The curtain went up on the Silk Road Cultural Month in Seoul, South Korea on March 30 as exhibitions highlighting Shandong's natural landscapes and cultural heritages opened at the China Cultural Center in Seoul.

Some 80 photos of Shandong's iconic landscapes including Mount Tai, the Yellow River, Yimeng Mountain and Confucius sites in Qufu exhibited the province’s culture-enriched customs, natural scenery and historical monuments.

Intangible cultural heritage inheritors from Shandong were also invited to show their craftsmanship of calligraphy, Lu (Shandong) Embroidery, dough figurines and other art forms.

Shandong and South Korea are geographical neighbors and culturally connected with a long history of friendly contacts, said Gong Zheng, governor of Shandong province at the opening ceremony.

Gong said that more than 2,000 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476BC) and Warring States Period (475 – 221BC), the Shandong peninsula contained direct routes to the Korean peninsula and other places, which was known as the Eastern Maritime Silk Road. Even today Shandong serves as a gateway for Korean people and commodities to China.

Gong hopes that more South Koreans will get to know Shandong through the exhibitions.

The exhibitions also marked the start of Shandong Cultural Year in South Korea.

Lasting until mid-May, the Silk Road Cultural Month event will offer more Belt and Road themed performances, lectures, and cultural experience activities including a Chinese study culture workshop, photography exhibitions, a China-South Korea music exchange workshop and Oriental life aesthetics exhibitions to showcase the Silk Road culture in South Korea.

Officials from Shandong and South Korea attend the opening ceremony of the Silk Road Cultural Month in Seoul, South Korea on March 30. [Photo/WeChat account: China Cultural Center in Seoul]

Artists from Shandong display the province’s unique cultural heritages at the China Cultural Center in Seoul on March 30. [Photo/chinanews.com]