Cultural symposium held in Pingyao

A symposium on the culture of Shanxi's merchants and the China-Mongolia-Russia Tea Road was held recently in Pingyao county, North China's Shanxi province. 

Based on the Belt and Road Initiative, the symposium aimed to explore, discover and integrate the historical and cultural resources of the China-Mongolia-Russia Tea Road, recount stories about the Shanxi merchants, as well as promote Shanxi's foreign economic and cultural exchanges. 

Officials said that another goal was to develop cultural tourism in Pingyao county and Jinzhong city, as well as to boost the cultural tourism reputation of Jinzhong city at home and abroad.

Developed between the 17th and the 20th centuries, the China-Mongolia-Russia Tea Road was an international trade route pioneered by Shanxi merchants. The 13,000-kilometer route linked over 200 cities across China, Mongolia, and Russia, and even extended to Europe. Pingyao county was once a vital trading city on the route.