APTEC Seminar
"What we learn from the Silk Road Prsentation and Usage of Historic Resources"
Takayasu HIGUCHI
Director General, Research Center for SILK Roadology, Nara
The equivalent of the Japanese word 'kanko' (sight seeing) in the Chinese language is 'liu you' (touring), but I think that, in the case of the Silk Road, the word 'sightseeing' is the most appropriate of the two because it commonly implies 'going to look at extraordinary sights and spectacular objects', or 'going out of ones way to learn about a place first hand'.
For the Japanese, the Silk Road is the place of great interest. This is because, first of all, the world of the Silk Road is so different to that of the environment in which Japan is in. Japan is an island country, but the Sinkiang-Uighur Aut. Region which is the core region of China, Silk Road region where the research was conducted this time, is mostly inland and attached to neibouring countries. Further more, there are many areas of deserts. The thought of what might be hidden in such desert stimulates Japanese people's romanticism. The Japanese therefore have a very deep feeling towards the Silk Road.
Participating in the trip research delegation to Sinkiang, we learned the most recent situation of the area. We were told that over 10,000 Japanese people visit there every year, but the majority of them are between 50 and 60 years old and above, and not many young people go there.
I tried think why. I think that to be able to appreciate the Silk Road, one needs to have a deep knowledge, especially historic one, and perhaps younger people do not have enough of it..
For an example, during the Han period the Emperor, Zhang Qian was dispatched to the West, or Faxian and Chen Xian-zhnang had incredible difficult journey of the Silk Road, and from the West, Alexander the Great had the great expedition to the East, however, unless one knows such exiting dramatic historic facts, one can not be moved, and therefore difficult to express much interest in the place.
It is an important issue for the people of the travel industry in Japan and the persons in charge of tourism in the Silk Road countries who are gathered here today to think and research into finding ways to promote charms of the Silk Road to the young people. Today, as archaeologist who have been researching into the deep, interesting attractions of the Silk Road, perhaps I can talk about the significance of its historical and cultural values, and some clues to how to enjoy
