The Silk Road

The Silk Road

The Silk Road was a trade route network that acted as a physical connection between the East and West. The trade route had cultural, religious, and political benefits to the regions which were experienced between the Second Century (BCE) to the 18^th Century[1]. The Silk Road was a land route that connected both East Asia and South East Asia with South Asia, East Africa, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southern Europe[2]. Its name is derived from the lucrative trade in Silk, which was the main trade commodity at the time for the Chinese. The trade began in the First Century in Han Dynasty China, which was later expanded to Central Asia and led to the Chinese Imperial envoy known as Zhang Qian being explored. Some of the most significant features of the route included the extension of the Great Wall of China as a security measure for the Chinese trade products. Trade along the Silk Road trade was vital to the development of the civilizations of Korea, Japan, Iran, India as a continent, Europe, Arabia, Horn of Africa and China.

The Silk Road constituted several routes which were, the Northern and Southern Route, which bypassed the Desert of Taklamakan in North West China and Lop Nur in South East Xinjiang, the maritime Route and South Western Route. According to Dr. Wang Shida, a Lecturer at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, each route was significant due to the products traded. For example, Dr. Shida indicated that the Northern Route was also known as a route for caravans. It brought to China goods such as saffron powder, dates, and pistachio from Persia, sandalwood from India, aloes, frankincense and myrrh from Somalia, glass bottles from Egypt as well as many more expensive goods which were desired from different parts of the world. The route started at Changan, which is currently known as Xian and traveled Northwest Gansu province. From there, it split into three parts[3].  Silk was the main commodity sent back to Chine as well as porcelain and lacquer-ware. The Southern route was a single road that connected China and Pakistan through the Karakoram Mountains. The Southwestern Route was also known as the Ganges or Brahmaputra Delta which according to Daniel C.

Waugh a lecturer at University of Washington, the route was used for shipping gold and silver as well as other minerals from Yunnan during the 12^th Century[4]. The route connected, Sichuan a town in Southwest China, Yunnan also in Southwest China, Burma a country in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh this served as an intersection for the North and Southern Routes[5]. The maritime Route was also an intersection that covered several bodies of water among them The South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Strait of Malacca, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Bengal, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf[6].

Silk was the main commodity traded, being exported from China and exchanged with other products, as shown earlier[7]. However, with trade, other major ideas were exchanged, such as religions, mainly Buddhism. Kym Anderson, in his work ”New Silk Roads’’ indicates that the transmission of Buddhism to China began in the 1^st Century via the Silk Road, where it spread throughout Southeast, Central and  East Asia[8]. The primary forms of Buddhism that were spread included, Mahayana, Theravada as well as Tibetan. Other ideas included sciences and technologies such as gunpowder and paper. Anderson also illustrates that diseases such as plague were also spread via the Silk Road[9].

Silk being the main commodity along this trade route, it projected a sense of Chinese dominance in the trade. As such, China acquired hardy, ‘’heavenly’’ horses as well as enough food and gun powder from Ferghana which is the modern-day Uzbekistan[10]. Food and horses helped the Han China build a large, strong army that flexed its imperial power throughout Asia. The Chinese dominance helped the cities within China to grow in size as well as enhancing political stability, which led to increased demand for luxury goods from faraway places. Due to extensive trade with India, Buddhism was exchanged becoming a common practice in China[11]. It was even adopted by the native Chinese, becoming the native religion in China. Other than Han China, the trade also played a significant role in the rise of the Greek empire of Alexander the Great. Alexander extended his empire into Central Asia until there was contact between China and the West around 200 BCE[12].

In conclusion, products that were transacted through the Silk Road were significant to sides of the trade. The trade, however, helped open the world to modern-day globalization, world trade, technology, and colonization. The effects of the trade are still experienced to date with the scars of colonization being still vivid in most nations and more so due to the current spread of religions such as Buddhism, which is mostly practiced in China.

[1] Waugh, Daniel C. “Richthofen’s ‘Silk Roads’: Toward the archaeology of a concept.” The Silk Road 5, no. 1 (2007): 1-10.

[2] Elisseeff, Vadime, ed. The silk roads: Highways of culture and commerce. berghahn books, 2000.

 

[3] Zimmerman, Thomas. The New Silk Roads: China, the US, and the Future of Central Asia. Center on International Cooperation, 2015.

[4] Waugh, Daniel C. “Richthofen’s ‘Silk Roads’: Toward the archaeology of a concept.” The Silk Road 5, no. 1 (2007): 1-10.

[5] Ibid p 5

[6] Ibid p 6

[7] Zimmerman, Thomas. The New Silk Roads: China, the US, and the Future of Central Asia. Center on International Cooperation, 2015.

[8] Anderson, Kym, ed. The new silk roads: East Asia and world textile markets. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

[9] Ibid p 45

[10] Ibid p 56

[11] Ibid p 70

[12] Ibid p 78