The China National Silk Museum (NSM) has proposed the “Silk Road Week” (SRW) to take place in Hangzhou, China from 19 - 25 June, 2020. Earlier this month, the plan was released in public on several occasions, such as the Second Executive Council Meeting of the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road on December 4, the International Silk Union Members Assembly on December 5 and the Annual Meeting of the Chinese Museums Association’s Committee of Museums along the Silk Road on December 6, and very enthusiastic responses were received.

The idea for a “Silk Road Week” was first raised on June 21, 2019, when the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT) and the Chinese Museums Association’s Committee of Museums along the Silk Road jointly proposed the “Hangzhou Initiative for Dissemination and Promotion of the Silk Road Spirit”, which aimed to better tap and recognize the contents and value of the Silk Road, and to strengthen the protection of the Silk Road sites and relics. 

The plan for the “Silk Road Week” is that within the week around June 22 each year, museums and other institutions organize activities, including exhibitions, performances, reports, seminars etc, to mark and celebrate the anniversary of the Silk Road - from Chang’an to the Tianshan Corridor - becoming a World Heritage location on the UNESCO list on June 22, 2014.

The NSM’s plans for the first “Silk Road Week” in Hangzhou next year include the following activities:

 The "2019 Report of Cultural Heritage on the Silk Road" - this will give a summary and chronicle of events of 2019, including Silk Road exhibitions, archaeological discoveries, publications and research achievements. 

 A themed exhibition titled "The Past and Present of the Silk Road", which will introduce to the public from a new perspective historical communications between East and West, the seven trips of Ferdinand von Richthofen in China, the five expeditions of UNESCO to the Silk Road, and the process by which the Silk Road was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

 An Invitation exhibition of historical relics: NSM will invite several museums along the Silk Road to present one historical relic from each collection and tell the fascinating stories behind the selected pieces. 

 An International Seminar of the Silk Road and a forum of Silk Road curators, which will offer an excellent opportunity for curators from all over the world who have previously curated exhibitions on topics related to the Silk Road to communicate and exchange ideas.

 Associated activities along the Silk Road: we welcome every institution along the Silk Road to devise and organize activities in the spirit of the “Silk Road Week”. As the global organizer, NSM will keep track of these activities and present information about them to the public.

In order to better promote world-wide intercultural dialogue during the “Silk Road Week”, NSM calls on all museums and institutions to organize Silk Road-themed activities and to participate actively in the Silk Road Week. If you are interested, please contact us for more information. We look forward to your active participation and valuable suggestions.

Contact:

Delphine LI 

Department of International Exchanges

China National Silk Museum

Tel: +86-571-87153732  

Mobile: +86-18616767762

Email: lijinfang@cnsilkmuseum.org

Add: 73-1 Yuhuangshan Road, Hangzhou, China