Virtual Exhibition as a Cross-Cultural Educational Tool: A Case Study of Images and Ornaments along the China-Uzbekistan Corridor of the Silk Road

The images and ornaments on ceramics, gold and silver vessels, textiles, and tomb murals along the China-Uzbekistan corridor of the overland Silk Road are not mere decorations but material evidence of cross-cultural interaction. However, physical exhibitions are limited by geography, cost, and conservation constraints. This paper proposes a virtual exhibition framework based on the author’s doctoral research, which adopts a “material carrier of cultural exchange” perspective and covers the period from the Wei-Jin to the Tang dynasties (with extensions to the Yuan and Ming). A four-layer analytical model (identification – contextualization – transformation and selection – mutual observation – returned influence) is applied to organize the visual narratives. The proposed online platform integrates high-resolution images of representative objects (e.g., Tang sancai Central Asian figurines, Sogdian silver vessels with hunting scenes, pearl-roundel brocades, and the Chinese imagery in the Afrasiab murals of Samarkand) with interactive maps, timeline, and educational modules. The paper argues that such a virtual exhibition can serve as an accessible, low-cost, and sustainable tool for teaching Silk Road history and intercultural understanding in universities and museums across China, Uzbekistan, and other corridor countries. Preliminary evaluation suggests high potential for adoption in digital education and STEAM contexts.