Silk Road

Silk Road Overview & Map Weather Transportation Information

The so-called "Silk Routes" were not only conduits for silk, but for many other products and were also very important paths for cultural and technological transmission by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea for thousands of years. Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the great civilizations of China, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, India, Rome, and Byzantium and helped to lay the foundations for the modern world in several respects. Although the term the Silk Road implies a continuous journey, very few travelers traveled the route from end to end. For the most part, goods were transported by a series of agents on varying routes and trade took place in the bustling mercantile markets of the oasis towns.

Initiation

The Central Asian part of the trade route was initiated around 114 BCE by the Han Dynasty largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian although earlier trade across the continents had already existed. In the late Middle Ages, use of the Silk Road declined as sea trade increased.

Routes taken

As it extends westwards from the commercial centers of North China, the continental Silk Road divides into northern and southern routes to avoid the Taklamakan Desert, and Lop Nur.

The northern route

The northern route travels northwest through the Chinese province of Gansu, and splits into three further routes, two of them following the mountain ranges to the north and south of the Taklamakan Desert to rejoin at Kashgar; and the other going north of the Tian Shan mountains through Turfan, Talgar and Almaty (in what is now southeast Kazakhstan).

The routes split west of Kashgar with one branch heading down the Alai Valley towards Termez and Balkh, while the other traveled through Kokand in the Fergana Valley, and then west across the Karakum Desert towards Merv, joining the southern route briefly. One of the branch routes turned northwest to the north of the Aral and Caspian seas then and on to the the Black Sea.

Yet another route started at Xi'an, passed through the Western corridor beyond the Yellow Rivers, Xinjiang, Fergana (in present-day eastern Uzbekistan), Persia (Iran), and Iraq before joining the western boundary of the Roman Empire. A route for caravans, the northern Silk Road brought to China many goods such as "dates, saffron powder and pistachio nuts from Persia; frankincense, aloes and myrrh from Somalia; sandalwood from India; glass bottles from Egypt, and other expensive and desirable goods from other parts of the world." In exchange, the caravans sent back bolts of silk brocade, lacquer ware and porcelain.

The southern route

The southern route is mainly a single route running through northern India, then the TurkestanCKhorasan region into Mesopotamia and Anatolia; having southward spurs enabling the journey to be completed by sea from various points. It runs south through the Sichuan Basin in China and crosses the high mountains into northeast India, probably via the Ancient tea route. It then travels west along the Brahmaputra and Ganges river plains, possibly joining the Grand Trunk Road west of Varanasi. It runs through northern Pakistan and over the Hindu Kush mountains, into Afghanistan, to rejoin the northern route briefly near Merv.

It then follows a nearly straight line west through mountainous northern Iran and the northern tip of the Syrian Desert to the Levant. From there, Mediterranean trading ships plied regular routes to Italy, and land routes went either north through Anatolia or south to North Africa. Another branch road traveled from Herat through Susa to Charax Spasinu at the head of the Persian Gulf and across to Petra and and on to Alexandria and other eastern Mediterranean ports from where ships carried the cargoes to Rome.

Railway

The last available link on the Silk Road was completed in 1994, when the international railway between Almaty in Kazakhstan and Urumqi in Xinjiang opened.

Sea

As much as fourteen hundred years ago, during China's Eastern Han Dynasty, the sea route although not part of the formal Silk Route, led from the mouth of the Red River near modern Hanoi, through the Malacca Straits to Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and India, and then on to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea kingdom of Axum and eventual Roman ports.

From ports on the Red Sea goods, including silks, were transported overland to the Nile and then to Alexandria from where they were shipped to Rome, Constantinople and other Mediterranean ports. Another branch of these sea routes led down the East African coast (called "Azania" by the Greeks and Romans and "Zesan" by the Chinese) at least as far as the port known to the Romans as "Rhapta," which was probably located in the delta of the Rufiji River in modern Tanzania.

The Silk Road extends from southern China to present day Brunei, Thailand, Malacca, Ceylon, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Iran and Iraq. In Europe it extends from Israel, Lebanon (Collectively, the Levant), Egypt, and Italy (Historically Venice) in the Mediterranean Sea to other European ports or caravan routes such as the great Hanseatic League fairs via the Spanish road and other Alpine routes.

Cultural exchanges on the Silk Road

The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism to China started in the 1st century CE with a semi-legendary account of an embassy sent to the West by the Chinese Emperor Ming (58 C 75 C.E.). Extensive contacts however started in the 2nd century C.E., probably as a consequence of the expansion of the Kushan empire into the Chinese territory of the Tarim Basin, with the missionnary efforts of a great number of Central Asian Buddhist monks to Chinese lands. The first missionaries and translators of Buddhists scriptures into Chinese were either Parthian, Kushan, Sogdian or Kuchean.

