The opening of the Silk Road effectively promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and played a positive role in promoting the prosperity of the Han Dynasty. This Silk Road is still an important channel for communication between China and the West. At the moment of industrialization, it completed its mission. Instead, it is the 10900 km international railway line from Lianyungang in the east and Rotterdam in the Netherlands in the west. However, it still has new value to develop.
Commodity Exchange
The Silk Road is just like the name of the Silk Road. On this long road of more than 7,000 kilometers, silk, like porcelain also originated in China, became a symbol of prosperity and civilization in East Asia at that time. Silk is not only an important luxury consumer goods on the Silk Road, but also an effective political tool for China dynasties. China's diplomatic envoys to the western regions and even further countries often regard silk as an effective means to express the friendship between the two countries. Moreover, the spread of silk to the west has slightly changed the impression of China in western countries. As the high prices of silk and porcelain spread to Constantinople, quite a few people think that China and even East Asia are rich areas with rich products. Heads of state and nobles used to wear China silk dyed with Phoenician red and use porcelain as a symbol of glory at home. In addition, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan also flows into Europe and Asia with the caravan. The widespread spread of this kind of trade commodity far before silk in Eurasia has contributed to the promotion of trade exchanges between Europe and Asia. This precious commodity was once a symbol of national wealth in the two river basins. After lapis lazuli was spread to India, it was regarded as one of the seven treasures of Buddhism by Buddhists there, adding a long religious color to lapis lazuli. The spread of grapes, walnuts, carrots, peppers, beans, spinach (also known as Persian food), cucumbers (called cucurbitaceae plants in Chinese) and pomegranates has added more choices to the daily diet of East Asians. After historical development, the wines from the western regions have been integrated into the traditional wine culture in China. Caravans mainly transport iron, gold, silver, mirrors and other luxuries from China. What is shipped to China are rare animals and birds, plants, furs, medicinal materials, spices and jewels.
cultural exchange
The sketch technology of the ancient Silk Road in China spread to the west. At present, the oldest known printed matter: the Diamond Sutra of the Tang Dynasty was discovered in Dunhuang. Papermaking has made great contributions to China's leading position in ancient science and technology in the world. However, it seems that only some countries in East Asia and South Asia have developed the paper industry. With the opening of the Silk Road, paper products began to appear in the Western Regions and beyond. People found ancient paper from the 2nd century in the archaeological site of Loulan. Although paper is also used in Central Asia, there is no evidence of paper industry. Many people believe that the spread of papermaking to the west has brought great changes to Europe and Central Asia, but the initial changes were cruel: the forces of the Tang Dynasty and the emerging Abbas dynasty in Central Asia were constantly rubbing. During the Nero War, which had a strong influence on the political situation in Central Asia, Arabs brought China prisoners of war back to Samarkand along the Silk Road, and among these prisoners of war were China craftsmen who were good at papermaking. Finally, papermaking spread all over the world. The Silk Road area in the Western Regions is densely covered with deserts, and the prosperity of all countries is often inseparable from water. Snowmelt water in Tianshan and Kunlun Mountains is one of the main water sources in the western region. However, collecting snow water is not easy. After melting, the accumulated water at the foot of the mountain will evaporate or seep into the ground in a short time. Since the Han Dynasty sent troops to the western regions to hoard and develop agriculture, Karez and well canal technology, which spread in mountainous areas, was used by soldiers in the western regions who also needed water, and gradually spread to further countries. Whether Karez technology was introduced into the Western Regions from China or Persia has always been a controversial issue. However, it has been proved that the well canal technology and well drilling methods were spread to the west from China. According to Records of the Historian, Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, led troops to attack Dawan in order to cut off the water and besieged the city. However, "Imakiayahito in Wancheng knows how to drill a well", which made Dawan people persist for a long time. Printing in ancient China was also one of the technologies that spread westward along the Silk Road. Wood blocks and some paper products used for block printing were found in Dunhuang and Turpan. Among them, the engraving of the Diamond Sutra in the Tang Dynasty is still preserved in Britain. This shows that printing had spread to Central Asia at least in the Tang Dynasty. During the13rd century, many European travelers came to China along the Silk Road and brought this technology back to Europe. In 65438+5th century, Johannes Gutenberg, a European, printed a Bible by printing. 1466, the first printing factory appeared in Italy, which made this technology convenient for cultural exchange spread quickly throughout Europe.
