EVENTS
Event Highlights
Webinar: The Silk Road - Romantic Adventures of the Land and the Sea
2021-02-26
The Silk Road - Romantic Adventures of the Land and the Sea webinar, organized by the Maritime Silk Road Society, was held on 26 February and 5 March. Ms Cheung Shin Yee, editor-in-chief and travel expert gave presentations to share her invaluable and unforgettable experience on the Silk Road. At the same time, participants learned about the culture and customs of the countries along the Silk Road region.
The first session of the webinar focused on what Ms Cheung saw and heard on the land route of the Silk Road. The Silk Road started from Xi'an, but there have been different opinions on the destination of the journey. Most of the claims use Rome as the end point. Ms Cheung thought that the Silk Road route is complex and it is difficult to generalize where the destination is. In addition, Ms Cheung believed that understanding Islamic culture is an important part of appreciating the Silk Road as there are large number of Islamic followers along the territories west of Yumen-Pass. In fact, from northwest China to Central Asia and the Middle East countries, there is endless scenery of Islamic culture along the way.
The second session began with the introduction of Quanzhou, which was the largest port in the world during the Song and Yuan dynasties despite its small size. Many people knew that in the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He's voyages to the Western Sea were considered the origin of the Maritime Silk Road. Ms Cheung however raised the following questions: Where was the Western Ocean? What role did the people of South Asia and West Asia play at that time? What did Zheng He use as positioning tools to find West Asia and South Asia at that time? Ms Cheung tried to resolve the above questions with reference to her experience and information throughout her various journeys. In addition, Ms Cheung also shared anecdotes about her travels in South America, hoping to arouse the audience's interest in this vast continent.
In conclusion, Ms Cheung believed that Silk Road journey can broaden one's horizons and advised to set aside one’s prejudice in order to have a memorable and meaningful experience.
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