On May 18, 2017, the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road (IAMS) was established in Beijing. The International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road Initiative was signed, and "The Belt and Road" Academic Seminar for International Museums Cooperations was held.
On June 29, 2018, IAMS Secretariat was relocated to the National Museum of China. Dr. Wang Chunfa, Director of the National Museum of China, undertook the role of IAMS President.
On July 6, 2018, the adjusted Secretariat convened the first work meeting at the National Museum of China. It was agreed to have four Vice President units: Chinese Museums Association, China National Silk Museum, the Fujian Museum, and the Xi’an Tang West Market Museum; and determined the Secretary General.
From November 21, 2018 to August 22, 2019, the Fujian Museum hosted the exhibition Following the Footsteps of Great Overseas Chinese. Featuring documents, pictures and objects from the UK, France, Germany, the Philippines, etc, the exhibition collects typical stories to tell patriotic feelings of overseas Chinese towards their motherland. It also speaks of their unswerving spirit of self-perfection and an open, confident international image.
From November 23 to 26, 2018, the First Conference of the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road was held in Fujian, China. Over 30 museums and organizations from more than 20 countries and regions attended the conference. During the conference, the IAMS Statutes was endorsed, and the Framework Agreement on IAMS Exhibition Cooperation and the Memorandum on the IAMS First Conference were signed. The First Executive Council Meeting approved four new Vice President units, namely the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Museum of Myanmar (Yangon),and the National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia. The IAMS website was officially launched. ()
From December 14, 2018 to February 14, 2019, the exhibition Life in the Midst of Beauty. The World of a Chinese Scholar. Art from the National Museum of China was opened in National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia. The exhibition showcases 110 pieces (sets) of artifacts from the collection of the National Museum of China, including paintings, calligraphy, ceramics, jades, textiles, furniture, etc. These exhibited objects reflect the history and philosophy of Chinese literati, depicting their daily life, moral beliefs and aesthetics.
From April 11to 12, 2019, Global Museum Directors Forum was held at the National Museum of China, with the theme "Mission and Functions of National Museums along the Silk Road". 51 national museum directors or representatives from 24 countries and 73 heads or representatives from 37 domestic cultural institutions and UNESCO representatives attended the Forum. The National Museums Consensus was reached.
From April 11 to July 14, 2019, the National Museum of China and the national museums of 12 countries along the Belt and Road co-hosted the exhibition Sharing a Common Future: Exhibition of Treasures from National Museums along the Silk Road in Beijing, China. Organized into two parts "Land Silk Road" and "Maritime Silk Routes", the exhibition selects 234 pieces (sets) of historical objects from various periods and locations to offer a culture panorama of histories of countries along the Silk Road. It also demonstrates the rich and colorful exchanges among those countries.
From June 21 to September 8, 2019, the China National Silk Museum hosted the exhibition Life along the Silk Road: Little Stories during the Great Era. This exhibition tries to unfold the great era of the Silk Road by stories of 13 individuals who lived in different times, had mixed nationalities, maintained diverse identities, and gained unlike life experiences. These people reproduced the time characteristics and the collision of cultures under different eras along the Silk Road through many perspectives. To accompany the exhibition, "Curator's Forum Collaboration on the Silk Road Exhibition" was held from June 22 to 23. In different sessions, 25 curators from all over the world shared experience and practices of organizing Silk Road-related exhibitions in their keynote speeches.
From September 27 to October 9, 2019, the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan joined hands with Xi’an Tang West Market Museum in holding Silk Road Arts: Selected Paintings of Chang'an in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The exhibition showcases 60 oil paintings and Chinese ink paintings. Their work embodied modern painters' inheritance from traditional Chinese culture, capturing cultural characteristics and the spirit of the time. Before the exhibition opened, Kazakhstan sent 4 delegates to visit 6 museums in Xi'an, China for exchanges and training.
From December 2 to 6, 2019,the National Museum of China held professional exchange programme with four international Vice President units: the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Museum of Myanmar (Yangon),and the National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia. Professionals from the above institutions shared experiences in conservation and preservation, digitalized collection, acquisition, and the exhibition cooperation.
On December 4, 2019, the IAMS Second Executive Council Meeting was held at the National Museum of China. The Executive Council approved the change of the Secretary General, approved three new members to join the alliance, discussed and determined nine key work projects of the IAMS in 2020, signed the Memorandum on the IAMS Second Executive Council Meeting and witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Museum of China and National Museum in Belgrade and the two museum’s Letter of Intent on Exhibition Cooperation within the framework of the International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road.
From June 19 to 24, 2020, the "Silk Road Week 2020" was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Two IAMS Vice Presidents China National Silk Museum and the Xi’an Tang West Market Museum, and more than 200 cultural institutions participated in the event. The Annual Report of Silk Road Cultural Heritage 2019 was released for the first time. Two special exhibitions The Silk Roads: before and after Richthofen and Mutual Learning on the Silk Roads: Stories of the Silk Road Treasures were held during the event.
From August 30, 2020 to February, 2021, Exploring for Ingenuity: Fujian Traditional Crafts Exhibition opened at the National Museum of China. The exhibition systemically presents more than 200 pieces (sets) of artworks and crafts in various periods and mediums, mainly from the collection of the Fujian Museum, also includes more than 10 pieces of recent works by contemporary artists in Fujian, fully demonstrating the rich cultural heritage and connotations of the Fujian traditional craftsmanship.
From September 6 to 14, 2020, the livestreaming project "Treasure Hunt Relay: Global Museum Director's Choice" initiated by the National Museum of China held successfully.16 participated museums including the National Museum of China, State Historical Museum, Russia, National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein National Museum (IAMS members) and the British Museum, etc, showcased their cultural charm to the world through splendid online live broadcast, which enabled the global audience to feel the power of culture at home. More than 20 platforms provided live broadcast service to 200 million global audience who closely followed the project, and relative Weibo topics attracted more than190 million clicks.
In December, 2020, the IAMS Third Executive Council Meeting convened through online communication. The Second IAMS Conference was postponed to 2021. The Executive Council approved the change of the Secretary General and Vice President, approved two new members to join the alliance, signed the Memorandum on the IAMS Third Executive Council Meeting.
In February 2021, voted by the Executive Council through online communication, the Fiji Museum has been approved as a member of International Alliance of Museums of the Silk Road (IAMS). It is the first member from Oceania.
On November 17, 2021, the 2nd IAMS Conference and the 4th Executive Council Meeting was held via video link. Representatives of IAMS members delivered speeches on the theme “Digitization and Innovation: Museums in the Post-Pandemic Era”. The Executive Council approved 3 new members to join the alliance, including the National Public Museum of Antiquities of Algeria, the National Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions of Algeria and the Confucius Museum, China.
In November 2022, the IAMS Fifth Executive Council Meeting convened through online communication. The Executive Council approved the change of the Vice President, and approved The Department of Antiquities, Cyprus and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria to join the alliance.