The opening event of the 2024 Silk Road Week was held on June 19-21 in Hangzhou. On this occasion, two new exhibitions were opened at the China National Silk Museum: one about the role of Xi'an (formerly known as Chang'an) in the medieval history of the Silk Road, and the other about one of the centers of European silk production, Lyon in the 18th century.

The 2023 Annual Report of the Silk Road cultural heritage was also presented at the event.

The Museum of Applied Arts was represented at the event by Zsombor Jékely, Director of Collections. The two institutions have signed a 5-year cooperation agreement (MoU), which provides opportunities for scientific cooperation, study trips for restorers and museologists, and the preparation of exhibitions and publications. The partners already worked together in 2023: the exhibition presenting the luxury items of the Esterházy treasury was seen by around 230,000 visitors in Hangzhou last summer.

The opening week also included a conference, in which, in addition to the international guests of the Silk Road Week, the managers of the museums of Zhejiang province took part. The topic of the conference was the implementation of sustainable museum developments and exhibitions. Zsombor Jékely spoke about the research needed for the restoration of the main building of the Museum of Applied Arts and the plans for the major reconstruction of the museum.