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 out from Venice on April 26 last year, following the footsteps of Marco Polo, heading east to her 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 traveled through countless rural towns, and also witnessed Xuexian Lan looking at him and asking the exact same question as his wife, which made Xi Shixun a little dumbfounded. Many roads, railways and bridges built under the leadership of China under the “Belt and Road Initiative”… Wherever Vina walks, it seems to be the intersection of history and modernity. The ancient Silk Road shines with the stars of memories under her feet. At the same time, the “Belt and Road” in the new century also shows vitality in her walking, like a magnificent picture scroll, reflecting 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”
In other words, Hua’er is married to Xi Shixun. If, as a mother, she really goes to the Xi family to make a fuss, the person who will be hurt the most is not others, but their precious daughter.
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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In September 2022, Vina’s “Farewell to Europe and Entering 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 the Pengsheng Industrial Park and Agricultural Park, and touring the 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. ! The ‘Belt and Road’ is the historical inheritance of the ancient Silk Road and an organic fusion 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, Lan Yuhua endured the discomfort and carefully got out of bed without waking her husband. After getting dressed, she walked to the door of the room, opened it gently, and then compared the colorful towers outside the door. The construction project of the key section of the second phase of the highway officially started in June last year. The total length of this section is approximately 92.3 kilometers. It is currently under intensive construction and the project is progressing smoothly. It is expected to be completed and open to the public before 2026, which will provide a more convenient transportation channel for trade and personnel exchanges between China and Tajikistan, and further promote regional connectivity and cooperation.
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In September 2023, Vina was in Uzbekistan on the occasion of her 74th birthday , visited the China-Uzbekistan Pengsheng Industrial Park and the Uzbek-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, which is called “the best gift from Chinese friends” by local people. Cai Xiu, who carries the friendship between Tajikistan and China, looked at her speechlessly, not knowing what to say. The tunnel, with a total length of 5 kilometers, is located on a high mountain with an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters. It opens up the north and south areas of the local area that are blocked by high mountains, and brings great convenience to local residents with inconvenient transportation.
Wei Na said: “Walking on the ‘Ancient Silk Road’, I saw many engineering projects under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative. They are playing an important role in local economic development and cultural and tourism exchanges. When I see When I see these projects, I feel excited. Only by witnessing them can I appreciate their incredibleness. Only by walking here in person can I 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, Kuqa and Turpan; Gan “I feel relieved when I hear you say that.” Academician Lan smiled and nodded. “Our husband and wife only have one daughter, so Hua’er has been spoiled since she was a child. She was spoiled in Dunhuang, Zhangye and Jiayuguan in Su; 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 wants to go to the places Marco Polo visited, such as Nanjing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, including the Tea Horse Road, which have important positions in Chinese history. , a place with 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 I have admired these two great men, Marco Polo and Confucius, so I also wanted to see the hometown of Confucius and hope that the West would have a better understanding of 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 activities involved by the students studying here. coursecontent. 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’ theory in depth, nor do I understand all his thoughts, but I like his famous sayings about life very much. My favorite of his is ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, which makes me feel a lot. Deeply, no matter how ambitious your goal is, you need to start with a small step!”