History of the Silk Road
Major Cities on the Silk Road
1. Xi'an is one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals and the home of the famous Terracotta Army.2. Xinjiang is praised highly as the "Home of Singing and Dancing" for its unique folk culture and customs.
3. Luoyang is one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals.
4. Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, has a history of more than 2,000 years.
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10-Day Silk Route Adventure
Itinerary:
Xi'an-Dunhuang-Turpan-Urumqi-Kashgar
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The Silk Road is the collective name given to a number of trade routes linking China and Roman Empire. The long and winding Silk Road in Northwest China has a history of more than two thousand years. This ancient route starts from the old capitals of Luoyang and Xi'an, crosses the Yellow River at Lanzhou. It then follows the "Gansu Corridor" and stretches along the edge of deserts and mountain ranges.
Trade along the route was conducted by Central Asian merchants, who brought horses, cattle, furs, hides and luxuries such as ivory and jade. New goods were also introduced to the Chinese by the traders, such as cucumbers, walnuts, sesame seeds, figs, alfalfa and pomegranates. New skills, such as using grapes to make wine, enriched China's ancient civilization.
The plodding caravans and the Central Asian merchants both became part of history. Today the Silk Road tells many stories of ancient times and the exchange of cultures. The thousands of kilometers are filled with cultural heritage and historical sites. The route has become increasingly popular among travelers.
The Silk Road refers to the ancient trade route between Central Asia and China. Originally, the Chinese traded silk internally within the empire. Caravans from the empire's interior would carry silk to the western edges of the region. They were often attacked by small Central Asian tribes who wanted to steal the traders' valuable commodities.
Silk Road Adventure Tours Discover the history and culture of the Silk Road, the world's oldest and most historically important overland trade route.
The Silk Road in the Han Dynasty
In order to protect caravans travelling from the interior of the Chinese Empire and assure the safety of trade, the Han Government dispatched General Zhang Qian (200–114 BC) as an envoy to build good relationships with these small nomadic states. Starting from Chang'an, today's Xi'an, which was the capital of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), Zhang led his team across the vast Western Regions and reached Loulan, Qiuzi and Yutian. He then established trade relations with these three small kingdoms.
Loulan, Qiuzi and Yutian were three important states in the Western Region at that time. They were all abandoned for uncertain reasons and travelers today can see ruins of these three once flourishing places. Loulan was located on the western banks of Lake Lop Nur, about 200 km (120 mi) south of Urumqi, but was subsequently covered by the desert. Qiuzi was once located in the present Kuche County of Aksu Prefecture, about 400 km (250 mi) southwest of Urumqi. Yutian is now called Hetian, a small prefecture level city on the southwest fringe of the Taklamakan Desert, about 1,000 km (600 mi) southwest of Urumqi.
Zhang's officers went even further into Central Asia. All of the kingdoms that Zhang and his team visited sent their envoys to visit Chang'an to express their appreciation for the new relationship and show their respect to the Han Government. From then on, merchants could travel on the silk route safely, and they began to explore this new route in order to carry silk from China to other parts of the world.
The Silk Road in the Tang Dynasty
In the Tang Dynasty (618–917) the Silk Road was controlled by the Tuque Tribe, who allied with small states in the Western Region against the Tang Government and disrupted trade. The Tang Dynasty later conquered the Tuque Tribe, reopened the route, and further promoted trading, resulting in a boom in trade with the West.
The famous Chinese Monk Xuanzang (602–664) traveled the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty. Xuanzhang began his trip from Chang'an (today's Xian) and passed through the Hexi Corridor (the area west of the Yellow River), Hami (Xinjiang Region) and Turpan (Xinjiang Region) and continued his journey westward to India. Xuanzang was surprised by the warm reception he received along the way. It was commonly believed that people in those states were brutal, wild and uncontrollable. Xuangzang's trip changed his altitude toward the nomadic tribes in the Western Region and this contributed greatly to the Tang government's friendly relationship with these states. However, by 760 AD, the Tang Government had lost control of the Western Region and trade on the Silk Road was halted.
The Silk Road in the Yuan Dynasty
Trade on the Silk Road revived tremendously during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), when China became largely dependent on its silk trade. Genghis Khan conquered all the small states, unified China and built a large empire under his rule. Trade along the Silk Road reached its zenith during this period. The famous traveler Marco Polo (1254–1324) traveled along the Silk Road visiting the Yuan capital city Dadu (today's Beijing), and wrote his famous book about the Orient. In his book, he mentioned a special board held by merchants. This board was a special passport issued by the Yuan government to the merchants to protect their trade and free movement within the country. Preferential treatment was given to merchants and trade boomed. The Chinese traded silk for medicines, perfumes, slaves and precious stones.
As overland trade became increasingly dangerous, and travel by sea became more popular, trade along the Silk Road declined. While the Chinese did maintain a silk-fur trade with the Russians north of the original Silk Route, by the end of the fourteenth century, trade and travel along the road had decreased significantly.
