A motorcade carrying nearly 80 people from China and Thailand will depart from Altay, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on Monday, kicking off a cultural exchange trip marking 40 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The motorcade will drive through five provinces/regions in China including Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and enter Thailand via Laos. A celebration ceremony will be held in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, on Dec. 13 before the motorcade finishes the trip and returns to China.

The trip is expected to last 37 days covering a total length more than 7,000 km. Multiple cultural events will be staged during the activity, journalists and visitors from both countries will visit cultural heritage sites, industrial landscapes, temples and destinations with ethnic characteristics.

Zhang Aiping, vice president of China International Culture Association said the trip is expected to promote cultural and tourism ties between China and Thailand and to promote cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road.

Sugree Sithivanich, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said he expected the trip to further promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

The event is jointly hosted by China International Culture Association, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai-Chinese Cultural & Relationship Council and supported by China Association of Automobile Culture.