The second edition of the “International Youth Forum: Creativity and Heritage along the Silk Roads” began on Monday 21 May 2018 in the city of Changsha, China. The Forum brought together more than 60 international youth delegates from 45 different countries along the maritime and terrestrial Silk Roads, together with an equal number of Chinese young citizens.
IYF2, as the Forum was referred to, was divided into two sessions, the first of whichwas held in Changsha, Hunan Province, 21-23 May. International delegates then travelled to Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province for the second part in the IYF2, 24-26 May 2018. During the Changsha leg, young women and men were to engage with experts and government officials from China and abroad, as well as their peers on the importance of promoting creativity and heritage for development. The discussions culminated in recommendations on the role youth can play inadvancing creativity and promoting heritage for development.
In Nanjing the focus shifted to promoting literature and intangible cultural heritage for development, and participants also had the opportunity to engage with experts and government officials. IYF participants also attended the opening of the “8th World Historical &Cultural Cities Expo”, on Friday 25 May 2018 in Nanjing, and engaged in aseries of talks on the ways in which literature had been influenced along theSilk Roads.
The agenda also featured other action packed events such as hands-on workshops including inancient book preservation techniques, interactive sharing sessions,experimental arts exhibitions, and field visits to innovation labs, heritagesites, libraries and universities in both cities.
At the end of the Forum, 8 international youth delegates stayed on in China for a further three weeks to participate in the “Experience Changsha Media Arts and ICH Program”.The program, which was announced at the 2017 IYF by the Changsha Municipality,gave the selected participants who had a background and experience in media arts, the opportunity to improve their artistic skills and learn more about traditional Chinese craftsmanship. Participants in the “Experience Changsha” Program also had the opportunity to create an art piece which was showcased in the “Hunan Media Arts Gallery” and that later joined the “Changsha-Media ArtsCity Exhibition” at the City’s Media Arts Development Center.