Dubai city scape,&nbs↕™←p;one hub of belt and roa$↕​d.

Non-governmental organizatio ♥‍♠ns unveiled new plans, including th§↓£emed travel routes, <™♠↔studies on heritage items en φ≤₩♣route and other cultural exchange pro©©jects, on Belt and Road initia∞£✔φtives in Beijing on Saπ✘★turday.

Focusing on cultural developmε→ ent along Belt and Road, an operat★®÷ion that will survey and pσε±€romote intangible cu¥✘•Ωltural heritage items fr∏‌≠om the Silk Road will b→$"δe launched shortly from Xi'an, Shaanxi£δλ province. Initiated by the Silk ∑•Road Economic Belt Brand Alliance, it w↔εill extend beyond China all th₽εe way to Turkey and Italy.

A "Going West" travel route <₹→that highlights natural <♣ beauties and ecological pro≈§tection from southwest Ch★€ina to Nipal has been •• set up by local federatio✔ ασn.

A Silk Road data base that ★ ₹≤collects and analyses statistics fφ¶£rom and for the Belt and Road has b♠ ♣≠een established by Shanghai VSAT Netwoγ↑λrk Systems Co.

"For a long time, δ¥China has emphasized the role of γ<↕economic development oveσ←r other things. But culturεγe is the other leg for de≈★ velopment to really sustain.  ™>Culture should be the focus ‌'now," said Zhang ₩β§Guozuo, director of the Center o>¶f Soft Power Studies.↔≥

"We're known for high-spe←↑ed trains, we're known f↕±or our economic growth. N±♥ow it's time we have our soft po®∑wer influences," saidδ₩ Liu Jianxing, vice di  rector general at the Internati§∑onal Cooperation Center o₩εf the National Development and ✘™≤₩Reform Commission.