The 5^th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and the 10^th Dunhuang Tour--Silk Road International Tourism Festival were held in Dunhuang on September 24^th. They were organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, National Radio and Television Administration, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and Gansu People’s Government.

    Huang Kunming, member of the political bureau of the CPC central committee, member of the secretariat of the CPC central committee, and the minister of publicity, gave a speech online. Yin Hong, secretary of Gansu provincial party committee and the standing committee of the provincial people’s congress, and Zhang Xu, vice minister of culture and tourism, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Shahbaz Khan, representative of the UNESCO in China, delivered a speech. State Councilor and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of ROK, culture minister of Belarus, culture minister of Russia and Zhu Shanzhong, executive director of the UNWTO, delivered speeches online. The opening ceremony and the summit were hosted by Ren Zhenhe, governor of Gansu province and deputy secretary of Gansu provincial party committee.

    Attendees of the opening ceremony and the summit were Li Yufu, deputy director of the culture and history study committee of the national CPPCC, Wang Xudong, member of the leading party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and curator of the Palace Museum, Cui Li, vice chairman of the committee on good neighbourhood, friendship and cooperation of the SCO, Wang Linggui, deputy president and member of the leading party member of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Li Huilai, vice president of Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, Liu Jiayi, deputy director of culture and history study committee of the national CPPCC, Xu Ning, vice president of the CPPCC of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yao Xiaodong, vice president of the CPPCC of Jiangsu province, Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand ambassador to China, and his wife, ROK’s consul general in Xi’an, Belarus’ general consul in Chongqing, Cambodia’s general consul in Xi’an as well as main people in charge of Gensu’s provincial party committee, government and CPPCC. In addition, there were also foreign guests from 4 international organizations and 9 countries, including the host country ROK as well as 298 guests from 8 provinces, districts and cities, 10 relating national ministries and commissions, Hong Kong and Macao. After the opening ceremony, heads of governments and organizations and guests watched the art and cultural performance named “Meet in Dunhuang”.

    Multiple events were held during the expo and the festival. They were 3 forums, including Belt and Road Exchange and Cooperation Cultural Forum and Wuliang Cultural Forum, as well as 4 exhibitions, including Exhibition of ROK’s Cultural Tourism and Products Related to Cultural Innovation, To Find Dunhuang Globally--Reproduction Exhibition of Dunhuang Diaspora Overseas Cultural Relics, the Exhibition of Cultural and Tourism Products along the Silk Road and Chang Shana Design Award Exhibition.