From the 4th century onward, Chinese pilgrims also started to travel to India, the origin of Buddhism, by themselves in order to get improved access to the original scriptures, with Fa-hsien's pilgrimage to India (395 - 414), and later Xuan Zang (629 - 644). The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism essentially ended around the 7th century with the rise of Islam in Central Asia.

Artistic transmission

Many artistic influences transited along the Silk Road, especially through the Central Asia, where Hellenistic, Iranian, Indian and Chinese influence were able to intermix. In particular Greco-Buddhist art represent one of the most vivid examples of this interaction.

Buddhist deities

The image of the Buddha, originating during the 1st century in northern India (areas of Gandhara and Mathura) was transmitted progressively through Central Asia and China until it reached Korea in the 4th century and Japan in the 6th century. However the transmission of many iconographical details are clear, such as the Hercules inspiration behind the Nio guardian deities in front of Japanese Buddhist temples, and also representations of the Buddha reminiscent of Greek art such as the Buddha in Kamakura.

Another Buddhist deity, Shukongoshin, is also an interesting case of transmission of the image of the famous Greek god Herakles to the Far-East along the Silk Road. Herakles was used in Greco-Buddhist art to represent Vajrapani, the protector of the Buddha, and his representation was then used in China, Korea, and Japan to depict the protector gods of Buddhist temples.

Wind god

The name of the west wind in Greek is Zephyr. Various other artistic influences from the Silk Road can be found in Asia, one of the most striking being that of the Greek Wind God Boreas, transiting through Central Asia and China to become the Japanese Shinto wind god Fujin.

Floral scroll pattern

Finally the Greek artistic motif of the floral scroll was transmitted from the Hellenistic world to the area of the Tarim Basin around the 2nd century, as seen in Serindian art and wooden architectural remains. It then was adopted by China between the 4th and 6th century and displayed on tiles and ceramics; then it transmitted to Japan in the form of roof tile decorations of Japanese Buddhist temples circa 7th century, particularly in Nara temple building tiles, some of them exactly depicting vines and grapes.

Technological transfer

The period of the High Middle Ages in Europe and East Asia saw major technological advances, including the diffusion through the Silk Road of the precursor to movable type printing, gunpowder, the astrolabe, and the compass.

Korean maps such as the Kangnido and Islamic mapmaking seem to have influenced the emergence of the first European practical world maps, such as those of De Virga or Fra Mauro. Ramusio, a contemporary, states that Fra Mauro's map is "an improved copy of the one brought from Cathay by Marco Polo". Large Chinese junks were also observed by these travelers and may have provided impetus to develop larger ships in Europe.

History

Hellenistic era

The first major step in opening the Silk Road between the East and the West came with the expansion of Alexander the Great's empire into Central Asia. In August 329 B.C., at the mouth of the Fergana Valley in Tajikistan he founded the city of Alexandria Eschate or "Alexandria The Furthest". This later became a major staging point on the northern Silk Route.

In 323 B.C., Alexander the Great's successors, the Ptolemaic dynasty, took control of Egypt. They actively promoted trade with Mesopotamia, India, and East Africa through their Red Sea ports and over land. This was assisted by a number of intermediaries, especially the Nabataeans and other Arabs.

The Greeks remained in Central Asia for the next three centuries, first through the administration of the Seleucid Empire, and then with the establishment of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in Bactria. They continued to expand eastward, especially during the reign of Euthydemus (230 - 200 B.C.) who extended his control beyond Alexandria Eschate to Sogdiana. There are indications that he may have led expeditions as far as Kashgar in Chinese Turkestan, leading to the first known contacts between China and the West around 200 B.C.. The Greek historian Strabo writes "they extended their empire even as far as the Seres (China) and the Phryni."

Chinese exploration of Central Asia

The next step came around 130 B.C., with the embassies of the Han Dynasty to Central Asia, following the reports of the ambassador Zhang Qian (who was originally sent to obtain an alliance with the Yuezhi against the Xiongnu). The Chinese Emperor Wu Di became interested in developing commercial relationship with the sophisticated urban civilizations of Ferghana, Bactria and Parthia: "The Son of Heaven on hearing all this reasoned thus: Ferghana (Dayuan) and the possessions of Bactria (Ta-Hsia) and Parthia (Anxi) are large countries, full of rare things, with a population living in fixed abodes and given to occupations somewhat identical with those of the Chinese people, but with weak armies, and placing great value on the rich produce of China" (Hou Hanshu, Later Han History).

