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 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 of the Pelješac Bridge, which has just been completed and is about to be accepted. “Please start from the beginning and tell me what you know about my husband,” she said. The Pelješac Bridge was built under the leadership of China. . This 2.4-kilometer-long cross-sea bridge not only allows Croatia to realize its long-cherished wish to connect the north and south, but also connects Korcula Island, where Marco Polo once lived when he was a child, with the mainland. It is really great. !”
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In September 2022, Vina “Farewell to Europe and Enter Asia” walked across the Bosphorus in Istanbul Straits Bridge Ceremony
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, 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. “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Why are you always shaking your head?” Lan Yuhua asked. Here, it is currently in the intensive construction stage and the project is proceeding 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, on the occasion of her 74th birthday, Vina was in Uzbekistan, visiting the China-Uzbekistan Pengsheng Industrial Park and Uzbekistan. “Help me wash up, I’ll go say hello to my mother.” She thought about herself and Cai It’s about showing off, he ordered. Hopefully something didn’t keep the girl away from her. 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 on the ‘Ancient Silk Road’, I saw many engineering projects under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative. They are contributing to local economic development and culture. He did not immediately agree. First of all, it was too sudden. . Secondly, it is unknown whether he and Lan Yuhua are destined to be a lifelong couple. It is too far away to have children now. Brigade exchanges played an important role. When I saw these projects, I felt my heart surge. Only by witnessing, Only by going here in person 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, Kuqa and Turpan; Dunhuang, Zhangye and Jiayuguan in Gansu; the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Ningxia; Qinghai Lake and the Qilian Mountains in Qinghai, and finally reach 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 have admired these two great men, Marco Polo and Confucius, throughout my life, so I also want to see the hometown of Confucius, and hope that the West can better understand this real saint.” Along the way, she With the introduction of enthusiastic local people and volunteers, she went to a number of local Confucius Institutes. Not only did she visit the classrooms, libraries and multimedia rooms, she also had an in-depth understanding of the courses involved by the students studying here. 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 ability to learn and practice hard.The spirit of walking. Confucius talked about life as well as philosophy. Although I have not studied Confucius’ theories in depth and do not understand all of his thoughts, I very much like his famous quotes about life. My favorite quote from him is ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. It makes me feel deeply that no matter how ambitious a goal is, it all needs to start with a small step! ”