"The Silk Road was not just a road, but also a belt of civilization. It does not belong to one particular country, but was a community of many civilizations." At the 2019 China Tibet Development Forum held in Lhasa, Tibet on June 14, Indian scholar Rajiv Ranjan presented his views on the civilizations of the Silk Road.

According to Mr. Ranjan, the Silk Road promoted cultural exchanges and formed a common cultural heritage for mankind.

French scholar Sonia Bressler is visiting Tibet for the fourth time. She has published many books on Tibet, including Discovering Tibet and Journey to the Heart of Tibet. She said that China's Tibet not only once was but still is one of the intersections of different worlds and different cultures.

Ms. Bressler said that the Belt and Road initiative has provided Tibet with new momentum for economic, social, and cultural development and brought more possibilities for exchange with neighboring countries.

Senior television producer and CEO of the British ITV Meridian Elizabeth Helen Mcleod was one of the moderators for the group exchange. She told reporters that the experts and scholars from various countries who attended the forum believe that looking back at history will reveal that Tibet is not a one-sided destination, but a commercial and cultural exchange center connecting two sides of the Himalayas. Its civilization is diverse and advanced. Under the Belt and Road initiative, Tibet will give more to the world in future.

Ms. Mcleod believes that people are constantly interested in Tibetan culture, and it is very colorful and impressive. But many people's impressions of Tibet are outdated. If one wants to better tell the story of Tibet to more audiences, they need to let the Tibetan people and Tibetan culture speak for themselves through increased interactions and exchange.

Rahman Bayramdurdyyev, a young scholar from Turkmenistan, was visiting Tibet for the first time. He said frankly that he was shocked by the look of the city of Lhasa as well as the Tibet Museum of Natural Science and the Princess Wencheng large-scale epic drama performance.

"An exhibition and a story have taught me about Tibet at once and helped me to understand the lives of the ordinary people, Tibet's cultural heritage, and its historical evolution," Bayramdurdyyev said. He said he discovered that many rural Tibetan families lead modern lives, but they still maintain their original culture and continue to follow traditional customs. If an ethnic group can maintain its own cultural characteristics over time and combine this with culture communication, tourism economy, and cultural preservation, then it is of great significance for others to learn.

Editor: Tommy Tan.