The "Silk Road" essentially came into being from the 1st century BCE, following these efforts by China to consolidate a road to the Western world and India, both through direct settlements in the area of the Tarim Basin and diplomatic relations with the countries of the Dayuan, Parthians and Bactrians further west. The Han Dynasty Chinese army regularly policed the trade route against nomadic bandit forces generally identified as the Xiongnu or Huns. Han general Ban Chao led an army of 70,000 mounted infantry and light cavalry troops in the 1st century C.E. to secure the trade routes, reaching far west across central Asia to the doorstep of Europe, and setting up base on the shores of the Caspian Sea in cooperation with the Parthian Kingdom under Pacorus II of Parthia.

A maritime "Silk Route" opened up between Chinese-controlled Jiaozhi (centred in modern Vietnam [see map above], near Hanoi) probably by the 1st century. It extended, via ports on the coasts of India and Sri Lanka, all the way to Roman-controlled ports in Egypt and the Nabataean territories on the northeastern coast of the Red Sea.

The Roman Empire

Soon after the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 B.C., regular communications and trade between India, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, China, the Middle East, Africa and Europe blossomed on an unprecedented scale. The party of Maes Titianus became the travellers who penetrated farthest east along the Silk Road from the Mediterranean world, probably with the aim of regularizing contacts and reducing the role of middlemen, during one of the lulls in Rome's intermittent wars with Parthia, which repeatedly obstructed movement along the Silk Road.

Medieval era

The unification of Central Asia and Northern India within Kushan empire in the first to third centuries reinforced the role of the powerful merchants from Bactria and Taxila. They fostered multi-cultural interaction as indicated by their 2nd century treasure hoards filled with products from the Greco-Roman world, China and India, such as in the archeological site of Begram.

Mongol era

The Mongol expansion throughout the Asian continent from around 1215 to 1360 helped bring political stability and re-establish the Silk Road (via Karakorum). The Chinese Mongol diplomat Rabban Bar Sauma visited the courts of Europe in 1287 - 1288 and provided a detailed written report back to the Mongols.

Around the same time, the Venetian explorer Marco Polo became one of the first Europeans to travel the Silk Road to China, and his tales, documented in Ptolemaic dynasty, opened Western eyes to some of the customs of the Far East. He was not the first to bring back stories, but he was one of the widest-read. He had been preceded by numerous Christian missionaries to the East, such as William of Rubruck, Benedykt Polak, Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, and Andrew of Longjumeau. Later envoys included Odoric of Pordenone, Giovanni de' Marignolli, John of Montecorvino, Niccolo Da Conti, or Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan Muslim traveller, who passed through the present-day Middle East and across the Silk Road from Tabriz, between 1325 - 1354.

Silk Road Highlights

Silk Road Highlights Related

Silk attraction highlights

"A silkworm spins all its silk till its death and a candle won't stop its tears until it is fully burnt." This Tang poem accurately describes the property of the silkworm. Silk, a symbol of China, can now be found everywhere in the world.

• Hangzhou

• China National Silk Museum
• Bayunxiang Silk Clothing Shop

Journey to the West attraction highlights

A monk and his three students go to the west to get true sutura - this is the book Journey to the West. Which belongs to the four great Chinese novels and is known throughout the world.

• Turpan

Silk Road FAQ & Travelers's Tips

1. I know the big rivers in China divide this country into different drainage areas. Can you introduce some famous rivers for me?
2. Which one is the longest river in China?
3. Why Chinese refer to the Yellow River as "the Mother River" and "the Cradle of the Chinese civilization?"
4. If I want to pay a visit to the Yangtze River, Could you recommend some famous scenic areas?
5. I am interested in the three Yangze River Gorges, May I know more about them?
6. Which is the most convenient way If I pay a visit to the three Yangze River Gorges?
7. Could you recommend some famous mountains in China?
8. Can you recommend some of the Five Sacred Mountains briefly?
9. Can you recommend some good choices if I want to climb mountain?
10. What is the best time to climb mountains in China such as the five famous mountains? Can I reserve rooms on the top of the mountains?
11. There is a saying in China: east or west, Guilin is the best. Why do we say that?
12. Silk Road is an imaginary place for me. Could you give a general introduction?
13. What is the best season to visit the Silk Road?
14. Why Giant Panda is referred to a Chinese national treasure?

1. I know the big rivers in China divide this country into different drainage areas. Can you introduce some famous rivers for me?

   Sure, there are some long rivers they divide China into different regions such as Yangtze River, Yellow River, Qinhuai River, Huai River, Yalu River and some other rivers.
   




2. Which one is the longest river in China?

   I should say the Yangtze River (Changjiang), over 6,300 kilometers long, it is the largest and longest river in China, and the third-longest in the world. As the largest river in the region, the Yangtze is historically, culturally, and economically important to China.
   

3. Why Chinese refer to the Yellow River as "the Mother River" and "the Cradle of the Chinese civilization?"

   The Yellow River is called "the cradle of Chinese civilization," as its basin is the birthplace of the northern Chinese civilizations and is the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. But frequent devastating flooding, largely due to the elevated river bed in its lower course, has also earned it the unenviable name "China's Sorrow."




