The Silk Road: An Ancient Road to Central Asia

Liu Wenmin, a member of Chinese Photographer Society, one of the directors of Chinese News Photograph Society, and the director of the Three Gorges Press, participated in the International Team of the UNESCO Silk Roads Steppe Route Expedition in April. 1991. He made a tour of 1 3,000 kilometers across Central Asia from Ashkhabad to Khorgos. En route, he took a great number of pictures ranging from ancient cities posts to cultural relics and local customs. Earlier. Mr. Liu also made a tour along the Silk Road in China. He started from Xi'an, crossed the Gansu Corridor, to Xinjiang, then travelled deep into the center of the second largest desert Taklimakan. At last he conquered the Pamir to Kunjirap, the border between China and Pakistan. Mr. Liu used to be a chief journalist of China Pictorial and deputy director of its publishing house. During the past 20 years, he shot a lot of valuable pictures, most of which have been published in native and foreign important papers and magazines. On the first and second International Picture Shows, and in some international salon shows, more than 40 of his photos got prize. In Oct.1991, his photos taken on the Silk Roads were on display in the mansion of UNESCO. High official and representative of the member countries presented the grand opening ceremony. Some of his photographs have been deposited in the UNESCO Library. For his great achievement, Liu Wenmin and his efforts were recorded in Chinese Who's Who in 1992. To spread the cultural achievements of the Silk Roads, and extend the influence of the expedition along the Steppe Route, the book, a collection of Mr. Liu's works, will give the readers a panorama of the ancient Silk Roads Steppe Route.