“Silk Road in Ink Wash Paintings”, a new book by Feng Yishu, a former diplomat with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was launched at the Network Center of International Cultural Exchange in Beijing on June 2.

The book, which focuses on customs and history of countries along the Silk Road and discusses the ancient road's rejuvenation, will help people understand both the history and the present, Feng said.

Feng is also behind many of the paintings and illustrations that appear in the book, Wang Kaiwen, deputy secretary general of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said at the launch.

Feng Yishu speaks at the launch.

The book is in both Chinese and Russian. The translator of the Russian section of the book is Paletskiy Denis, a Russian Sinologist.

The book will also appear at the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, which will be held on June 9 and 10 in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province.