BEIJING -- "The precious merchandise of many foreign countries is stored up here. The soil is rich and productive, and yields abundant harvests. The forest trees afford a thick vegetation, and flowers and fruits are plentiful."

The excerpt from "The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" written by Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang in 646, a narrative of his 19-year journey through China and neighboring areas, vividly depicts a richly-endowed Samarkand, one of the most important transit points on the ancient Silk Road linking the East to the West.

The legendary route activated more than 2,000 years ago bore witness to interactions between China and Central Asia through tradings of merchandise and flows of ideas. Now, the footprints of camel caravans have faded away, but cooperation and exchanges between the two sides have remained and become ever thriving.