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The influence of the silk road on culture
The influence of the silk road on culture
Cross cultural exchange on the silk road
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China is geographically surrounded by mountains, desert and plateaus. The sea which made transportations and communication for China and the rest of the world difficult as there was very poor technology for which the Chinese could transport and communicate with the rest of the world.
Silk Road was a network route for trading foreign goods. Trade and cultural exchanges between East and West, which lucratively named from Chinese silk trade by a German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in the 19th century . He was noted that during the Chinese Han dynasty, there was a road which could be used for transporting and trading the goods between China and South Asia. The Silk Road was one of the most transformative super highways as it was a significant bridge in the developing the civilisations between East and West such as economic, cultural exchanges and transmission of Buddhism.
Zhang Qian was an imperial envoy to the world outside of China during the Han dynasty. The Central Asian sections of
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New plant varieties of these inputs, for all aspects of Chinese agricultural products, animal husbandry, manufacturing technology and medicine, have a large impact on Chinese agriculture, and most of them went on to become a necessity the Chinese economic life. The plants could be used for medicinal material and the animals could be used for transportation.
Trading in Chinese silk with the nomads spread the fame of these Chinese textiles beyond the steppe China. Also, the Chinese silk was attractive to Roman and it caused Roman Empire largely outflow of gold and it was forbidden because Romans liked silk too much and spent a lot of gold on it. Therefore gradually more exotic goods were traded between East and West through the Silk Road and thus the economy were dramatically boosted for both the East and West sides of the
In the Background Essay Q’s, Doc B, Box 1, it mentions Hinduism. Doc A box 3 mentions confucianism. Rome worships christianity. Hinduism is technically Buddhism. These reasons explain that trade was never JUST physical items, but ideas and beliefs as well. The Silk Road made sure if you didn’t trade items you can hold, then you can trade items you can cherish. Finally, in the western civilizations (Rome), was accessed by boat. Boats could carry a ton more items and it was less of a walk for the merchants/traders. However, the Silk Road did lead a small backup path up north of Parthia. Around 27 B.C.E., the Roman Empire had only begun, but the silk road had been a thing for a very long time before that. About 3,073 years to be close to proximity. This took trade across seas! This was also how the Silk Road was Forgotten...boat travel became popular, less expensive, and easier to carry bigger loads.On Doc A, the map shows a series of dashes across the Mediterranean Sea. This represents the route to Rome by boat. Also on Doc A, the dashes on the backup path lead from east of India, to the north of the Caspian Sea, then south to Rome. Also, the timeline says 27 B.C.E.- Roman Empire begins. This time subtracted from 4000 B.C.E- Silk Cultivation in China, is about 3,073
Around 220 CE the Han dynasty that rules China starts many attacks on the northern nomads. The Han have conquered and received new territories. Then repairs and builds about 10,000 kilometers of walls. This is the first time the Chinese are extending far west through the Gobi Desert. The Great Wall then takes on a new role which is protecting the Silk Road trade routes that connect China and the West.
As told by the roman historian Cassius Dio, Silk was used in Caesar’s celebration. (doc. 1). When Dio talks about the silk he calls it a “device of barbarian luxury.” This proves that a well educated roman was oblivious to the advancements that the Chinese had made, including The Great Wall and Grand Canal. Not to mention that the Chinese have existed thousands of years prior to the Roman civilization. Secondly Sima Qian who wrote The Records Of the Grand Historian clearly hints that Zhang Qian may have started the Silk Road. According to the document, Zhang Qian travels several thousand li (1 Li is equivalent to a bit more than one third of a mile.) Zhang brings back crops such as wheat and rice, and even find out about wine and grapes. Zhang was the first person to bring a clear account of present day Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, claiming it was people settled on the
The Mongols conquered and then united China. This created peace among the country and led to other great things. One of these great things is the Silk Road. The Silk Road is a long trading route that was created when China was united as they had started
The Mongols influenced the world in many great ways, one of them was their vast trade system. They relied quite heavily on trade, not only to gain resources, but also to get their inventions and objects to the Europeans and then hopefully spread from there. The Mongols enhanced the trading system by composing the “Silk Road”. The Silk Road was a path/road that the Mongols had control of and it was a trade route that many travelers and traders took. Along the Silk Road, the main resource that was traded was silk, hence the name “Silk Road.” The
However the Han dynasty was a catalyst for extensive cultural developments despite some consolidation of pre-existing morals, due to the restoration of freedom of expression. Philosophy gradually evolved and considerably influenced the mentality of the Chinese. Art and literature flourished, significantly affecting artistic styles that would continue to be produced throughout Imperial China. Industrial technology improved and largely impacted on domestic and agricultural life. The formation of the Silk Road led to enduring cultural integration and understanding. From the Han dynasty emerged a culture that continues to impact on the lifestyles of the Chinese
As in terms of economics, China grew prosperous through trade, military expansion, invention of tools and other means of convenience and through the market economy. From the Han Dynasty China began to build again. The Sui Dynasty constructed the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was an artificial canal that extended 1,240 miles. It enabled merchants and farmers to travel by water, selling an abundance of rice and other crops. This canal was extremely expensive but throughout the years paid itself off by providing travel routes north and south of China. The Sui Dynasty also built palaces, granarie...
