This is a 2000 years old passage linking China with Europe ...
As the West met the East, Kingdoms were formed and battles fought. Religions and social customs conflicted and merged. People intermarried and migrated. Religions spread, carrying along their great artistic achievement-
Fascinating are those left over today. Numerous historical and cultural relics are telling us of their old glorious civilization.
Why is it called Silk Road?
China was the world’s first country to breed silkworms and produce silk.
In 138 BC, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 220) sent the general Zhang Qian to seek a military alliance with his Persian neighbors to the west. It was actually a web of caravan tracks that starts in the old capital of and Xi’an, passing through south and central Asia and winding its way along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. One extremely important trade item was silk among other goods like gold, precious metals and stones, ivory, spices, tea, paper, textiles and chinaware.
This ancient trade route was what we now know as the Silk Road, which had become the main artery for the flow of goods between China and the West since then.
Routes of the Silk Road in China
The Silk Road owns a total length of more than 7,000 km of which over 4000 km are in China. The routes vary due to their different destinations in the west in the different dynasties. But there are three main routes: the north route, the middle route, and the south route.
The three routes should actually be considered as one route at the first part before they reach Loulan of Xingjiang, which is from Xi'an - Lanzhou -- the Hexi Corridor -- Wuwei -- Zhangye -- Jiuquan -- Dunhuang -- Yumen Guan (Yang Guan) -- Loulan.
The north route runs from Loulan - Hami - Turpan - Urumqi - Yining - Yili -- west to coast of the Caspian Sea.
The middle route runs from Loulan -- Kuqa -- Aksu -- Kashgar -- west to Iran and to Rome along the coast of Mediterranean Sea.
The south route runs from Loulan - Qiemo - Yutian - Shache -- south to India and Southeast to the direction of Afghan.
For more information, please check at http://www.easytourchina.com/
