The Silk Road in China

The traditional Silk Road starts from Chang 'an, the ancient capital of China, passes through Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, and reaches the Mediterranean Sea, ending in Rome, with a total length of 6,44 kilometers.

This road is considered to be the intersection of ancient eastern and western civilizations connecting Asia and Europe, and silk is the most representative goods. For thousands of years, nomads or tribes, businessmen, Christians, diplomats, soldiers and academic investigators have been moving around along the Silk Road.

With the development of the times, the Silk Road has become a general name for all political, economic and cultural exchanges between ancient China and the West. There is the "Northwest Silk Road", the official channel for Zhang Qian to open the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty; There is the "Prairie Silk Road" that goes north to the Mongolian Plateau and then westward to the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and enters Central Asia.

There is the rugged "Southwest Silk Road" from Chang 'an to Chengdu and then to India. There is also the "Maritime Silk Road" for maritime trade from coastal cities such as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou and Yangzhou, from Nanyang to the Arabian Sea and even as far as the east coast of Africa.

Extended information:

Maritime Silk Road:

It covers a wide range, including Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia and Europe. There are many countries in history, and ethnic relations are complex, so the route often changes, which can be roughly divided into three roads: south, middle and north:

1. The south road is westbound from Congling, and after crossing the Hindu Kush Mountain to Kabul, Afghanistan, it is divided into two roads, and one west to Hera. The other line goes south from Peshawar to South Asia.

2. The Middle Road (Hanbei Road) crosses the Green Ridge to the northwest of Langcheng, with one meeting with Nandaohui and the other passing through Tehran and Nandaohui.

3. Beixin Road is also divided into two branches, which will go west to Mulu and Zhongdaohui via Gonghan (now Fergana), Kang (now Samarkand) and An (now Bukhara). After crossing the Ross River, it goes northwest along the Syr Darya River, bypasses the Aral Sea and the northern shore of the Caspian Sea, reaches Tana on the east coast of the Azov Sea, and turns to Kerch by water to reach Constantinople.

The Maritime Silk Road started in Qin and Han Dynasties, flourished in Sui and Tang Dynasties, flourished in Song and Yuan Dynasties, reached its peak in the early Ming Dynasty, and declined in the middle of Ming Dynasty due to the maritime ban. The important starting points of the Maritime Silk Road are Quanzhou, Panyu (now Guangzhou), Mingzhou (now Ningbo), Yangzhou, Dengzhou (now Penglai) and Liujiagang.

There may be two or more starting points of the Maritime Silk Road in the same dynasty. The largest ports are Guangzhou and Quanzhou. Guangzhou was the largest commercial port in China from Qin and Han Dynasties to Tang and Song Dynasties. In Ming and Qing Dynasties, the sea ban was implemented, and Guangzhou became the only port open to the outside world in China. Quanzhou originated in the Tang Dynasty and became the largest port in the East in the Song and Yuan Dynasties.

Reference:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Silk Road