A book on the real life stories of the people along the Belt and Road routes, the first of its kind, was recently published in Beijing in seven different languages ahead of an international forum to mark the great initiative later this month.

The book, titled "Belt and Road: People with Stories," contains a total of 100 stories selected from the reports of China's Xinhua News Agency and thousands of articles written by people around the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative, comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 with an aim to revive ancient trade routes to link China with numerous countries in Asia, Europe and Africa through trade and infrastructure networks.

The chosen stories, available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese, speak about how the initiative has brought tangible benefits to the general public along the two routes and in the world at large.

From a Kyrgyz farmer lifting his family out of poverty by growing Chinese corn, to an Ecuadorian hotel staffer surviving a deadly earthquake thanks to Chinese technology, the book tells the emotional and memorable tales of the ordinary people to reflect a bigger picture of the initiative, which is now being advanced in Asia, Africa, Europe and the American continent.

By narrating these detailed memories, it also tries to shed light on the Chinese pursuit of win-win cooperation and common development.

The book is a joint effort of Xinhua, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the Confucius Institute Headquarters.Its publication by Xinhua Publishing House came ahead of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing on May 14-15. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, some 28 heads of state and government leaders will attend the event.

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