The Silk Road to Central Asia and Europe

the silk road, or silk road for short. It refers to the land passage opened by Zhang Qian in the Western Han Dynasty (22-138 BC), starting from Chang 'an (now Xi 'an) and starting from Luoyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty, passing through Gansu and Xinjiang to Central Asia and West Asia, and connecting Mediterranean countries (this road is also called "Northwest Silk Road" to distinguish the other two traffic routes named "Silk Road" in the future). Because silk products have the greatest influence on the goods transported by this road west, it got this name (and a lot of silk was shipped by us in China). Its basic trend is set in the Han Dynasty, including three routes: South Road, Middle Road and North Road. The Silk Road is a historically trans-Eurasian trade transportation line, which has promoted friendly exchanges between Europe, Asia, Africa and China. China is the hometown of silk, and in the trade through this route, silk is the most representative commodity exported by China. In the second half of 19th century, German geographer Richthofen called this land transportation route "Silk Road". Since then, historians at home and abroad have agreed with this statement, which is still in use today. After Zhang Qian passed through the western regions, it officially opened this land passage from China to Europe and Africa. This road starts from Chang 'an, the capital of the Western Han Dynasty, and (in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it started from Luoyang, the capital) passes through the Hexi Corridor, and then it is divided into two routes: one is from Yangguan, passes through Shanshan, goes west along the northern foot of Kunlun Mountain, passes through shache, passes through the green ridge in the west, goes out to Dayue, and goes to rest, and passes through Plough (jiān, now Alexandria, Egypt, which was annexed by the Roman Empire in 3 BC. The other one goes out of Yumenguan Pass, passes through the former country of Cheshi, goes west along the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain, goes out of Shule, crosses the green ridge in the west, crosses Dawan, and reaches Kangju and Yancai (nomadic in the northwest of Kangju in the Western Han Dynasty, that is, the grassland in the northern Caspian Sea, and in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it belongs to Kangju). The Silk Road in a broad sense refers to the long-distance commercial, trade and cultural exchange routes that have been formed one after another since ancient times and spread all over Eurasia, even including North Africa and East Africa. In addition to the above routes, it also includes the Maritime Silk Road, which was formed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and played a great role in the late Ming Dynasty, and the Southern Silk Road, which appeared at the same time as the Northwest Silk Road and replaced the Northwest Silk Road as a communication channel on the road at the end of Yuan Dynasty. The word "Silk Road" originated from China published by German geographer ferdinand von richthofen in 1877, sometimes referred to as Silk Road. Although the Silk Road is the product of the promotion of economic and trade development by all countries along the route, many people believe that Zhang Qian in China opened a new era of Sino-foreign exchanges twice. And successfully opened the last bead curtain between East and West. Since then, this route has been stepped out as a "national road", and ambassadors and businessmen from various countries have been coming and going in an endless stream along the road opened in Zhang Qian. From princes and nobles to beggars and prisoners, they all left their footprints on this road. This east-west passage closely links the Central Plains and the Western Regions with Arabia and the Persian Gulf. After centuries of continuous efforts, the Silk Road extended westward to the Mediterranean Sea. In a broad sense, the eastern section of the Silk Road has reached South Korea and Japan, and the western section has reached France and the Netherlands. Italy and Egypt can also be reached by sea, which has become a road of friendship for economic and cultural exchanges between Asia, Europe and Africa. The route of the Silk Road The Silk Road can generally be divided into three sections, and each section can be divided into three lines: