Since President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, which includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in 2013, more than 60 countries along the ancient trade routes have echoed the initiative and worked out their own strategies to push forward its implementation.

The ancient Silk Road is not only a trade route but also a road of friendship that promoted cultural exchanges and shared knowledge among civilizations, said top legislator Zhang Dejiang in May.

This year, China will host the first International Cooperation Summit Forum on the Belt and Road Initiative, which Xi said will offer a platform for the countries to conduct candid exchanges and bring together their wisdom.

The event will support joint venture projects and inject vigor into the regional and global economies, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a seminar in December.

1. Yueya Spring in Dunhuang, Gansu province. The Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo was held in the city on Sept 20 and 21.

2. Children listen to music at an exhibition featuring the Silk Road at a subway station on Line 4 in Beijing in June.

3 People visit a stone materials store in Nan'an, Fujian province, in November. The city has sped up the transformation of its stone material industry by pushing forward projects in countries along the Belt and Road routes.

4. An exhibition featuring silk products is held at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in September. Nearly 200 silk artworks from overseas museums are on display.

6. People perform at a ceremony celebrating the Belt and Road initiative in Baishui county, Shaanxi province, in April. He, or harmony, was named the character of the year at the event.

7. People visit the Iran booth at the China (Shenzhen) International Culture Industries Fair in Guangdong province in May.

8. A performance is held at the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo on Sept 20.