From caravanserai to caravanserai, from oasis to oasis, merchants, diplomats, soldiers, and travellers from all walks of life made their way along the Silk Roads, crossing mountains, valleys, seas and rivers to Asia, Europe and beyond. In doing so, they were not only transporting goods and merchandise. They were also sharing scientific knowledge, cultural practices and religious beliefs, thus creating a space for intercultural dialogue where people of different origins could thrive.

It is this historical and humanistic legacy that the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme has honoured for 35 years now . To ensure that this heritage is passed on to the next generations, UNESCO organizes an annual international photo competition for young people, “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads”.

从商队到商队，从绿洲到绿洲，来自各行各业的商人、外交官、士兵和旅行者们沿着丝绸之路，穿越山脉、山谷、大海和河流，到达亚洲、欧洲和其它地区。他们这样做不仅是在运输货物和商品，他们还分享科学知识、文化习俗和宗教信仰，从而为跨文化对话创造了空间，不同出身的人们因此而受益。

正是这一历史和人文遗产被联合国教科文组织丝绸之路计划推崇至今已有35年。为了确保这一遗产能被传承给下一代，联合国教科文组织每年为年轻人举办一次国际摄影比赛“青年眼中的丝绸之路”。

Building more peaceful and tolerant societies requires us to truly know and see one another. In an era where images spread around the world in an instant, photography has the power to provide insight into the experiences of others. With the goal of building ties between people and cultures in mind, the international photography contest ‘Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads’, provides a platform for young people to capture thousands of years of intercultural exchange through the lens of their cameras.

建设更加和平和宽容的社会需要我们真正了解和看到彼此。在一个图像瞬间传遍世界的时代，摄影有能力洞察他人的经历。“丝绸之路青年之眼”国际摄影大赛以建立人与文化之间的联系为目标，为年轻人提供了一个通过相机拍摄数千年跨文化交流的平台。

This global photography competition, which creates a meaningful platform for youth to grow their talent, has been widely praised by those who have attended its award ceremony during the annual ‘Beijing Peace Garden Peace Festival’. The vivid images not only reflect the cultural heritage of the Silk Roads with stories of warmth and togetherness, but also display unity and spiritual harmony across various aspects of social life. The photographs remind us that everyone has beautiful experiences and memories of his or her spiritual world. In person-to-person and cultural exchanges, we can feel the ‘Essence, Qi and Spirit’ of the world and achieve powers of foresight and perception for facing the issues of the contemporary world.

全球青少年摄影比赛在“和苑和平节”上得到国际社会的普遍赞誉，这为青少年的成长空间增添了丰富而有意义的色彩。栩栩如生的画面，不仅有故事、有温度的反映了丝绸之路上的文化遗产，也表现了社会生活中民族团结与宗教和睦。每个人的精神世界中都有美好的回忆与爱的向往。在人文交流中我们能感悟“精、气、神”，发现预见力和感知力，在人与自然的互动中，我们也看到了万物皆有灵。只要我们尊重人性、人权、人文，在丝绸之路上，善念总是能结善缘的。同一理想有不同的故事，青年一代的艺术创作一定会迎来和平的微笑。