The Symposium on China-Central Asia Silk Road Cultural Heritage Protection 2026 opened on September 22 at the Dunhuang Academy, China. The symposium is jointly hosted by the Dunhuang Academy and the Republican Inspectorate for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, and organized by the China-Kyrgyzstan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Cultural Heritage Conservation, with the Lanzhou University, the Gansu Provincial Museum, the Kyrgyz National University, and other institutions also participating. More than 70 experts and scholars from China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan gathered to discuss key issues ranging from the significance of the Silk Road, archaeological discoveries, cultural heritage protection and management, digital technology, to conservation materials and techniques.
The symposium provides an important forum for strengthening exchanges and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in cultural heritage protection and for promoting regional collaboration and innovation. Focusing on shared challenges and practical needs in protecting Silk Road cultural heritage, it seeks to promote the sharing of conservation approaches, research findings, and practical experience. Building on the work of the China–Kyrgyzstan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Cultural Heritage Conservation, the symposium is organized around seven themes: “New Advances in China–Central Asia Cultural Heritage Protection Research,” “Interpretation of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Silk Road and New Archaeological Discoveries,” “Civilizational Exchanges along the Silk Road and Their Contemporary Significance,” “Preventive Conservation and Scientific Management of Silk Road Cultural Heritage,” “Digitization of Silk Road Cultural Heritage and the Application of Modern Technologies,” “Research on Key Technologies for Silk Road Heritage Protection,” and “Research on Materials, Techniques, and Methods for Silk Road Cultural Heritage Protection.” Bringing together perspectives from different countries, institutions, and disciplines, the symposium seeks to contribute to the long-term protection of Silk Road cultural heritage and to greater exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.
During the symposium, participating experts and scholars signed the Dunhuang Initiative on Jointly Advancing the China–Central Asia Belt and Road Alliance for Scientific and Technological Innovation in Cultural Heritage Protection. Under the framework of the Global Civilization Initiative, the initiative calls for advancing the protection and transmission of cultural heritage and expanding international cultural and people-to-people exchanges. It also seeks to develop the China–Central Asia Belt and Road Alliance for Scientific and Technological Innovation in Cultural Heritage Protection into an important platform for preserving and passing on Silk Road cultural heritage, jointly advancing research into cutting-edge technologies, and promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.
Source: China Daily