THE SILK ROAD FOUNDATION
A community interest company
News
Here are some things we have been busy on:
Macclesfield stars in prime-time national TV documentary in China.
Friday 22nd September 2023 9.15 p.m. local time
23rd. September 2023
Filmed over the last twelve months. Episode 3 of The Silk Road Story aired across the country and Asia yesterday. Watch out for the section on The Silk Museum and Paradise Mill!
I am trying to get English subtitles done for the whole programme, so come back and check soon please, but meantime enjoy your fame.
London, Macclesfield, Paris, Frankfurt
11th. September 2023
A delegation from the Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese stopped off in Macclesfield for a visit to the west end of The Silk Road and were given the red carpet treatment at Shrigley Hall, Sutton Hall and Lyme Park, not to mention a visit to R.A Smart in Bollington to reaffirm our strong associations with the silk industry. Professor Li gave a fascinating lecture on the future of the textile industry and Dr Mike Rance MBE set out the business landscape and opportunities of Macclesfield for the delegation.
Feedback after our guests returned to China was extremely positive and our thanks to Mike Rance, Graham Barrow, Sue Mason, Professor and Mrs Mei Li, Ameng Ti'an and Ron Smart who were both gracious and generous with their time and made them feel so very welcome!
A big shout out to The Sun Inn at Kettleshume who laid on a delicious sharing lunch with chopsticks before we dropped them off at Manchester airport.
Macclesfield bigs it up at International Conference!
Shaanxi is famous all over China for their particular passion love for football. Here is hand-held short of that passion at a level 4 (that is League Two to you and me) clash featuring a Shannxi team. Bring it on!
31st. August 2023
Macclesfield has been accepted as a founder member of the International Tourist Alliance of Silk Road Cities and between August 31st and September 3rd, we will fly the flag for Macclesfield along with 46 other cities from 27 countries in the hope of attracting tourists to our beautiful town.
We were asked to submit a tourist video to promote the town, so here's my best effort from my computer.
Keen eyed visitors may notice a striking similarity to another tourist video of the area, which I have shamelessly copied and edited so have a look before I'm told to take it down!
Turn your sound up for a great track to complement the scenes from the Peak District
This is what we took ....
.....and look what we brought back!
10th- 28th July 2023
I regularly boast to Chinese visitors that Macc could make a claim to be at the epicenter of world football, located as it is between Manchester. Liverpool and Sheffield and the 900 + football clubs of all levels that surround it.
We travelled to Xi'an(population 13 million) expressly to see for ourselves whether football was played and enjoyed.
We met with fans, parents, football academies, took a tour of the brand new 60,000 seater provinicial stadium and had detailed discussions on the best way to connect Macclesfield and Xi'an.
For two weeks we watched, listened and asked a million questions, culminating in a signing ceremony in the presence of leaders from the Shaanxi Sports Bureau, The Shaanxi Fedration of Overseas Chinese, The Shaanxi Provinical Council for Trade and the Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce. The agreement will run until 2028.
What we found may surprise you as it did us. Take a look and turn your sound on!
Shaanxi Provincial Womens Sports Bureau
signs strategic agreement with The Silk Road Foundation on
youth football development
Our trip to one of the football academies.... :)
A permanent exhibition of Macclesfield in Xi'an
April 2023.
A new theme park opens in Xi'an called The Silk Road Paradise Park.
Think Alton Towers on steroids, where sections of the park are given themes of the cities along The Silk Road. Istanbul, Athens, Rome and of course Xi'an.
Apologies for the hand held video but I have been promised a professional tour and am still waiting!
Inside the park is a conference venue and hotel, in which there is a permenant display of Macclesfield as the western end of the Silk Road. Have a look and be proud of our town!
A massive shout out to Graham Barrow. of Make it Macclesfield, Ron Smart of R.A Smart Holdings Ltd and(once again) 绯雨闲丸 in Xi'an without their contribution and hard work this display would not exist
Chinese paintings connect East and West
July 2022
Wendy and I have collected these Chinese paintings for nearly 20 years and have close relations with the museums and collectors in Guangzhou. Here's a video explaining more about the origin and legacy of the fusion of Eastern and Western painting styles.
Sorry about my nasty green jumper!