4. If I want to pay a visit to the Yangtze River, Could you recommend some famous scenic areas?

   Yes, the most impressive section of the river is the three Yangtze River Gorges: Qutang Gorge, Wuxia Gorge and Xiling Gorge, collectively known as Sanxia, or the Three Gorges.
   
   
   
   

5. I am interested in the three Yangze River Gorges, May I know more about them?

   Qutang Gorge, Rocky Mountains rise perpendicularly like walls on both sides of the river squeezing the broad river into a narrow ribbon threading its way in the Qutang Gorge. The turbulent waters flowing in the deep gorge along a continuous line of peaks make a most magnificent picture. Wuxia Gorge is noted for its deep and serene scenes. Wuxia Gorge is full of zigzag, weird peaks, rising mists and beautiful sights. The famous Twelve Peaks on both banks of the river, in particular, are the most spectacular. These strange-looking peaks are like a fairy maid dancing. And Xiling Gorge is known for dangerous rapids and numerous shoals, the latter including the Qingtan, Kongling and Xietan shoals.
   
   

6. Which is the most convenient way If I pay a visit to the three Yangze River Gorges?

   In most cases, steamboat is your favorite choice. When the steamboat ploughed across the largest river, you can enjoy the spectacular scenery on both sides.
   
   
   

7. Could you recommend some famous mountains in China?

   There are Five Sacred Mountains in China. They are the Eastern Mountain - Mt. Taishan, the Sounthern Mountain C Mt. Hengshan, the Western Mountain C Mt. Huashan, the Northern Mountain C Mt. Hengshan and the Central Mountain C Mt. Songshan.
   

8. Can you recommend some of the Five Sacred Mountains briefly?

   I will introduce you the most representative two mountains: Mt. Taishan and Mt. Huashan. Towering in the central part of Shandong Province, Mt. Taishan, with its elevation of 1545 meters above sea level, is the first of China's five sacred mountains and one of the national major famous scenic areas. Standing in Huayin County, 120 km east of Xi'an City, the Mt. Huashan is noted for its sheer cliffs and towering peaks. The peaks are connected by a series of sharp ridges, generally only wide enough to accommodate one person at a time Along the touring route, tourists can visit many amazing ancient buildings perched on the knife-sharp edges.

    

9. Can you recommend some good choices if I want to climb mountain?

   I should mention the Eastern Mountain - Mt. Taishan. There is a saying that Mt.Taishan is the preeminent of the Five Sacred Mountains. Mt. Taishan has an extremely rich cultural heritage. It has always been regarded as pre-eminent among China's five sacred mountains. It was also a symbol of power. And secondly, I should say Mt. Huangshan. It is often said that enjoy Huangshan Mountain, there're no more mountains! Mt. Huangshan can boast not only of its magnificence but also its abundant resources and great variety of zoological species, for which it has been listed as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site.




10. What is the best time to climb mountains in China such as the five famous mountains? Can I reserve rooms on the top of the mountains?

    Sure, we can always make the arrangement according to your requirements. If you want to stay one night on the top of the mountain, please let us know so that we can inform the hotels beforehand to meet your needs. Actually, different seasons have different scene, but there is one rule you should to follow that is to avoid the high tourist season in China.
    
    

11. There is a saying in China: east or west, Guilin is the best. Why do we say that?

    Guilin is the world famous scenery tour city, has the matchless karst landform. Here mountain, the flat land pulls out, differ in thousands of ways; The Lijiang River water, winds windingly, the clear and bright like mirror; The mountain has the hole, the hole peaceful scene is wonderful, magnificent sight. So she got the name.
    
    

12. Silk Road is an imaginary place for me. Could you give a general introduction?

    Silk Road is one of the world's oldest and most historically important trade routes and its influences on the culture of China, Central Asia and the West. It is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting East and West Asia by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads and urban dwellers from China to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.
    

13. What is the best season to visit the Silk Road?

    The months of May and October are the best time to travel the Silk Road. The summer can be searingly hot. The winter is freezing. During May, the average temperature along the Silk Road is around 15 C. The scenery is most beautiful during May. The accumulated winter snow on the tableland is melting. The grass is turning green. Visitors can enjoy this enchanting scenery without suffering extreme temperatures.
    
    

14. Why Giant Panda is referred to a Chinese national treasure?

    The Giant Panda is a mammal classified in the bear family (Ursidae), native to central-western and southwestern China. In recent decades the Giant Panda has also served as an emblem for the country. Its image appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and platinum coins. The species is a favorite of the public, at least in part because many people find that it has a baby-like cuteness. So we had a panda, called Pan Pan as one of our mascots of the 2008 Olympic Games, which implied expecting peace, friendship and good results of the athletes.