Trade on Silk Road

The trade on Silk Road that comes with goods from different civilizations creates cultural exchanges. Chinese pilgrims travel to India where the origin of Buddhism lies.


Standing Buddha, Gandhara, 1st century

Trade on Silk Road involved graet civilisations from the East to the West, for example, Egypt, China, Central Asia, Rome, Persia and India.

The Chinese traded goods such as nephrite jade from mines in the region of Yarkand and Khotan to China. Chinese mummies by the Western people which could also be called as Tarim mummies had also be found in the Tarim Basin near the Taklamakan desert. Some remnants of Chinese silk could also be found in Ancienty Egypt from 1070 BC. Unfortunately, its origin could not be inferred as silk degrades very rapidly.


Chinese jade and steatite plaques, in the Scythian-style animal art of the steppes. 4th-3rd century BC. British Museum.

Domesticated animals from Asia were also imported by the ancient people of Sahara between 7500 and 4000 BC. In Egypt, shipping was well established during the 4th Millenium BC. Donkeys and Bactrian camels are domesticated and horses were used for transport, thus making the trip to various areas for trade easier.

Geography of Silk

Routes
→ routes extends from North China (commercial centers, going west), divides into North and South routes, thus avoiding the Tibetan Plateau.

→ NORTHERN ROUTE (Land Route)
- passed through Bulgar-Kyphchak region
- (Towards northwest) through Gansu. (Chinese province)

*Spilts into THREE further routes.
-TWO pass North and South of Taklamakan Desert to rejoin at Kashgar
-THIRD ONE goes north of Tien Shan through Turfan & Almaty.
-ALL THREE join up at Konkand in Fergana Valley,
-Continue west acoss Karakum Desert towards Merv,
-Joining Southern Route briefly.

THEN...
-ONE goes northwest along Amu Darya river to Aral Sea,
-Past ancient civilisations under Modern Astrakhan,
-Continue to Crimean Peninsula.

*FROM THERE...
-Crosses Caspian Sea,
-Across Caucasus to Black Sea,
-Finally to Constantinople.

→ SOUTHERN ROUTE (Sea Route)
-Mainly single route that runs through Northern India, to
-Turkestan-Khorasan region,
-Into Mesopotamia and Anatolia.

DETAILEDLY...
-Goes south through Sichuan Basin,
-Crosses high mountains into Northeast India, by Ancient Tea Route
-Travels west ALONG Brahmaputra & Ganges River Plains,
-Joining Grand Trunk Rd (West of Varanasi),
-Runs through NORTHERN PAKISTAN,
-Over Hindu Kuh Mountains,
-Rejoining the NORTHERN ROUTE near Merv.

Population
→ Jewish (Chinese Jews)

A Bibliography - Guide to Information

Credits and Acknowledgements:

Sources on the ‘A Step towards Silk – An Introduction’
(Pictures)
www.impcas.ac.cn (lanzhou)
www.yoyochina.net (urumqi)
www.inmagine.com (jiayuguan)
www.crystalinks.com (taklamakan desert)
www.elenatour.uz (karakul lake)
www.grandpoohbah.net (dunhuang)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/BanChao.jpg (ban chao)

(And their details)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakul_Lake
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanzhou
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunhuang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_Chao
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumqi
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiayuguan

(Content/Researches)
http://gallery.sjsu.edu/silkroad/intro.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/picture/silk-road/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road
http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/silkroad/index.htm
http://www.silkroadproject.org/

Sources on ‘Loyalty: Zhang Qian – An Introduction’
(Pictures and their details)
www.international.ucla.edu
www.search.com
www.ibiblio.org

(Researches)
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab90
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Qian
http://www.bangorschools.net/hs/SR/zhangqian.html (quote)
http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_42_14.html
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/silk-road/history/zhangqian.htm


Sources on ‘Places of Interest along the Silk Route’
(Pictures and details)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyna/304400018/ (Big Wild Goose Pagoda)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26993973@N00/413426780/ (Da Ci’en Temple)
www.cathayclassics.co.uk (Black Mountains of Mongolia)
http://www.scienceclarified.com/landforms/images/ueol_01_img0038.jpg (Gobi Desert)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China (Great Wall of China)
http://www.flickr.com/groups/china_middle_country/discuss/72157594207295611/ (Overhanging Wall of China)
likethespider.com (Id Kah Mosque)

(Content/Researches)
www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/kashgar/aitida_mosque.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Id_Kah_Mosque
www.planetware.com/kashgar/id-kah-mosque-chn-xj-ki.htm
www.travelchinaguide.com/china_great_wall/scene/gansu/overhanging.htm
www.flickr.com/groups/china_middle_country/discuss/72157594207295611/
www.chinareview.com/provinces/gansu/jiayuguan/index.html
www.chinatour360.com/greatwall/attractions/gansu/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Wild_Goose_Pagoda
www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/bigwildgoose.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang

Sources of ‘Extreme Dangers of Silk’
(Content/Researches)
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9110530/Takla-Makan-Desert
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan
http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/45241.htm

(Pictures and Details)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/chinamum/taklamakan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan
http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/45241.htm

Source of 'Trade on Silk Road'
(Content and Pictures)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road

Extreme Dangers of the Silk

The Taklamakan Desert of China

One of the most extreme dangers of Silk Road is the Taklamakan Desert - also known as 'The Land of No Return'.

