News, November 10,Thirty-six days remain before the opening of the 13th Belt and Road International Day (Silk Road Festival) and the Global Chinatown Belt and Road New Year Cultural Festival. Sources from the New York Secretariat of the World Peace Ribbon Organization revealed that more than 900 events will be held worldwide on the day of the 13th Belt and Road International Day, including cultural festivals, concerts, international conferences, sports events, academic forums, lectures and more. Among them, the World Buddhist Music Festival is poised to emerge as one of the major highlights.
Chen Entian, Chairman of the Silk Road International Guild Alliance and person-in-charge of the Organizing Committee for the Five-Festival Joint Celebration (Belt and Road New Year Celebration covering Silk Road Festival, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Spring Festival and Lantern Festival), will travel to Mandalay, Myanmar to deliver the festival address for the 13th Belt and Road International Day.
Mandalay is a hub of Theravada Buddhism and the heart of Myanmar’s Theravada tradition. One hundred and fifty-five years ago, the renowned Fifth Buddhist Council was convened here. Over 2,400 eminent monks reviewed and collated the Pāli Tipiṭaka, carving the scriptures onto 729 marble slabs, which are celebrated as the world’s largest stone scripture archive. Rooted in this profound Buddhist heritage, the World Buddhist Music Festival is scheduled to take place in Mandalay on 16 December 2026.
Planned and guided by the International Buddhist Music Association and the World Institute of Buddhist Music, hosted by the Myanmar Arts and Cultural Development Association, and co-organized by the Silk Road International Guild Alliance, Silk Road News Agency and other institutions, the festival gathers venerable Sangha elders, Buddhist musicians, cultural scholars and overseas Chinese community leaders from across the globe. It will feature Buddhist music performances, Buddhist cultural seminars and Silk Road civilisation dialogues. With serene Buddhist chants, it carries the spirit of peace, tolerance and friendship, promotes integration between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist cultures, deepens people-to-people cultural exchanges between China, Myanmar and countries along the Silk Road, and consolidates the foundation for mutual learning among civilisations.
Industry observers note that unlike conventional conferences and competitions, the World Buddhist Music Festival touches hearts through music and facilitates dialogue among civilisations via art that transcends borders. It embodies the vision of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative. As a flagship cultural event in Southeast Asia for this year’s Belt and Road International Day, the festival will further strengthen the Paukphaw friendship between China and Myanmar, advance the coexistence and prosperity of diverse Silk Road civilisations, and become a landmark cultural event in this global series of celebrations.
Preparations for the World Buddhist Music Festival are progressing steadily, including guest invitations, programme arrangement, forum planning and publicity. It is ready to resound with sacred Silk Road Buddhist chants in Mandalay on December 16.
