Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research Invited to Attend the "2023 National Journey to The West Cultural Carnival & 'Westward Silk Road · A Millennium Dialogue' Cultural Exchange Meeting"

This series of events was co-hosted by the China Research Society for Journey to The West (CRSJTW), the CPC Committee of Ganzhou District, Zhangye City, and the People's Government of Ganzhou District. It is a national cultural activity about the Journey to the West held amid the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping in order to better promote the cultural integration between the Journey to The West and the Silk Road as well as the cultural tourism industry in regions along the Westward Silk Road.

Opening Ceremony of 2023 National Journey to The West Cultural Carnival"

The opening ceremony of this event was held in the morning of July 14, attended by a total of more than 200 guests from government agencies, universities, research institutes, and cultural tourism industry entities in 13 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions including Gansu, Fujian, and Jiangsu, and Ganzhou District, Zhangye. An introductory video about Zhangye and Quanzhou was displayed on the scene, which introduced the beautiful natural scenery and unique cultural customs in the both cities, opening a dialogue between the Giant Buddha Temple in Ganzhou District, Zhangye, on the "Land Silk Road" and the Kaiyuan Temple in Licheng District, Quanzhou, on the "Maritime Silk Road" that spans a thousand years, and witnessing the Silk Road to bring back the glory of mutual learning among civilizations in the new era with the Journey to The West culture as a connection.

"Opening Ceremony of 2023 National Journey to The West Cultural Carnival"

The "Opening Ceremony of the 2023 National Journey to the West Cultural Carnival" was jointly unveiled by ZHANG Bo, former Deputy Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration and General Counsel of the China Research Society for Journey to The West, WANG Shichang, former Deputy Head of China National Traditional Orchestra and Counsel of the China Research Society for Journey to The West, QI Lianzhong, Vice Chairman of the China Research Society for Journey to The West, LI Jiping, former Vice Chairman of Quanzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Consultant of the Cultural Tourism Development Expert Advisory Group in Licheng District, Quanzhou, LI Rui, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Ganzhou District, HUANG Huican, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Licheng District, and CAO Gaopeng, Deputy Director of Zhangye Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Bureau.

Unveiling of the "Opening Ceremony of the 2023 National Journey to The West Cultural Carnival"

In the follow-up keynote speech, Executive Vice President WANG Jiansong introduced the "Spatio-temporal Information Corridor Project for Cultural Tourism along the Westward Silk Road" to the guests. The Westward Silk Road Corridor Project, initiated by the China Research Society for Journey to The West, covers the Westward Silk Road Corridor fostered by the "Maritime Silk Road" and "Land Silk Road" economic belts by integrating the Journey to The West culture and the Silk Road culture. It transforms the academic research results into key cultural symbols that connect regions along the Westward Silk Road by excavating and sorting out the regional cultures along the Westward Silk Road, and clearly presents the cultural context and the interconnection with cultural tourism and other related industries by linking modern technological means with offline carrier nodes, which will effectively promote the transformation, upgrading and rapid development of the local economy.

Project introduction by Executive Vice President WANG Jiansong

The guests, WANG Kang, Director of the Research Institute of Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple Cultural Relics, and Mr. LI Jiping, former Vice Chairman of Quanzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Consultant of the Cultural Tourism Development Expert Advisory Group in Licheng District, Quanzhou, also delivered speeches titled "Zhangye on the Westward Silk Road" and "A World Heritage City - Quanzhou's Story about Westward Silk Road", respectively.

