The first edition of Silk Road and Young Dreams competition has welcomed nearly 100 young people from 26 Silk Road countries at Beijing Normal University. They are here to SHOWCASE their talents. Under the theme of "Get on the Road, Get to the Sky", the organizer China's Silk Road Cities Alliance hopes to hear the young generation's voices and visions of the Belt and Road Initiative. Our reporter Qi Jie brings us more.

QI JIE BEIJING "And I'm from China. The competition is about to begin. But I don't feel any pressure or tension in the air. It's all about the joy of 'Getting on the road and getting to the sky'."

2018 marks the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which endows the event with particular significance. 

During the speech contest, in Chinese or in English, these youngsters shared their dreams and opinions on the Initiative. And their passion impressed a lot of people.  

WU WEISHAN, DIRECTOR NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA "Young people are the future of the world. They are so vibrant. The event is going to plant a seed of friendship among younger generations in the Silk Road countries. This kind of cultural exchange makes it possible for China to better understand the world, and vise versa."

What did they see through the lenses? Here a group of judges are making their decision on these young people's photographic works. 

XU PING, MEMBER CHINA PHOTOGRAPHERS' ASSOCIATION "These works clearly demonstrate young people's attitude towards the world. The road is accessible, connecting people living in the Silk Road countries. This event is a great platform for people to people exchanges."

While for these young talents, winning wasn't the ultimate goal at all. What mattered most was to be a part of it. 

MAHADI BANGLADESHI CONTESTANT "I don't care about the low score. For me, contribution is the most important thing. I'm very glad that I've got this opportunity to represent my country. I really like this idea." 

Nervous? So what? That's part of our human nature. It's all about sharing and making friends.

WU XINGDUO CHINESE CONTESTANT "I'm really happy, particularly because I got the chance to cooperate with my younger brother from Bangladesh. We wrote this D-minor composition together. And we're glad to share it with all our friends here."

UTSHO BANGLADESHI CONTESTANT "We got to know each other in another event. When we realized that we both are crazy about music, we became brothers." 

Senior diplomats, business leaders and renowned artists also attended the opening ceremony to help promote youth friendship and connectivity along the Belt and Road.

HUSSEIN IBRAHIM, CULTURAL COUNSELLOR EGYPTIAN EMBASSY IN CHINA "We think the Belt and Road Initiative is for young people and for the younger generation's future. The Initiative aims to help young people improve their lives. Through the event, young people can better understand each other culture and then create a new civilization. So the Belt and Road Initiative is a cooperation to create new civilization."

Best of luck to all the contestants! QIJIE, CGTN, BEIJING