Travelling across it is the hardest experience of all for all traders and travellers for they had no choice - to escape from the wastelands, they had to go through the formidable desert. The desert, composed of pebble-detritus deposits, covers 270 000 km2 of the Tarim Basin, and is surrounded by high mountain ranges - the Tian Shan towards the north, Pamirs to the west and the Kunlun Mountains to the south.

It has almost no water, and has very little vegetation.

Thus, travellers had to bring their own bottles of water and containers of food, making the trip much more difficult. Not only there was a lack of water, the desert also had a horrible climate. During the day, the climate is burning hot (to the 40s) but during the night it is freezing cold (-20°C) that can lead to brutal death. Sandstorms which took lives of innocent travellers also happen quite often in the desert. Thus, goods that are brought by traders are often buried. Treasures are found in the desert, buried deep under, caused by sandstorms.

Dust storm of Taklamakan - a satellite shot.

Mummies, over 4000 years old, could even be found! Some of the mummies are Europeans. This shows that many people of different races of different countries had passed through the Taklamakan Desert.

Mummy of a young woman - a sacrificial victim, found in the Taklamakan in 1989

Even lost kingdoms are found over the years they were buried - Loulan, swallowed up by the shifting sands of Taklamakan 1,400 years ago. Though located near a lake, it has already dried up now - its sudden disappearance was a huge blow to Ancient History. It (Loulan) had prospered, being a main trading centre - yet it vanished... without a trace. Till now, though dicovered, it still remains one of History's major puzzles.

The Taklamakan remains, till now, a curiosity, yet, a danger.

Avoiding Misunderstandings - A Traveller's Tips

When travelling along the Silk, which links to countries of different cultures, it is of utmost importance to know the fundamental basics of manners etc. in order to blend in with them - and not to cause a chaotic trip. However, the cultures of so many different countries is nearly impossible to cover - we will only emphasise on some of the eye-catching ones; and the common ones - of the past, and of the present.

What to bring:
1) First-Aid
2) Maps
3) Compass
4) Water

What danger to expect on the journey:
1) Bandits who wants money/goods that you are travelling with
2) The natural-occurring disasters

What did Zhang Qian, our traveller, do in order to survive?
As Zhang Qian travelled along with his companions, though he had his fair share of chaotic and poor countries, he encountered prosperous and peaceful countries that welcomed them too. However, with his great negotiating skills, he managed to overcome them all, and, of course, the superb protection granted by Emperor Han Wudi - though he was still captured later. Zhang Qian was very surprised at the wealth of these lands, especially their goods like jade and agricultural products like grapes and wine. Many products they found were all unknown in China, till they found them! Zhang Qian also found that these countries were quite interested in the good he and his companions carried. They had prized silk which only the Chinese knew how to make. Now the Han knew that there was so much opportunity for trade and wealth if they established contact with the countries of the west - thus, these routes filled with merchants carrying chinese silk and art. In return for their trades like jade, wine and horses, Zhang Qian's adventures of trading led to the start of a long march of merchants across great land through spans of history.

As it is also stressed that these countries, blessed with the influence of the Silk, they might have the same cultures and religions, but different ones still existed. Nevertheless, a temple is still one of the most common sights when one decides to explore the rich cultures. Therefore, here are some tips to ensure a pleasant and enjoyable trip to one of the most important spots of the route, the temple:

Yonghegong (雍和宮) also known as the Lama Temple, in Beijing, China; converted from a court into a monastery in 1722

When addressing a monk, “shi” or “fashi” is the honourable title for the monks and Taoists. For the Governing monk (the head monk who oversees everything), however, it is necessary address them as “zhanglao”, “fangzhang” or "chanshi”. Do not address them as “heshang” or “chujiaren” as it is seen as quite an impolite way to address a monk.

A statue of revered Buddha in China; one of the most sacred religion, Buddhism.

When meeting with monks, put your palms together and lower your head. If you are attempting to handshake, do not touch or embrace the head of the monk as it is sacrilegious to them. Topics relating to killing, marriage and eating meat are forbidden to talk about there. Do not touch or deface any religious artifacts and be silent and non-judgemental during religious ceremonies. Be sure that the temple that you are visiting is open to public and if you are female, please note that some are restricted to females.

