On July 22, the “Belt and Road Museum International Conference: Win-Win Cooperation 2025” opened at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Jointly organized by the History Museum of Armenia, the Belt and Road Cultural Development Association and the Armenia Chinese Partnership Center, the event brought together 46 museums from Belt and Road countries including China, Iran and Georgia. Shi Ziqiang, deputy director of Henan Museum, led the delegation to attend the conference and related activities.

During the conference, deputy director Shi delivered a keynote speech entitled “Bring Cultural Relics to Life, Taking ‘Museum Memories’ Home,” introducing Henan Museum’s innovative practices and notable achievements in advancing high-quality development of cultural heritage preservation. His presentation resonated widely with international museum colleagues. Henan Museum also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservations and the Belt and Road Cultural Development Association of Armenia. The three parties will deepen cooperation in joint exhibitions, academic research and talent exchanges.

On the morning of July 23, the cultural-creative exhibition “The Silk Heritage: Ancient China’s Echoes in Modern Threads,” co-hosted by Henan Museum and the Folk Art Museum of Armenia, opened at the latter’s exhibition venue. The exhibition showcases 29 carefully selected cultural products, among them silk scarves inspired by the bronze motifs in Henan Museum’s collection, Hanfu costumes faithfully reproduced from the Spring & Autumn, Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties, and traditional Chinese paintings featuring the nation’s artistic heritage. A highlight is a 1:1 replica of the Fu Hao Owl Zun, meticulously recreating the solemn grandeur of Central Plains bronzes. These works reinterpret China’s outstanding traditional culture through contemporary design, blending functionality with artistic value to offer visitors a transcendent cultural feast.

“Civilizations become richer through exchange and mutual learning.” Through this exhibition and related international exchanges in Armenia, mutual understanding has been deepened between the Chinese and Armenian peoples, while enabling wider dissemination and revitalization of Chinese civilization under the Belt and Road framework.