The Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo assumes an important national mission under the Belt and Road Initiative as a strategic platform for cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.

The expo is sponsored by the Gansu provincial government, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the China National Tourism Administration, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, with assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 12 other organizations.

The hand-painted Silk Road in the Ming Dynasty
The expo underlines cultural exchange, cooperation and common development facilitated by the Silk Road spirit. Focusing on the theme of cultural exchange and cooperation, it will promote understanding between different peoples, and strive to become a high-end national cultural expo that will provide a major platform to facilitate exchanges and cooperation between China and countries along the Silk Road. It will also serve as an important window to showcase Chinese culture to the rest of the world, as well as a backbone in the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.

The first Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo is scheduled to open at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Dunhuang in September 2016.