The exchange of religious ideas
Western missionaries discovered in the northern part of China in the Tang Dynasty (7th century) are just like the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Buddhism spread from the "Silk Road" sub-tunnels on the north and south sides of the Taklimakan Desert to the western countries. There are still many stories about the introduction of Buddhism into the western regions. However, at home and abroad, "the basic view of academic circles is that Buddhism was introduced to the western regions as early as the 2nd century BC and as late as 1 century BC". Accordingly, after Buddhism was introduced to the western regions in Khotan in 87 BC, it spread from the Buddhist holy land in Khotan to Yecheng, shache, Tashkurgan, Kashi, Aksu, Kuqa, Yanshou and other places on the northern road of the Silk Road from 60 BC to 10 BC, as well as Qiemo, Ruoqiang, Milan, Loulan and other places in the northeast. Apart from Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and Nestorianism also came to China along the Silk Road, and gained many people's beliefs. Along the branches of the Silk Road, it spread to Korea, Japan and other Asian countries. Zoroastrianism is China's attitude towards Persian Zoroastrianism (this may be related to Islam, which is hostile to Zoroastrianism in the western regions). ), which spread eastward along the Silk Road in the 5th-1century, is considered to be the earliest religion introduced to the western regions. Zoroastrianism was once the state religion of Persia, and it was forced to move eastward after the rise of the Arab Empire. According to records, all countries in the western regions believed in Zoroastrianism at that time, but in China, it was supported by the emperors of northern countries in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. There were also many shrines in the Tang Dynasty where Hu merchants prayed for blessings. In order to control the development of Zoroastrianism, local rulers set up the post of Sabo, trying to bring religion into the national management system. However, this religion basically disappeared after the Song Dynasty. Its religious customs have been preserved by Uighurs and Tajiks and become a national cultural custom. Nestorianism is a branch of Syrian Christian Nestorius Sect. According to historical records, Nestorianism won the favor of the emperor in the early Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin once approved Christians to build temples in Chang 'an, originally named Persian Temple, and later renamed Roman Temple and Daqin Temple. During Tang Gaozong's time, Arrow was regarded as the exorcist of the town, and later the statue of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was hung in the church. After the An Shi Rebellion broke out in 755 AD, Beijing Christian Yisi helped put down the rebellion and was given a purple robe. Since 635, Nestorianism has developed smoothly in China for 150 years, and it is called "three religions" in the Tang Dynasty together with Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. Nestorianism gradually weakened after the difficulties of Huichang law, but it continued until Catholicism entered China in the Ming Dynasty. After the Yuan Dynasty, the Silk Road from west to east was gradually ignored, which indirectly stimulated the rise of European sea power. After the publication of the Travels of Kyle Polo in China, China and Asia have become prosperous and civilized countries that many Europeans yearn for. Spanish and Portuguese countries began to try to bypass the Mediterranean route and the old Silk Road controlled by Italy and Turkey and connect with China by sea, hoping to get more profits from it than the Silk Road trade. Some countries also hope to spread their religion to the East. 1492, one goal of Columbus's voyage was to finally reach China and create another trade route better than the Silk Road, but he led Europe to discover the new American continent in great disappointment. So the explorers after Columbus opened the colonial era of the new American continent. /kloc-After the 0/7th century, the Netherlands and Britain also expanded their influence in Africa, America and the South Pacific. /kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, although the European powers were all over the sea, China was still regarded as the most prosperous and ancient civilization by the west. Scholars believe that this is the spiritual influence brought by the Silk Road in the history of communication between China and the West, and it also creates the impression that the West can make huge profits through its trade with China in the modern 200 years.
Nowadays, many countries on the Silk Road are lost in the dust of history. To understand them, we can only rely on the long Silk Road.