The ancient Silk Road is like a ribbon, connecting ancient China with other countries in the world. It is through the Silk Road that Chinese sericulture, silk, tea, ceramics and the like spread to countries all over the world. Meanwhile, Central Asian horses and grapes, Indian Buddhism, music, method of sugar manufacture, and medicine, Western Asian musical instruments, gold and silver wares, astronomy, and mathematics, and various material culture and technology of Asian islands, European countries, and even the African continent were also imported into China, enabling the ancient Chinese civilization to be constantly updated and developed.

However, the factors that played decisive roles on the Silk Road are people. Whether they were envoys, merchants, herdsmen, sailors or priests who traveled along the Silk Road, or soldiers, officials, farmers, bailiffs at courier stations, monks who worked on the Silk Road, they were the true builders, guardians, and witnesses of the Silk Road. This exhibition tries to reshape the life along the Silk Road by concentrating on 13 individuals who lived at different times, had mixed nationalities, maintained diverse identities, and gained unlike life experiences. These people either legendary or ordinary. Their daily life and mundane experience unfolded the “great era” of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, and thus reproduced the time characteristics and the collision of cultures under different eras along the Silk Road through many perspectives. 

On 20th June, 2019, the exhibition Life along the Silk Road: 13 Stories during the Great Era held the opening ceremony in fashion gallery, NSM. Mr. Cheng Yuechong, deputy governor of People's Government of Zhejiang Province, Mr. Guan Qiang, deputy governor of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, and Mr. Mehrdad SHABAHAN, director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's online program, presented at the ceremonry and made speech.

On the ceremony, the International Center for Study of Intercultural Dialogue on the Silk Road and International Silk Institute was unveiled. Certificates of academic advisor was issued to Dr. Rong Xinjiang, professor of Peking University and Helen Wang from the British Museum.

During the ceremony, Hangzhou Initiative for Dissemination and Promotion of the Silk Road Spirit was announced as well. 

After the ribbon cut, guests were guidede to the exhibition gallery.