BEIJING: Celebrating the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of the ancient Silk Road trade corridor as a World Heritage site, an ongoing exhibition in Shaanxi province, Northwest China, showcases significant conservation achievements along this historic route.
In January 2013, China, along with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, jointly applied for UNESCO status for an 8,700-kilometre stretch of the ancient road from Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an) to Central Asia. This “Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor” was successfully inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in June 2014. The current exhibition at Shaanxi History Museum’s Qin-Han Hall marks a decade since this milestone.
Yue Minjing, the curator of the exhibition, which runs until 18th November, emphasised the corridor’s significance in showcasing 33 representative sites in the three countries and the communication and exchanges among them from the 2nd century BC to the 16th century.
According to China Daily, more than 330 artefac
ts from archaeological sites and museums in China and Kazakhstan are on display, offering insights into ancient city layouts, religious beliefs, commercial trade and artistic pursuits along the Silk Road.
Many of the exhibits bear an eloquent testimony to the cultural exchanges that took place along the route, Yue said.
For example, a bowl with linked-pearl patterns from the Talgar Site in Kazakhstan, dating back to the 13th or 14th century, is on display. Similar patterns have been found on many Tang Dynasty (618-907) gold and silverware unearthed in China, she said.
Among the artefacts on display are some Tang Dynasty pagoda-style jars, which indicate the spread of Buddhism in China. These were mostly brought out from the storehouse of the Shaanxi History Museum, and many are on public display for the first time.
The 33 sites along the heritage route are classified into five categories – central towns, relics of transportation and defence, trade settlements, religious buildings, and a tomb of Han Dynast
y (206 BC-AD 220) imperial envoy Zhang Qian in Hanzhong, Shaanxi.
Hou Ningbin, Director of the Shaanxi History Museum, noted that UNESCO recognition has bolstered efforts to protect cultural heritage, promote archaeological discoveries, and enhance public awareness through educational initiatives since 2014.
Source: Emirates News Agency
