The Sixth Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo opened in Dunhuang, Gansu province on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Sixth Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo opened in Dunhuang, Gansu province on Wednesday.

Themed Connecting the World, Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations, the two day event aims to explore the essence of the silk road culture, promote civilization exchanges and the preservation of cultural heritage. There are 13 sub-forums, exhibitions and cultural shows.

Hu Changsheng, Party secretary of Gansu, said the silk road, which dates back more than 2,000 years ago is a road for trade, civilization communication and building friendships.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has helped promote the culture of countries and regions participating in the initiative, strengthened communication and brought prosperity to the people, he said.

The BRI has become a highly favored international public product and cooperation platform and has achieved a series of political, economic and cultural outcomes, he said.

Dunhuang is a place where culture, ideas, religion, and art from different countries meet, and the unique Dunhuang culture and silk road spirit shows the continuity, originality, inclusiveness and peacefulness of Chinese culture, Hu said.

Exchanges and mutual learning bring diversity to civilization, he said. The host of the expo aims to further strengthen cultural exchanges and friendship among different countries and regions, so as to drive common development and prosperity, he added.