• The attempt to revive Silk Route is to dig back into its past glories and historical achievements
• In the oasis city of Dunhuang, the ancient Mogao caves are being restored with special care
• The first International Expo will take place in the Dunhuang city in September 2016

The project of developing the Silk Route is neither spontaneous nor coincidental. It is a strategic scheme to keep the accusations that Beijing is enjoying the regional dominance owing to its financial stature, at bay. Analysts opined that it is China's way of sending a message that the One Belt One Road project is an extension of the peace treaties China had made with Asia and Europe in the ancient times. The new project is to honour that Silk Route which remained the connecting route of theirs for centuries. The Chinese are aiming at the revival of their agreements with Asia and Europe.

"The Silk Road has a shared legacy, for not only did it involve China, but many other countries including India, Russia, and Italy," said E. Jun, the director of the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu to The Hindu.

In fact, the museums have antics which remind us of India's Buddhist connect with China. The museum is under construction but the work is progressing at an extremely triumphant rate. A mega theatre is being built, a few miles away, in the area that falls under the Gobi desert. The scale of cultural infrastructure that is being developed is amazing. China's primary focus on culture and history is a sign that this is a way back to a "normal" economy. At least, that is what they seem to be aiming at.

Mr Wu pointed told The Hindu that the overall contribution of the "culture industry" to the total GDP of the city had already crossed the 55 per cent mark last year, and the figure is expected to rise, as plans to develop infrastructure take root.

However, the critics perceive the work going on to develop the Silk Route through these plans as "cultural overkill". They are saying that the attempts made by China to revive their cultural heritage by constructing new cultural sites will result in drawing in a flood of tourists to that particular area and the novelty of the Mogao caves will wear off.

-This article is compiled by a staff-writer at NewsGram.

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