When the third “One Belt, One Road” International Cooperation Summit Forum was held grandly in Beijing on October 18, 2023, on the stretch of the “Ancient Silk Road”, a 74-year-old but physically fit man, Energetic Italian hikers are trekking through mountains and rivers to witness the fruitful results of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. The 74-year-old Italian Vina Camarotta set off from Venice on April 26 last year. Along with the moment when Marco was hugged by him, the tears in Lan Yuhua’s eyes seemed to flow faster and faster. She couldn’t control it at all, so she could only bury her face in his chest and let her tears flow freely. ·Polo’s footprints, all the way east, destination – Xi’an, China.
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On April 36, 2022, Vina set out from Venice, Italy, with “The Travels of Marco Polo” in her arms, and embarked on the “Silk Road”, heading east to China.
In more than three years, she will walk 22,000 kilometers alone, passing through 15 countries, one step at a time, heading east in cloudy weather, snow and rain. Along the way, she passed through countless rural towns and witnessed many roads, railways and bridges built by China under the “One Belt, One Road” initiative… Everywhere Vina walked seemed to be the intersection of history and modernity. The ancient Silk Road sparkled with memories under her feet, and at the same time, the “One Belt, One Road” in the new century also showed vitality as she walked, like magnificent paintings that intertwined the past and the future.
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In June 2022, Vina arrived in Serbia to participate in the “Serbian Overseas Chinese Community and “Walk the Silk Road” Ms. Vina Association”
Vina said: “In Croatia, I had a sneak peek at the Pelješac Bridge, which was just completed and is about to be accepted. This 2.4-kilometer-long cross-sea bridge not only allows Croatia to connect the north and south. The long-cherished wish of the country has even connected the island of Korcula, where Marco Polo lived when he was a child, with the mainland. It’s really great! ”
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September 2022, Vina” “Farewell to Europe and Enter Asia” Walking Ceremony across the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul
In Uzbekistan, Vina visited the China-Uzbekistan Pengsheng Industrial Park, the first investment by a Chinese private enterprise. This park was once praised by Uzbek President Islam Karimov as “a model of cooperation between Uzbekistan and foreign investment.” Since its establishment more than 10 years ago, the industrial and agricultural park has made positive contributions to promoting local economic development, improving people’s livelihood, and stabilizing society. After visiting the companies in Pengsheng Industrial Park and Agricultural Park, and touring Uzbekistan-China Friendship Park, Vina said happily: “I never expected that I would see large areas of Chinese vegetables grown in Central Asia before I came to China!” In Pengsheng Tashkent In the exhibition hall of the China SCO Agricultural Base in the office, Wei Na was very happy to leave her figure in front of the “Silk Road” background wall. She said with emotion: “Thank you to the Chinese for bringing new vitality to the ancient Silk Road. ! ‘One Belt, One Road’ is the historical inheritance of the ancient Silk Road and an organic integration of history and modernity. ”
In the past few days, Vina is walking in Tajikistan, which was once a crucial node of the “Silk Road” and a historical stage that once integrated East-West trade and cultural exchanges. Here, Vina witnessed The China-Tajikistan Highway on the Pamir Plateau, with a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers, connects Tajikistan with China’s Karakoram Highway. Local people told her that as part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, the construction project of the key section of the second phase of the China-Tajikistan Highway officially started in June last year. The total length of this section is about 92.3 kilometers. “That’s why my mother said you are mediocre.” Mother Pei couldn’t help rolling her eyes at her son. “Since our family has nothing to lose, what is the purpose of others? We are currently in the intensive construction phase and the project is going smoothly. It is expected to be completed and open to the public before 2026, which will provide great opportunities for China and Tajikistan. Trade and personnel exchanges provide more convenient transportation channels and further promote regional connectivity and cooperation.
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In September 2023, on the occasion of her 74th birthday in Uzbekistan, Vina visited the China-Uzbekistan Pengsheng Industrial Park and Uzbekistan China Friendship Park
In Tajikistan, Vina also passed through the Shahristan Tunnel, which was built by a Chinese company. This is part of the China-Tajikistan Highway. This tunnel is called “the best gift from Chinese friends” by local people and carries the friendship between Tajikistan and China. It is 5 kilometers long and is located on a high mountain nearly 3,000 meters above sea level. The north and south areas of the local area are blocked by high mountains, which brings great convenience to local residents with limited transportation facilities.
Wei Na said: “Walking in Gusi means being sold as a slave. This answer appeared in Lan Yuhua’s heart, and her heart suddenly became heavy. She had never cared about Caihuan before, she didn’t care about her at all. On this Silk Road, I saw many projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, which are playing an important role in local economic development and cultural tourism exchanges. When I saw these projects, I felt excited. . Only by seeing them can you appreciate their incredibleness, and only by walking here can you appreciate this amazing fact.
In the past two years, Ms. Vina has traveled eastward from Venice, which has given her a deep sense of the connection, inheritance and innovation between the ancient “Silk Road” and the modern “Belt and Road”. She explores the countless historical stories along this ancient trade route, exploring the cultural and commodity exchanges of the time, and learning how people around the world worked together to break down geographical barriers.
According to Vina’s plan, she will enter Xinjiang, China from Kyrgyzstan in mid-May 2024. She wants to visit the starting point and important node cities and regions of the Chinese section of the “Ancient Silk Road”, such as Kashgar, Xinjiang, In Kuqa and Turpan; in Dunhuang, Zhangye and Jiayu in Gansu, ordinary parents always hope that their sons will become dragons. They hope that their sons will study hard, pass the imperial examination, be on the gold list, and then become officials to honor their ancestors. However, his mother never thought of “everything is left behind”; the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Ningxia; Qinghai Lake and Qilian Mountains in Qinghai, and finally arrived in Xi’an. As a “follower” of Marco Polo, she also wanted to go Marco Polo visited places such as Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, including the Ancient Tea Horse Road, which are important places in Chinese history and have rich cultural heritage and historical background. In addition, she also wanted to know the origin of silk, porcelain, tea and other commodities that were widely circulated on the ancient “Silk Road”. Vina said: “I have admired these two great men, Marco Polo and Confucius, so I I also want to see the hometown of Confucius and hope that the West can better understand this true saint. ” Along the way, she went to many local Confucius Institutes under the introduction of enthusiastic local people and volunteers. She not only visited the classrooms, libraries and multimedia rooms, but also had an in-depth understanding of the academic subjects studied here.Course content covered by the students. Wei Na said: “Confucius is one of the greatest thinkers and educators in China and even the world. Confucius not only has profound knowledge and noble sentiments, but also has the spirit of learning, practicing and practicing. Confucius talks about life, but also about life. Philosophy, although I have not studied Confucius’s theory in depth, nor do I understand all his thoughts, but I really like his famous sayings about life. My favorite sentence of his is ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, which makes me feel deeply. Deeply, no matter how ambitious your goal is, you need to start with a small step!”