The "Silk Road on Land" is a land trade channel connecting the hinterland of China and all parts of Europe. It was formed in the 2nd century BC to 1 century A.D. and remained in use until16th century. It is the main road of economic, political and cultural exchanges between East and West. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, which formed the basic trunk road of the Western Regions. It starts from Chang 'an in the Western Han Dynasty (Luoyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty) in the west and passes through Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang. Starting from Dunhuang, it is divided into two roads: South Road from Dunhuang passes through Loulan, Yutian and shache, passes through Qingji, now Pamir to Da Yue, rests in peace, and reaches Tiaozhi and Daqin in the west; The North Road runs from Dunhuang to Jiaohe, Qiuci and Shule, crosses Qingji to Dawan, rests in the west longitude and reaches Daqin. [2] Its original function was to transport silk produced in ancient China. Therefore, when the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen first named it "Silk Road" in 1970s, it was widely accepted.
The Maritime Silk Road was an ancient maritime passage for communication, trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. It is mainly centered on the South China Sea, so it is also called the South China Sea Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road was formed in the Qin and Han Dynasties, developed from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties and changed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This is the oldest known sea route.