On November 25, an expedition team set out from Wuxi, Jiangsu province on November 25 to travel along the Silk Road, in search of proof that Wuxi is the starting point of the Silk Road.

The journey, which will last eight days and cover five provinces, is also designed to play an active role in helping the Silk Road apply for UNESCO World Heritage status.

“It is generally accepted that Chang’n (today’s Xi’an, Shaanxi province) is the starting point of the Silk Road,” said Wu Bingwei, Executive vice Dean of Zhide Academy of Chinese Learning, Wuxi. “But it remains in question where the silks that went to the world came from, since Chang’an didn’t produce silk.”

Wu and some other scholars proposed a hypothesis that the silk came from Wuxi. “We think that Wuxi is the starting point of the Silk Road, and we will try to find proof on this journey,” said Wu.

Guo Zhan, vice President of International Council on Monuments and Sites, said that there are many versions about where the Silk Road starts and ends. He encouraged scholars and experts to conduct further research on the Silk Road, which could help protect and promote Silk Road cultures.

By Wang Gongyuan