Speech by Director WANG Kang

Speech by Mr. LI Jiping

In the afternoon of July 14, the "Westward Silk Road · A Millennium Dialogue" cultural exchange meeting was held at Tianwei International Hotel in Ganzhou District, Zhangye. The event was attended by more than 100 experts, scholars, cultural workers, and cultural tourism practitioners from 13 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions including Beijing, Gansu, Fujian, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Shaanxi. With the theme of "Westward Silk Road · A Millennium Dialogue" and focusing on two well-known temples with a history of over one thousand years each on the Silk Road that have been closely and culturally related to the Journey to The West, namely Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple and Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple, this meeting explored and studied the fusion of the Journey to The West culture and the Silk Road culture, exerting a far-reaching influence on contemporary culture and related industries. At the meeting, several guests delivered their keynote speeches and discussed the cultural value, cultural communication, and industrial construction of the Westward Silk Road with experts, scholars, and representatives of the cultural tourism industry.

"Westward Silk Road · A Millennium Dialogue" Cultural Exchange Meeting

Group photo of participants

From July 15 to the morning of July 16, upon invitation of the organizer of the event, the TASA team and guests visited Zhangye Mati Temple, a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level, to survey the preservation of cultural relics, and to appreciate the fantastic spectacular cliff grottoes; entered world geopark Zhangye Qicai Danxia Scenic Area to survey the construction and planning of the 5A cultural tourism project; visited Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple to appreciate and exchange opinions on its historical and cultural evolution, ancient architectural features, collection of boutique cultural relics, westward journey cultural murals, and sculptural and engraving art, feeling the charm of Zhangye's cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, and natural heritage that have lasted thousands of years.

A Visit to Zhangye Mati Temple

A Visit to Zhangye Qicai Danxia Scenic Area

A Visit to Zhangye Giant Buddha Temple

On July 18, Executive Vice President WANG Jiansong, together with JIANG Huiyuan, Secretary General of the China Research Society for Journey to The West, proceeded to visit Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism for discussions and exchanges with LI Dianjun, Member of the Leading Party Group and Deputy Director-General of Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and other comrades in charge of the departments concerned.

Executive Vice President WANG Jiansong and the CRSJTW introduced business development in recent years to the relevant leaders and department heads of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the CRSJTW has organized people from all walks of life to gradually study the fusion of the Journey to The West culture and the Silk Road culture and to conduct in-depth research into the cultural tourism resources in relevant regions along the Westward Silk Road. With constant communications and exchanges with regional government authorities and the Westward Journey cultural industry and sufficient study and demonstration, the "Spatio-temporal Information Corridor Project for Cultural Tourism along the Westward Silk Road" has been initiated. Mr. WANG Jiansong is responsible for the overall planning and implementation of the project.

The comrades in charge of the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism introduced the work of cultural tourism in Gansu Province as well as the survey of cultural tourism resources currently underway to Mr. WANG and the delegation of the CRSJTW.

Through discussions, both parties had a preliminary understanding of each other’s work and fully exchanged their comments on the specific practices of promoting the implementation of the "Spatio-temporal Information Corridor Project for Cultural Tourism along the Westward Silk Road" in Gansu Province. Both parties hope to integrate their own resources in the follow-up work, give full play to their own resource strengths, and enhance the linkage with all regions along the Westward Silk Road in China and mutual exchange and learning, thus promoting the high-quality development of cultural tourism industry in Gansu and all other regions along the Westward Silk Road in China.

Symposium

This cultural exchange meeting and symposium have built a cooperation and exchange platform for the cultural tourism industry in regions along the Westward Silk Road, and provided a theoretical basis and laid a solid cultural foundation for advancing the development of the "Spatio-temporal Information Corridor Project for Cultural Tourism along the Westward Silk Road". In the future, the TASA will also earnestly learn, absorb and use the results of the events, dig deep into the valuable historical and cultural heritage left for Qingdao after the eminent monk Faxian undertook a westward pilgrimage to acquire Buddhist texts, and then landed at Laoshan Mountain, make efforts to incorporate the Laoshan Mountain into the "Spatio-temporal Information Corridor Project for Cultural Tourism along the Westward Silk Road" and link with regions along the Westward Silk Road in China, thus facilitating the integration of cultural tourism industry in Qingdao and striving to create a new pattern for cultural prosperity and development.