Telling the Stories and Spreading the Spirit of the Silk Road

The Fourth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony was held in Kuqa, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 28, 2025. (Photo/People's Daily)

The Fourth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony was held in Kuqa, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 28, 2025. At the event, 11 individuals and groups across the world received the honorary tiles of "Ambassador of Silk Road Friendship". Together with ambassadors granted in the previous ceremonies and individuals interested in the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), they shared heartfelt stories of their involvement in BRI and cultural exchanges.

The stories highlight the preservation of human civilization. Andrei Chevelev, a UNESCO expert, has deep ties of friendship with China. His grandfather was a Soviet chemist who came to China to assist in the development of the pharmaceutical industry. After joining the UN, Chevelev actively promoted the inscription of the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" project on the World Heritage List, turning the Silk Road into a bridge for civilizational dialogue. In 2024, he was awarded the "Chinese Government Friendship Award." In recent years, Xinjiang has intensified its efforts to “bring in” international friends and investment while encouraging the people and enterprises of Xinjiang to “go global”, aiming to enhance their understanding and awareness of Xinjiang and supporting the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

The stories also reflect the deepening of civilizational exchanges. Ignacio de la Rasilla, a Spanish scholar of international law, came to China with a passion for the concept of a "Community with a Shared Future for Mankind", actively promoting exchanges between Chinese and international legal scholars. Ameen Muneer Mohammed Al-Obaidi, an Iraqi journalist, came to China with the ideal of promoting the mutual learning and exchange of civilizations, becoming a friendship ambassador between Iraq and China and conveying the voice of cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road.

The Fourth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony was held in Kuqa, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 28, 2025. During the ceremony, there were several artistic performances including the award-winning folk dance from the 14th China Dance "Lotus Award", titled "Grandfather's Samovar", and local folk songs, such as "A Glass of Fine Wine" and "Unforgettable". (Photo/People's Daily)

The stories underscore the sharing of development opportunities. Wendy Kasambi Kagendo of Kenya, under the guidance of "Chinese mentors", became one of the first female locomotive drivers in Kenya and later transitioned to a railway dispatcher, contributing to the safe operation of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Taghiyev Asaf is from Azerbaijan and studied in China. After the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, he facilitated the implementation of cooperation projects worth billions of yuan as the representative of the Baku National Development Zone in China.

The stories contain many more instances of working together across mountains and seas. Jose Carlos Olivas Anguiano, a Mexican doctor, introduced Chinese medical technology which benefitted Mexican patients. Mohamed Jihad Mohamed Moustafa, an Egyptian youth, promoted China-Egypt cultural exchanges, sharing Chinese stories with more people. Chea Munyrith, a Cambodian scholar, promoted Chinese education and established the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researchers Association.

During the ceremony, there were several artistic performances including the award-winning folk dance from the 14th China Dance "Lotus Award", titled "Grandfather's Samovar", and local folk songs, such as "A Glass of Fine Wine" and "Unforgettable". The event also witnessed the launch of the "Silk Road Treasures: Thousands years story Qiuci" tourism route, the initiation of the construction of a self-drive tourism service system across Xinjiang, and the announcement of the results of the "Encountering Qiuci" Cultural and Creative Design Competition.