How to visit the families of ethnic groups:

When travelling, if you are fortunate enough, families of another nationality may invite you.

Keep in mind that different people have different customs, taboos and living styles.

So - be grateful enough and do not be too choosy about their living styles. This can ensure a smooth and pleasant visit.

The best time to visit is in the afternoon; however, busy festivals periods should be avoided. Orderly and clean clothing is a symbol of politeness. Avoid wearing short trousers, waistcoat and hats, as they are impolite.

The best thing is to find out and understand more about their culture so it won’t be that difficult to understand and get along with them. Gifts should be prepared for a first visit. Don’t bring things they consider taboo as it would be a bad start and it would be best not to touch their utensils in their house.

When they host you their local food, it is impolite to refuse the food. If you really cannot accept it due to any reason, thank the host and give a realistic and reasonable reason why. When the host toasts you, receive the cup and toast the host first before drinking it. If you cannot finish the wine by yourself, ask someone to finish it for you.

And now, to one of the most concentrated on issues - money. Now, China may be one of the most safest country to visit, but it is still better to be wise enough and keep your money close to you at all times and not take any unnecessary risks. In hotels, leave it in a safe place. Beware of crowded places like bazaars, bus and train stations, since pickpockets and day packs are common. The best prevention is a money belt worn inside your clothing.

Overall, this is all we could relate to you. However, please note that whatever cultures and religions you have practiced in your homeland, something so familiar to you - might not be as familiar to those of the foreigners - and that goes without saying that this is also vice-versa. Thus, broaden your narrow minds and try to be in the shoes of them. This will surely minimise any unwanted misunderstandings.

Places of Interest along the Silk Route

Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), located in Northern Xi'an and built in the Tang Dynasty to hold sutras and figurines of the buddhas.

BIG WILD GOOSE PAGODA
Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a holy place for Buddhists to pay pilgrimages, is a well-preserved ancient building. Located at the Southern suburb, Xi'an, which is about 4 kilometres from the downtown of the city, it attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion. It stands at the Da Ci'en Temple complex and is also a National Key Culture Relic Preserve as well as an AAAA Tourist Attraction.

Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺), close to Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Commanded by the royalty to build 'Mercy and Kindness (Ci'en)' in 648AD to commemorate the dead virtuous queen - Empress Wende.

Though built during the Tang Dynasty by Emperor Gaozong (618 - 907), specifically in 652, it was soon elevated to much higher heights by Empress Wu Zetian, also of the Tang. With later wars that damaged the building, it was reduced to a mere 7-level.

In the past years during the Tang Dynasty period, the pagoda was surrounded by a monastery with stern walls - now, at 64 m, it boasts a fabulous view of modern Xi'an. This building was built to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the Buddhist monk, Xuanzang - whose statue can be seen near the Pagoda.

Xuanzang (玄奘) started off from Chang’an or also known as the modern Xi'an, along the Silk Road. You might wonder why he had a Pagoda to his name - but he had endured 17 years of travelling through numerous countries; trekking through deserts and risking his life.

Finally arrived at India, the origins of Buddhism, he obtained various kinds of sutras and Buddha relics (657 to be specific) and even requested 50 hierarches to translate Sanskrit into sutras of Chinese - and urged in a new era of history translation.

It was known that after the addition of levels came the saying - 'Saving a life exceeds building a seven-storied pagoda'.

The renowned artist Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty engraved the walls with fine statues of Buddha - even calligraphy is pronounced in the Pagoda.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda - it sounds weird in my mouth, too. Actually, there is a legend leading to its name. As told by ancient stories of Buddhists, there were two branches, for one of which eating meat was not a taboo. One day, they couldn't find meat to buy. Upon seeing a group of big wild geese flying by, a monk said to himself, "Today we have no meat. I hope the merciful Bodhisattva will give us some." At that very moment, the leading wild goose broke its wings and fell to the ground. All the monks were startled and believed that Bodhisattva showed his spirit to order them to be more pious. They established a pagoda where the wild goose fell and stopped eating meat. Therefore it got the name 'Big Wild Goose Pagoda'.

OVERHANGING GREAT WALL
Eleven kilometers to the downtown Jiayuguan City, the Overhanging Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Work began on it in 1539, and took thousands of labourers to complete in the following year. Built only using layer upon layer of stone and yellow earth, the wall has dwindled from its original length of 1.5 kilometers to its current 750 meters.

An extended part of the Jiayuguan Pass, the Overhanging Great Wall was once an important component in the past military defense system. Winding through the Gobi Desert to the steep Black Mountain (Hei Shan), the wall appears to hang over the cliff and block the vital pass of Shiguan Xiakou, which is how it got its name. It is similar in appearance to the grand Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, and is thus also known as the Western Badaling.

The Black Mountains of Mongolia - where the Gobi ends.

