Electronic Passport to the Silk Road

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Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport Chinese History

The Silk Road

China and the west first became aware of one another in the second century BC. Chinese traders exchanged silks, tea, furs, and spices for gold, silver, precious stones, glass, ivory, horses, and wool. The primary trade route between China and the west was the Silk Road, a 4,000-mile caravan route through South Asia and the Middle East. The Silk Road was also a route for the exchange of information and ideas. Buddhism traveled from the Indian subcontinent to China by the Silk Road.

Very few people traveled the entire legnth of the Silk Road. Goods passed from one trader to another in short segments. Trade resembled a chain, with each trader and segment of the trade route representing a link in the trade. The Silk Road was often very dangerous to travel. Muslim Turks seized much of the land along the Silk Road in the tenth century. Mongol armies used the Silk Road in the thirteenth century to expand their empire. The Silk Road lost its importance after Vaco daGama circumnavigated Africa to find a water route to India. It then became easier to travel between Europe and China by sea.

Chinese History

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike., "The Electronic Passport to the Silk Road," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/613-silkroad.html; Internet; updated Tuesday, April 30, 2002 11:56 PM