The Chinese city of Xi’an—known before as Chang’an, the capital of the Tang dynasty—has been gloriously enriched by the ancient Silk Road. That makes the city a fitting location for this year’s Silk Road International Arts Festival, which opened on Wednesday night.

The Chinese city of Xi'an -- or known before as Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty -- has been gloriously enriched by the ancient Silk Road.

The festival is exhibiting a number of paintings that brings together 680 pieces of artworks from home and abroad. The event is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the provincial government of Shaanxi Province. Aside from the painting exhibition, the festival also includes performances, workshops, and seminars.

The ancient Silk Road was a network of trade and cultural-exchange routes connecting the East and the West. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the “One Belt, One Road” initiative to revive overseas cooperation along the ancient Silk Road and the maritime routes. That was the inspiration for this arts festival, which is now in its third year.