THE ancient spirit of the Silk Road found renewed expression this week as Zimbabwe and China strengthened cultural diplomacy during the “Global Linking of Dunhuang Culture-Zimbabwe Session”, a hybrid engagement involving cultural experts, diplomats, academics and students.
Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding, said stronger cultural co-operation between Zimbabwe and China could unlock new opportunities in tourism, education, trade and people-to-people exchanges.
The dialogue aimed to deepen cultural ties between the two countries while exploring how lessons from China’s heritage preservation and tourism development — particularly in the historic Silk Road city of Dunhuang — could help Zimbabwe better harness the economic and cultural value of its own heritage sites such as Great Zimbabwe.
Addressing participants connected virtually and physically at the Embassy of China in Harare, Zhou praised the collaboration between the Foreign Affairs Office of Gansu Provincial People’s Government, Dunhuang Municipal People’s Government, Dunhuang Academy and the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe for organising what he described as meaningful cultural dialogue.
The engagement brought together representatives including Xu Yanli, director-general of the Foreign Affairs Office of Gansu Provincial People’s Government; Lu Yunzhao, executive vice-president of the Gansu People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Zhang Yuanlin, vice-president of Dunhuang Academy; Wei Jianpeng, curator of Dunhuang Academy and deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology; and Wang Dewen, deputy mayor of Dunhuang City.
In his keynote address, Zhou said cultural exchanges remained a vital pillar of the China-Zimbabwe relationship, adding that their diplomatic ties were established on April 18, 1980.
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He traced the historical relationship between the two nations to ancient trade routes linking East Africa and China, noting that Chinese porcelain excavated at Great Zimbabwe provides historical evidence of centuries-old commercial and cultural interactions.
“Though thousands of miles apart, China and Zimbabwe share common aspirations and uphold profound respect for cultural diversity,” Zhou said.
The ambassador described Dunhuang as “a shining pearl of the Silk Road,” embodying the values of peace, openness, co-operation, inclusiveness and mutual learning.
Located in China’s Gansu province, Dunhuang was historically one of the most important crossroads along the ancient Silk Road. The city is globally celebrated for the Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, a Unesco World Heritage Site containing centuries-old Buddhist murals, sculptures and manuscripts reflecting cultural influences from China, India, Persia and Central Asia.
Dunhuang’s cultural prestige evolved to a major tourism economy anchored on heritage preservation, artistic performances, desert tourism and digital exhibitions.
The city attracts millions of visitors annually through destinations such as the Mogao Caves, Crescent Lake, Mingsha Mountain and Silk Road cultural festivals.
The event also highlighted opportunities for Zimbabwe to strengthen its cultural tourism strategy through lessons drawn from Dunhuang’s heritage management model.
Cultural analysts attending the dialogue said Zimbabwe possessed globally-significant heritage assets including Great Zimbabwe, Khami Ruins and Matobo Hills, but greater investment was needed in infrastructure, storytelling, conservation, digital tourism, museums, visitor experiences and surrounding community development.
Inspired by Dunhuang’s success, experts suggested that Zimbabwe can modernise visitor centres, improve roads and hospitality facilities around heritage sites, increase multilingual tour services, expand cultural festivals and integrate traditional music, dance and theatre into tourism experiences.
Zhou further noted that 2026 has been jointly designated by China and the African Union as the “China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges,” which is expected to deepen educational, cultural and youth co-operation across the continent.
He said more than 6 000 Zimbabwean officials and professionals benefited from Chinese-sponsored capacity-building programmes over the past decade.
The ambassador referenced the elevation of bilateral relations to an “All-Weather China-Zimbabwe Community with a Shared Future” following meetings between Presidents Xi Jinping and Emmerson Mnangagwa in Beijing last year.
Participants at the session reflected on how ancient civilisations continue to shape modern diplomacy, demonstrating that culture remains one of the most enduring bridges between nations.