A cultural study tour that gathers Generation Z students from China and abroad to travel around the Silk Road in China and explore the cultures along the route was launched in Beijing on Thursday.

"Generation Z 2023: The Future of the Silk Road" offers a two-week program featuring performances, exhibitions, and interactive workshops held across the Belt and Road nodes in China.

Organized by the China Public Relations Association, this event will invite calligraphers, artists, musicians, culinary masters, and sculptors to guide young people from China and abroad to explore many aspects of Chinese culture.

International and Chinese students will embark on the journey together, visiting cities like Dunhuang, Luoyang, and Weinan, all of which have rich historical and cultural backgrounds.

It has been ten years since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as China moves to foster closer ties and more trade and cultural exchanges with other countries and civilizations.

And young people, as a driving force in promoting global sustainable development, are injecting more impetus into the construction of the BRI.

Apart from appreciating the local cultures and customs firsthand, participants also get to work together and show their creativity.

For instance, at the Dunhuang stop in northwest China's Gansu, students will team up to create a painting that captures the essence of the unique history of this tourist hot spot, known for its collection of murals and Buddhist art inside the famous Mogao Caves.

Other highlights of the planned itinerary will see them compose a song and prepare a banquet together. The goal is to get the younger generation to engage with traditional Chinese culture in a fun and interactive way.

Many of the participating students said they are looking forward to exploring China's rich culinary traditions.

Mayentao Komani, a student from Beijing International Studies University, said spring is the perfect time to travel and see the real China. He said he was especially looking forward to sampling all the delicious local cuisine along the way.

The tour will offer participants a chance to experience China at its most authentic and diverse. Through such cultural immersion, they will get to write their own inspiring stories, which may encourage more people to join future exchanges and other projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative.