Silk heritage is at the heart of the Town Centre Vision and forum members are forging links with China.
Macclesfield was officially honoured for its place the end of the Silk Road’ by the United Nations World Tourism Association’s last year. This means it is part of a historical network of trade routes that crossed Eurasia for 2,000 years.
Forum members are making links with Xi’an which is at the Chinese end of the Silk Road – and are planning a trip to the country.
Plans include a tourist attraction ‘a journey of silk’, a ‘silk way walk’ to encourage people to explore the town and links with the other 17 countries along the Silk Road.
A Chinese and Silk Festival is also on the agenda, estimated to happen in March 2014.
The Festival could include Chinese Opera, acrobatics, Tang Dynasty Fashion and Dragon Parade. Forum chairman Clare Hayward said: “If we’re going to establish a good link with Xi’an then a Chinese festival would be a good way of doing this, with the Silk Heritage being the focus.
“If we are to have the Festival all the other developments need to be completed in time for it.
“This Festival could then be reciprocated in Xi’an with an English Festival where Macclesfield businesses go over and do something similar. Our USP is silk, Macclesfield is one end of the silk road and should be recognised as the National Centre for Silk.”
The silk theme continues with the Coccon, above, a theatre, hotel and media centre to be built in the next five years
