The Director of the China National Silk Museum, Dr.ZHAO Feng signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mr. Samariddin Mustafokulov, Director of Samarkand State Museum-Reserve of Uzbekistan on May 12, 2022.

The MOU, a first between the two museums, will last for five years. It stipulates the long-term exchanges of exhibitions of silk, textile, costume, and silk road related themes between two museums, and the first joint exhibition “Silk and Silk Road: From Hangzhou to Samarkand” will be held in June in Samarkand.

At the signing ceremony, Dr. ZHAO Feng first reviewed his two visits to the Samarkand State Museum in 2006 and 2008, especially the Afrasiab Mural Museum, as well as the research results of Chinese scholars on silk and clothing in mural paintings.

Afterwards, Mr. Samariddin Mustafokulov also expressed his heartfelt thanks to the China National Silk Museum and his great support for the cooperation offered by the China National Silk Museum. He also took this opportunity to congratulate the China National Silk Museum on its 30th anniversary. It is hoped that the signing of this memorandum will be another example of collaboration empowering museums.

The first term of the cooperation between the two parties includes the exchange of exhibitions: the Chinese side will introduce silk, textiles, clothing or themes related to the Silk Roads in the Samarkand National Museum. China will also introduce related exhibitions such as ethnic costumes from Uzbekistan. It is understood that the first exhibition in Ukraine “Silk and Silk Roads: From Hangzhou to Samarkand” is under active preparation. The Samarkand National Museum will also participate in the Silk Road Online Museum Project initiated by the China National Silk Museum.

The two museums reach an agreement of bilateral cooperation regarding the joint projects, academic and educational events, exchanges of staff and knowledge, etc.