The Exhibition of the Documentary Heritage on the Silk Road at UNESCO

The Exhibition of the Documentary Heritage on the Silk Road from the “16^th Century to the 20^th Centuries” was held from 4 to 14 December in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. This exhibition was organised by The  Historical Archives of China, with the support of the National Archives and Libraries of the Czech Republic; France, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Spain, Turkey, as well as UNESCO.

With the main objective to contribute to the culture of  peace, this exhibition showcased the elements of long lasting exchanges along the Silk Roads, and more particularly between China and the other regions between 16^th and 20^th Century.

The new era of maritime navigation along the Maritime Silk Roads began by the 16^th century, and resulted in direct contacts between East Asia and Europe. Consequently, wider cultural exchanges occurred between East-Asian regions and Europe. This exhibition displayed concrete elements of these interactions between China and other countries including official letters, scientific documents, gifts, etc., aiming to establish commercial and cultural exchanges.

The exhibition also showcased documents regarding the presence and activities of the western missionaries in the Chinese Imperial Court in the 17^th century in view of reinforcing exchanges between Europe and China. The originally copperplate maps that were presented by these missionaries to the Imperial Court of the Chinese Qing Dynasty in 17^th century, have been outstanding witnesses of the exchanges of knowledge between Europe and China, and were displayed in this exhibition.

Moreover, this exhibition presented documents testifying of the relationships between China and its neighbouring countries. For instance, the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty were displayed in this exhibition. These annals records the 472-year chronicles of the rulers of the Joseon Dynasty and are significant sources for the study of Korea, Japan, China, or Mongolia. “Journey to the West”, a Chinese novel of gods and spirits in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was another important component of this exhibition. This latter was published in the 16^th century  and narrates the stories of Monk Xuanzang and his disciples who went on a pilgrimage to India.

Together, with various historic and artistic elements, The Exhibition of the Documentary Heritage on the Silk Road revealed important documents of the exchanges existing along the Silk Roads between the 16^th and 20^th centuries.