International Association of Universities of the Third Aged (AIUTA) called a video conference on “Silk Road Archaeology and Elderly Universities” at 4:00 PM (Beijing Time) on September 17, 2021. The main venue of this conference was at University Polytechnic of Valencia (UPV) in Spain. The conference was presided over by Gonzalo, President of the Elderly University affiliated to UPV. Prof. Francois Vellas, President of AIUTA, specially came to Valencia to attend the conference in person. Prof. Ma Xianguo, the First Vice President of AIUTA and Director of International Research Center for Senior Education of China Association of Universities for the Aged (CAUA), attended the video conference in Shanghai, China. More than 20 delegates respectively from Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria and Russia also attended the conference via video.
President Vellas first briefed the attendees on the project “Silk Road Archaeology and Elderly Universities”. The idea of this project was born in 2019. At the 105th AIUTA International Conference in Lebanon, President Vellas proposed to select several unique cities, for the purpose of managing archaeological study tour, in countries along the ancient Silk Road. AIUTA hoped to pick about 10 archaeological sites for this goal. After in-depth consideration and careful selection by experts in relevant countries, 10 cities along the ancient Silk Road had been finally confirmed at this conference. Representatives from relevant countries had respectively introduced each of their cities at the conference.
Prof. Ma Xianguo made a speech on behalf of the Chinese side. He introduced (with vivid texts and pictures) to the conference attendees four Chinese cities and their unique historic sites. He also extended a sincere invitation to AIUTA friends for visiting these places which include Longmen Grottoes (Luoyang City, Henan Province), Terracotta Warriors (Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province), Jiayuguan Pass (Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province), and Mogao Grottoes (Dunhuang City, Gansu Province). These places have been inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They could very well tell the outside world about China’s brilliant culture and Chinese people’s great wisdom. Besides, these places also have convenient traffic systems and are all popular tourist attractions.
Wang Younong, Director of CAUA International Liaison Department, also delivered a speech at the conference, focusing on China’s “Nanhai No.1 Sinking Ship of Song Dynasty” and the “Maritime Silk Road Museum”. He appealed actively for public’s attention to the “Maritime Silk Road”.
Other people who spoke at the conference included representatives from Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria and Russia. They all confidently recommended the rich cultural heritages in each of their respective countries.
President Vellas made a few concluding remarks at the end of the conference. He believed this archaeological study was of great significance. He pointed out that three key aspects (content, way of doing it, and agenda) must be taken into consideration when making the detailed plan for this project. AIUTA will finally compile a book covering the research results of participating countries. President Vellas hoped that through learning and exchanges, we could help spread the benefits of this archaeological study tour project (an important part of elderly education) to the greatest possible number of people.
The preliminary schedule for carrying out the project “Silk Road Archaeology & Elderly Universities” is as follows.
2021 Valencia — Alicante (Spain)
2022 Toulouse — Nabonne (France)
2022 Naples — Benevento (Italy)
2023 Biblues — Baalbek (Lebanon)
2024 Kiev (Ukraine)
2024 Luoyang City — Xi’an City (China)
2025 Jiayuguan City — Dunhuang City (China)
