European tourists set on bus tour to explore Silk Road

The "Cultural envoys walk the Silk Road" trip is one of the activities jointly organized by China Tours in Hamburg and the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. [Photo: Xinhua]

The curtain rises on the Belt and Road Forum this Sunday.

But events celebrating the China-inspired initiative have already been organized around the world.

A batch of cultural ambassadors has just on a set off from Germany on a 14 thousand mile journey along the old Silk Road to learn more about its past, and its future.

In all, fifty-two tourists from a variety of European countries boarded a bus in Hamburg, in Germany, to experience a 53 day journey, with Shanghai as the final destitution.

The bus will take them through eight countries along the Silk Road, including Poland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

The "Cultural envoys walk the Silk Road" trip is one of the activities jointly organized by China Tours in Hamburg and the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. [Photo: Xinhua]

Ulf Baumhackel is a 74-year-old tourist from Austria. He explained what attracted him to the adventure. 

"It's a great opportunity to explore this ancient route in a fascinating way, by sitting on the bus. I've only been to China and Uzbekistan, I'm so excited about visiting other parts of the Silk Road,” he said.

Hildegard Meyer, who comes from Germany, says she sees the trip as a 70th birthday present to herself.

"I have a huge passion for food. And in my grandparents' generation, a lot of food not grown here was transported along this Silk Road. It's unbelievable that I'm going to set foot on this road full of history! This trip will open a new chapter in my life,” she said.

Entitled "Cultural envoys walk the Silk Road", the trip is the second of its kind, and is just one of the activities jointly organized by China Tours in Hamburg and a German weekly newspaper named Die Zeit.

General Manager of China Tours in Hamburg, Liu Guosheng, says an increasing number of people in Europe are interested in understanding more about China, and especially its "Belt and Road Initiative". 

"The new Silk Road is a striking concept proposed by Chinese president Xi Jinping. This initiative aims to further connect East Asia with Europe, based on the principle of interconnections. Through this weekend's forum, people can be better informed of the latest information, the achievements and challenges of the initiative. Germany is not only paying close attention to this forum, but also stands ready to join the initiative,” said Theo Sommer, the publisher of Die Zei.

During the journey, the tourists will be updating travelogues in the newspaper's online blog section on a daily basis.