Reason:
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; North Road runs from Dunhuang to Jiaohe, Qiuci and Shule, crosses Qingji to Dawan, and stops at Xijing to Daqin. Its original function was to transport silk produced in ancient China. That is, cloth.
The significance of the Silk Road:
Although the communication between Han and the western regions was originally for military purposes, its influence went far beyond the military category after the opening of the western regions. From Dunhuang in the Western Han Dynasty, out of Yumen Pass, into Xinjiang, and then connecting Central Asia and West Asia from Xinjiang, an east-west passage is unimpeded again. This passage is the famous "Silk Road" in later generations. The Silk Road connected many countries in the Western Han Dynasty and Central Asia and promoted political, economic, military and cultural exchanges between them. Because the feudal central government in China called the border minorities "foreigners", Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions contributed to the first integration of Han and Yi cultures. More than a dozen plants, such as walnuts, grapes, pomegranates, broad beans and alfalfa, have been gradually cultivated in the Central Plains. Musical instruments such as Qiuci music and Huqin have enriched the cultural life of the Han people. The Han army used underground well-drilling technology, commonly known as "karez", when plowing fields in Shanshan, auto market and other places, which was gradually popularized in the local area. In addition, Dawan's blood horse was very famous in the Han Dynasty, and it was called "Tianma". At that time, countries from the west of Dawan to the rest country did not produce silk and did not know how to cast iron. Later, envoys and skirmishers of the Han Dynasty passed on these technologies. The westward advance of China's silk and iron smelting industry has made great contributions to the development of human civilization.