North, South and Central. Eastern section: From Chang 'an or Luoyang to Yumenguan and Yangguan. Middle section (opened in Han Dynasty): from Yumenguan and Yangguan to Congling. Western section (opened in Han Dynasty): From Congling to the west through Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. (Opened in the Tang Dynasty) The following are the names of important cities on various sections of the Silk Road (ancient place names in brackets). The safety and convenience of crossing Liupan Mountain and crossing the Yellow River are considered in the selection of routes in the eastern section. The third line starts from Chang 'an or Luoyang, joins Wuwei and Zhangye, and then goes along Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang. Northern Line: The route from Jingchuan, Guyuan and Jingyuan to Wuwei is the shortest, but it is not easy to supply water along the way. South Line: From Fengxiang, Tianshui, Longxi, Linxia, Ledu, Xining to Zhangye, but the road is long. Midline: From Jingchuan to Pingliang, Huining and Lanzhou to Wuwei, the distance and supply are moderate. Xi 'an (Chang 'an): Xumishan Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, Bingling Temple Grottoes Wuwei (Liangzhou) Zhangye (Ganzhou) Jiuquan (Suzhou) Dunhuang (Shazhou): Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes In the 1th century A.D., the Northern Song government opened a "Qinghai Road" from Tianshui to the Western Regions to bypass the territory of Xixia. It became a new trade route after the Song Dynasty. Caravans traveling to and from the Silk Road in the middle section of Solkuri Basin in Fuchengcheng, Xining, Tianshui. The middle part is mainly the routes in the western regions, which change with the changes of oases and deserts. There are many forks and branches in the middle of the third line, especially in the fourth town of Anxi (established in 64). South Road (also known as Khotan Road): It starts from Yangguan in the east, along the southern edge of Taklimakan Desert, and passes through Ruoqiang (Shanshan), Hotan (Khotan), shache, etc. to Congling. Yangguan Ruoqiang (Shanshan) and Qiemoniya (Jingjue) were one of the thirty-six western regions in the Western Han Dynasty. Hotan (Yutian) Middle Road: It starts from Yumenguan, along the northern edge of Taklimakan Desert, and passes through Lop Nur (Loulan), Turpan (Che Shi, Gaochang), Yanqi (Yuli), Kuqa (Kucha), Aksu (Gumo) and Kashi (Shule) to fergana valley (Dawan). Yumenguan Loulan (merged by Shanshan and now belongs to Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang) Turpan (Gaochang): Gaochang Old Town, Yaerhu Old Town, Baizi Creek Thousand Buddha Cave Yanqi (Yuli) Kuche (Qiuci): Kizil Thousand Buddha Cave, Kumutula Thousand Buddha Cave Aksu (Gumo) Kashi (Shule) North. Hami, the waterway is rich in Hami melon Urumqi, and the palindrome meaning is interpreted as the western section of the beautiful grassland Yining (Ili). From the west of Congling to Europe, it is the western section of the Silk Road, and its north, south and middle lines are connected with the middle line respectively. The route from Caspian Sea to Constantinople was opened in the middle of Tang Dynasty. Northern Line: Along the northern shore of Aral Sea, Caspian Sea and Black Sea, it passes through broken leaves, Viroth, astrakhan (Itil) and other places to Istanbul (Constantinople). Urumqi Almaty (Kazakhstan) dzhambul City (Viroth, now Kazakhstan City) Tokmak (Broken Leaf, now Kyrgyzstan City) Sarai (Russia) Istanbul, sakr (Constantinople, now Turkey City) Central Line: From Kashgar, take fergana valley, Samarkand, Bukhara and Mashhad (Iran) to join the southern line. Kashgar or Kashgar Peshawar: Khala Horin Avenue Kabul Bamiyan: The famous Bamiyan Buddha was destroyed by the Taliban in 21. South Line: From Pamir Mountain, it can enter Pakistan and India from Kashmir, and also travel to Europe from Peshawar, Kabul, Mashhad, Baghdad and Damascus. Mashhad (Iranian) Sabze Valh Hecatompylos (Fandou, and Xie) may be located between the present-day Iranda Mugan and Shahrud. ) Tehran Hamadan Kerman sahan Bakubai (Iraq) Baghdad Abu Hareb Fallujah: Follow the Euphrates River to Aleppo. Ramadi Alipo (Syrian) Damascus adana (Turkish) konya Antioch bursa Constantinople (Istanbul) In addition, there are the Southern Silk Road, which mainly communicates with South Asia, and the Maritime Silk Road, which runs along the coastal road.