Travelling the Silk Road: From London to Beijing

This free event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre, Bronte Room.

Join Christopher Wilton-Steer, creator of The Silk Road: A Living History exhibition and its newly released companion book, as he shares insights from his epic 40,000km overland journey from London to Beijing. Over four months, Christopher travelled by car, bus, train, ferry, horse, and camel through 16 countries across Eurasia. In this talk, he will take you on a photographic journey from Europe to China, exploring the rich variety of cultures he encountered. His photographs capture the intricate relationships between these cultures, revealing how their histories continue to shape the present and highlighting the lasting legacy of the Silk Road, which has connected Eurasia for over 2,000 years.

This talk is based on Christopher's book The Silk Road: A Living History, a stunning volume featuring over 150 photographs that celebrate the rich diversity of cultures he encountered on his epic journey.

It accompanies the British Library exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang. Separate ticket for exhibition entry required.  

Explore A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang events series here.

Doors open at 12:30. Please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.

This event is free to attend but booking is required.

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Christopher Wilton-Steer is a travel photographer whose professional and personal work takes him to remote locations across the world. Christopher’s photography explores less well-documented parts of the world in an effort to build bridges of interest and understanding between distant cultures. His work also aims to bring attention to diminishing cultural traditions and heritage. Christopher's work has featured in magazines, newspapers and media outlets around the world including National Geographic, The Guardian, CNN, Financial Times, BBC, China Daily and Der Spiegel amongst others. His second exhibition, The Silk Road: A Living History, was presented in London in 2021 and in the Aga Khan Park in Toronto in 2022. Christopher is also the Head of Communications at the Aga Khan Foundation.

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