LANZHOU, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Alejandro Delgado, Deputy Army Attache of the Peruvian Embassy in China, beamed at a cultural event in Beijing on Thursday as he displayed a bookmark featuring the Chinese calligraphy characters "Jixiang," a phrase that means "good fortune."

"I love the Chinese language," Delgado said.

He was among more than 200 guests from 42 countries and international organizations at the special promotion event on the Hexi Corridor. Stretching over a thousand kilometers, the Hexi Corridor served as a key artery on the ancient Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago, connecting China to Central Asia, West Asia and Europe, thereby facilitating the exchange of diverse civilizations.

Five cities along the Hexi Corridor, namely Wuwei, Jinchang, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Jiayuguan in northwest China's Gansu Province, promoted their cultural, tourism and industrial resources at the event. The event also showcased intangible cultural heritage items, cultural and creative products, and local specialties.

"This kind of activity is great for promotion. It helps people see China's diverse products and understand the country from within," Delgado said.

The roadshow has previously traveled to Shanghai and other cities. This year, representatives from the corridor cities converged on Beijing to showcase their history, culture, landscapes and development opportunities to a broader global audience.

"It makes me want to learn more about the province," said Lebanese ambassador to China Milad Raad, who has never visited Gansu.

"Both personally and in my country, we really have an interest in promoting culture. I'm truly impressed by the cultural environment here in China," he added.

Manuel Carvalho, Portuguese ambassador to China, has never been to Gansu either, but he has long known about Dunhuang, home to the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 4th century.

In April, he took part in the "Global Linking of Dunhuang Culture" event, which linked Dunhuang and Lanzhou in Gansu, Beijing, and Portugal's Aveiro in a hybrid online-offline format. Since 2022, the series has traveled to countries including Armenia, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States.

"The thing that interested me first was the Mogao Caves," Carvalho said. "But then I saw so much more, from the landscapes to the cities, from the fields to the mountains, and the many facets of Chinese culture. You are sharing with the world the beauty that you have."

As outlined in China's latest Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which calls for expanding high-level opening-up, cities along the Hexi Corridor are now taking the initiative to go global, strengthening their ties with the world through trade, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Jiuquan, at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, enjoys abundant sunlight and sharp day-night temperature swings, making it a major seed production base serving overseas markets.

At a seed company's research center in Jiuquan, staff are cultivating new varieties of fruits and vegetables using molecular breeding techniques. "We have developed hundreds of new vegetable varieties, which are sold both on the domestic market and abroad," said Ta Wenshan, head of the company.

Data from Lanzhou Customs showed that Gansu exported 2,500.2 tonnes of seeds in the first half of this year, up 23.5 percent year on year, with a total export value of 300 million yuan (about 44.24 million U.S. dollars). The products were sold to 160 countries and regions worldwide.

Greater openness is also bringing more two-way exchanges. In 2025, Gansu recorded 393,900 inbound tourist visits, a 60.8 percent year-on-year increase.

As more overseas tourists arrive, Gansu is standardizing multilingual signs at scenic spots to improve the travel experience. "We welcome more international visitors to Gansu and the Hexi Corridor to discover Silk Road history and the desert scenery, strengthening people-to-people ties through cultural exchanges," said Lyu Xinglai, an official with the Gansu provincial department of culture and tourism.

"The promotion event serves as an important bridge, connecting Gansu with the world and creating reliable platforms for international exchanges and cooperation," Bulgarian ambassador to China Andrey Tehov said.

He added that Bulgaria looks forward to deepening practical cooperation with Gansu in areas such as new energy, modern agriculture, trade and investment, and cultural tourism, sectors where the Hexi Corridor is now showing new development potential.