Pakistan and China should explore the cultural similarities they share along the ancient Silk Road and pass that understanding on to young people, a Pakistani media expert has said.

Muhammad Zamir Assadi, Director of the China Desk at Lord Media Network, made the remarks to China Economic Net on the sidelines of an international cultural expo in Dunhuang, in north-west China.

"There is a need of the time to explore the similarities and connections between our different cultures, and that must be translated to our young people," Assadi said.

From Mogao Caves to Taxila Museum

Assadi pointed to products based on patterns from the Mogao Caves, including the Flying Apsara and a deer motif, saying they bear clear similarities with the collection of Pakistan's Taxila Museum.

"Such products show the cultural connections between Pakistan and China," he said. "Pakistan and China are both on the route of the Silk Road, and we share a lot of historical stories together."

The link is a matter of record. According to UNESCO, Taxila sat on a branch of the Silk Road linking China to the West, and the art of the Mogao Caves shows Gandharan influence, the artistic tradition that flourished in what is now northern Pakistan.

Pakistan's own heritage to share

Assadi said Pakistan has its own heritage to contribute to the exchange, from Gandhara sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Lahore. In July, Pakistan launched a task force to promote Gandhara heritage tourism, a step aimed at drawing visitors to the Buddhist-era sites scattered across the north-west.

The Silk Road was not only a trade route. It carried ideas, art and religious traditions between China, Central Asia and the subcontinent for centuries, and the Gandhara region, centred on Taxila, was one of its great meeting points, where Greek, Central Asian and Indian influences blended into a distinctive Buddhist art.

Young people as guardians of the legacy

For Assadi, the point of the exercise is the next generation. Young people are key to keeping that heritage alive, he said.

"If young people know the significance of history, your legacy will be carried on, and your coming generations will become guardians of your values," he said.

He invited Chinese visitors to see the heritage for themselves. "If you want to explore the similarities between Pakistan and China, you must visit Pakistan," he said. "You will love to see how Pakistan has preserved such historical products."

The remarks came as Pakistan and China continue to broaden a relationship long defined by infrastructure and trade into cultural and educational exchanges, with heritage presented as common ground both countries can build on.