In 2014, the trail entitled Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor was added to the list of World Heritage Sites, a joint application by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this milestone. Qin Han Museum of Shaanxi History Museum launched “Setting Out from Chang’an: Themed Exhibition Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Successful Application for World Heritage Status of the Silk Road”

The exhibition spans from the 2nd century BC to the 16th century AD, featuring a total of 33 heritage sites from China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It showcases the new research achievements and conservation efforts made over the past decade since the inscription. The exhibition comprehensively illustrates urban planning, commodity trade, and artistic life along the Silk Road during this historical period, vividly interpreting the remarkable contributions of this millennia-old trade route to the development of human civilization.

Highlights of the exhibition

Many cities and towns along the Silk Road have made contributions to the maintenance of the Silk Road and the exchange of East and West cultures at different historical periods.

The exhibit showcases a total of 13 pieces (sets) of cultural relics from Kazakhstan, including glazed pottery bowls and pottery jars with altars unearthed from the Karaaliyk and Taldyrgan archaeological sites, representing the commercial and religious culture of the Silk Road in Central Asia.

The exhibits of China mainly originate from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Gansu Province, Shaanxi Province, and Henan Province. The representative items are bamboo slips of the Han Dynasty, stone cave statues of the Wei and Jin Dynasties; tri-color pottery, buddhist scriptures, pagoda-shaped jars, and silk paintings featuring Fuxi and Nuwa of the Tang Dynasty.

For the first time, the exhibition displays a collection of pagoda-shaped jars unearthed from Tang Dynasty tombs that used to be preserved in the Shaanxi Historical Museum. The jars are brightly colored and diverse in shape, and they combine with ancient Chinese funerary culture, showcasing the sinicization of Indian stupa.

In 2007, China and the five Central Asian countries officially began nominating the Silk Road as a UNESCO World Heritage site. On June 22, 2014, the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee announced that "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor", a joint nomination by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, was successfully included on the list of World Heritage Sites.

 Venue：

Temporary Exhibition Hall

Qin Han Museum of the Shaanxi History Museum