Silk road
- In 139 BC, in a search for allies in the far west, Emperor Wudi (156–87 BC) of the Han Empire sent Zhang Qian (200–114 BC) as an embassador to Central Asia, and they realized that trade and travel would be profitable and beneficial. It was the beginning of the famous Silk Road.
- The Silk Road began over 2,100 years ago, linking China with the West, carrying goods and ideas between the two great civilizations of that time, Rome and China. Silk went westward, and wools, gold, and silver went east. China also received Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism (from India) via the Silk Road.
- The Silk Road was the longest ancient overland trade route. Originating at Xi’an (Sian), the 4,000-mile (6,400-km) road, actually a caravan tract, followed the Great Wall of China to the northwest, bypassed the Takla Makan Desert, climbed the Pamirs (mountains), crossed Afghanistan, and went on to the Levant; from there the merchandise was shipped across the Mediterranean Sea.
- The Silk Road only got its name in the 19th century. In 1877, Ferdinand Van Richthoten, a prominent geographer who worked in China from 1868 to 1872, coined the term ‘Silk Route’ while making a Silk Road map, because the Chinese mainly traded silk.
- The discovery of a sea route from Europe to Asia in the late 15th century dealt a damaging blow to the Silk Road trade. With less cost, harassment and danger, many goods and materials that the Silk Road could not transfer were conveyed through the sea route. Besides, the Persians had mastered the art of sericulture and the import of the silk from the East was reduced. Since then, the prosperous Silk Road was on its downhill. The bustling streets, wealthy cities and solid ramparts now were submerged in the vast desert, and today, people can only trace their splendid history in the endless ruined and dilapidated remains.
- Since 2013 China has started initiatives to rekindle the historical Silk Road. This billion upon billion dollar investment is meant to create modern infrastructures in areas less trodden and open up vast opportunities. With the One Belt, One Road initiative, China is linking up the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road to create connections with more than 60 countries along its path.