road and a core area of the Hexi Corridor's cultural heritage, Jiuquan has been enhancing cultural exchange with countries involved in the Belt and Road initiative as well as with China's Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other major cities

Efforts focus on festivals, tourism promotions, intangible cultural heritage events, and educational interactions.

In June 2024, 29 diplomats from 22 countries came to Dunhuang, visited the Mogao Grottoes and experienced local ICH crafts.

Cultural ties with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan deepened. In 2024, the dance drama A Thousand Arms and a Thousand Eyes was staged in Hong Kong, and student groups from Hong Kong and Macao toured Dunhuang. In 2025, Jiuquan's ICH were featured at an exhibition in Macao.

The 8th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo in 2025 set new records, with over 1,200 guests from 97 countries and eight international organizations. Jiuquan also launched international charter flights to Kuala Lumpur and Hanoi.

Jiuquan also promoted its cultural tourism in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in April 2026 through flash mobs, campus events, and brand trains. That same month, a teacher delegation from Uzbekistan visited Jiuquan Vocational Technical University for ICH workshops on Dunhuang murals, stone rubbing, and tie-dye.

Looking ahead, Jiuquan will continue to deepen people-to-people exchanges with BRI countries and promote living transmission of Silk Road culture.