Remote Silk Road, oasis civilization and ancient city that were buried by sand, honest businessman and robber of Silk Road, all these are mysterious and remote.
Silk Road is the trade communication line of the Eurasia in history. Silk Road links ancient Asia, Africa and Europe together closely, become the friendship way that Asia, Europe, African various countries intercommunion of economy and culture. Through Silk Road, silk fabrics, silk damask of China etc., transport to Middle East and Europe continually. So, in ancient times, Greece, Rome call China “Seres” country, call Chinese “Seres” People. The “Seres” meaning is silk.
Silk Road is a visual and proper name. Because of the silk fabrics is the most influential goods in this road. Silk is the representative goods which ancient China exported trade.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the envoy Qian Zhang was sent to the Western Regions twice, pioneer Silk Road. The envoy and businessman of various countries are along the road which Qian Zhang pioneered, come and go. The envoy, the businessman, nobility or beggar and robber, all one’s has left their footprint on this road.
Roman join this trade route too, Romans begin to be infatuated with Chinese silk from the 1st century. The young girls of Rome wear the semitransparent silk clothes to show off in the street. People can see their wonderful body through their semitransparent silk clothing. At that time, the price of silk has gone up to the sky-high price that about 0.6 kilograms of gold per pound on the market of ancient Rome. Not merely that Roman are interested in the Eastern things. The famous Cleopatra once meets the envoy in silk coat in Egyptian history. She very love the silk fabrics too.
In the Tang Dynasty, the trade and business of Silk Road is the most prosperous. Silk, the pottery, plant, crude drug, the spices, pigment, the jewel, gold and silver, ore, metal, the weapon, books, the musical instrument, even domestic animal, wild animal, all these are the goods traded at that time.
However, because of the incessant war, many ancient country of the Western Regions becomes extinct gradually, become to the trace that witness the resplendence of Silk Road in quicksand. The Land Silk Road is blocked by the war, declines gradually.
In Sung Dynasty, the Chinese economic center was moved in the south gradually, southern trade obviously increased, China’s shipbuilding and navigation technology are developed rapidly, the invention of the compass, all these conditions make maritime Silk Road substitute land Silk Road. Maritime Silk Road becomes the main way that China contacts with world.
The mainly goods that maritime Silk Road transport are silk, pottery, tea, the ironware, spices, flowers and plants, etc.. In the Ming Dynasty, when Zhen He travelled to the West, maritime Silk Road developed into summit. But, during Qing Dynasty, prohibited the ocean shipping, the navigation industry of China began to decline, this maritime Silk Road declines gradually that once made enormous contribution to intercourse of east and west too.
In a word, Silk Road is a great road. Silk Road has promoted the intercourse of economy, culture, religion, science and technology of east and west, to create the human new civilization, have made great contribution.