The Overhanging Great Wall was reconstructed in 1987, with sidesteps added to allow visitors to climb the Wall - thus attracting neverending tourists.

Gobi Desert (戈壁沙漠) of China and Southern Mongolia, source of many important fossil finds - dinosaur eggs.

The famous Great Wall of China (万里长城), its stone and earthen fortifications protected the northern borders of the empire, leading to the rule of successful dynasties.

Overhanging Wall of China in the Gansu Province near Jiayuguan - wintry scene.

IDKHAR MOSQUE
'Id Kah' means 'a place of praying and celebrating in festivals' and was built with a strong ethnic style and religious features. No one would realise this, considering the thousands of people who come to pray - however, it is said that the very place was once a cemetery. First constructed in 1442, it went through a series of construction before the present Id Kar Mosque stands in the Central Square of Kashgar City.

Consisting of the courtyard, the Hall of Prayer, and the gate tower and as well as some other attached structures, it is the biggest mosque in China. The huge courtyard houses some of the tallest and densest poplar trees - comfort is as though you were in an air-conditioned room, with the temperature not too low and not too high.

Even with Muslims blustering about, saying their prayers, there is still a quiet tranquility that surrounds the Mosque.

The Mosque is intricately designed, with green flower patterns adorning its walls - and several more designs too beautiful to be expressed with words.

It's no wonder why thousands of worshippers come here to pray. Every Friday afternoon, Muslims living far and near gather here to worship. During religious festivals all the Muslims in region would come to this sacred place to celebrate. At prayer time, the mosque, the square, the streets and the roads all around are full of piously kneeling Muslims.

Afterwards, all the people get together on the square in front of the Id Kah Mosque and dance to show their happiness, with not the slightest sign of exhaustion.

Id Kah Mosque of China (艾提朵爾), in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Built by Saqsiz Mirza, it is the largest mosque in China - housing 10,000 worshippers and even 20,000.

A Step Towards Silk - An Introduction

The Silk Road (also known as Silk Route), is one of the most famous ancient trade routes in the world. You might wonder where this name came about – it was in the 1870s when the geographer, Ferdinand von Richthofen, gave the name by which we now know as the Silk Road. Famous travellers such as Marco Polo, Zhang Qian, Ban Chao (班超, right), Fa Xian and Xuan Zang have travelled along the route while spreading their own religions and carrying out missions of utmost importance (e.g. Zhang Qian who was sent by Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty to seek alliance with the Yuezhis against the Xiongnus).

Interconnected with different ancient trade routes from various areas in Asia, the Silk Road is over 8000 kilometres (5000 miles) long! It stretches beyond lands to over oceans and seas. A prominent trading route, complete with merchants, traders, and even wanderers of different ancient civilizations relying greatly on it, the Silk is the main link between Asia, Europe and Africa (e.g. enabled Han Dynasty of China to reach out to the rest of the world). To think that a mere trading route would spread to the ends of the world!

'Golden City' Lanzhou (兰州) - major stop on the ancient Silk Road

It mainly connects Asia Manor, the Mediterranean and Chang’an (now known as Xi’an), in China. No doubt, great civilizations of Rome, Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, Persia and Indian subcontinents had declared that the Silk was an important factor for their own development as they were able to take in new ideas from foreign countries. Since ancient times, Silk Road helped foundations all over this modern world to be laid. Today, the evidence of what the Silk has helped developed is of utmost prominence - ideas, religions and goods of foreigners are imprinted in particular countries.

The famous Jia Yu Guan (嘉峪关) - built by the First Emperor of China to protect China from the Xiongnu; which also greatly benefitted China's dynasties.

The Taklamakan Desert - largest desert in the world; hazardous yet full of treasures and secrets.

It is worth taking a trip to Silk Road because there are a lot of things to see along the road which you may never have seen before. All of the major attractions along the road makes it worth visiting. They include Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Urumqi and Lanzhou. The Karakul Lake onwards from Kashgar has a very breathtaking and serene view that even the hottest tempers of humans would fade away - pictures are provided below. There is even a checkpoint in the mountains that people would not want to be turned away from after about 5 hours journey from Kashgar. Overall, Silk Road is a very unique place because of its amazing creation of mankind, a road that have connected the great civilizations of East and West, serving not only for trade, but also cultural, religious, technical and scientific exchanges of achievements. One can learn much when journeying the Silk - for the different types of people out there - with cultures and beliefs that even the wildest imaginations would never dwell on - might just pique your narrow minds.

Dunhuang (敦煌) - sited at an oasis, and made a prefecture by Emperor Wu of Han

A grass pasture of Urumqi, meaning 'beautiful pastures' - near the Urumqi River and Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China

Greatest natural sight in Western China, the Karakul Lake - highest lake of the Pamir plateau, near the junction of the Pamir Mountains