A little girl wears ethnic dress in a village in the Caucasus Mountains. [Photo by Li Ruoyu/provided by People's Daily]

Visitors to the Palace Museum's Garden of the Cining Gong (the Hall of Compassion and Tranquility) these days will find themselves stepping into a mini-scale 3D map of the ancient Silk Road.

In the garden's eastern backyard, display boards have been carved out in the shape of mountains and painted, installed and arranged to mimic a winding path in a mountainous area, where viewers embark on a journey to a photo exhibition on the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road.

Focusing on the humanities and history of the Belt and Road countries and regions, the photo exhibition comprises five themed sections and showcases 253 photos, singled out from more than 20,000 entries.