At the time of the Han Dynasty, general trade began over the Silk Road, which was a network of trails that stretched 4,000 miles from China extending to the Roman Empire. At the time the Chinese were unique in their knowledge of how to raise silkworms and weave silk. Chinese silk was extremely expensive. In fact it was worth its weight as gold in Rome! Europeans also preferred other Asian luxury goods including but not limited to exotic sp...
Due to trade from India, the religion of Buddhism took root. Indo-European migrations provided connections among Eurasian cultures. Through trade with Indo-European groups China learned of vehicles and weapons as mentioned earlier. The connections made with Central Asia also helped the development of China through Asia's technological advancements. China gained iron and military power from Asia. They were able to produce shields and daggers which they could arm their soldiers with. Iron was more abundant than the copper which bronze is made of. Iron plows created from the influence of Central Asia helped to enhance China's agricultural production. Interactions with the nomads as China expanded lead to a transformation of Chinese warfare. It is from the nomads that they adopted horseback riding which was faster and more practical than large difficult to control
Globalization has caused the world to change. Our country, China has been dramatically changed by globalization. Our people have moved to cities, and our industry has exploded. We have had huge advances in technology along with education improvement. Despite the fact that China has changed so much, there are still many issues that plague it. China faces serious environmental concerns. New diseases and viruses that are not indigenous to China can cause a wide range of sickness in the new area. Despite some of the the improvements in China that are a result of globalization, the negatives that globalization has brought to China are more than the benefits.
China spread its ideas faster than India, as it has three rivers in the proximity of its area that could transfer ideas, or objects, via waterways or through the Silk Road, which China created for other regions use as well. Their ideas transferred to other regions faster because China had created a common point for the various regions to travel, in return quickening the transfer of their ideas to others along the Silk Road route. On the other hand, India was slower in spreading their ideas and inventions to other regions because of their rocky and mountainous geography that they lived on. This geography prolonged India’s civilization growth and interaction with other regions. Their ideas were slow to reach other regions due to the loss of writing that had occurred in several cities, though a writing system would develop more once India discovered the Silk Road route that China had created years later, bringing their transfer of ideas and inventions to a
During this time in China the Han dynasty was responsible for the greatest expansion of China, to what is now southern China, northern Vietnam, and parts of Korea and had trade with Central Asia, India, Persia. Because of the expansion of the territory they were able to trade with more countries. This was furthered by the discovery of the Silk Road in 2nd century BC. The Silk Road, discovered by a Chinese ambassador Zhang Qian, was a series of trade routes from China to the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road got its name from the amount of silk used for trade during the Han dynasty. This route was used to travel from West to East on land they traveled to India, Persia, Arabia, and Europe, while traveling by sea they traveled through Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These paths were used by merchants, pilgrim, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers.
With deserts and the Himalayas running along most of the border, it was extremely difficult to cross over one of the most dangerous mountain ranges in the world and a few other scorching deserts with the little transport they had during that time. The only way merchants could come into the country was the southeastern coast of China, where most of the prosperous cities resided. What led China to become conceited was because they had an abundance of goods that most of the world wanted. In the 1760-1830s, China was famous for its porcelain (rich Europeans loved it), silk, and of course, tea. Since this Eastern Powerhouse’s goods were so popular, therefore, there were only a few things that interested them to trade with.
This reference may seem unimportant at first glance. However, if one has knowledge of the country of China, it becomes apparent that silk is important. Silk has been a major resource in China since ancient times. A route called the Silk Road was an important path followed by traders who traded goods with the Chinese for raw silk. Silk has been abundant in China for a long time and it was a more common fabric there before it was popular in other places.
Marco Polo, is probably the most famous Westerner who ever traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years with the help of his father, Niccolò and Maffeo. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan, and traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue. Marco Polo was a great explorer, who wrote a book written about his travels which gave Europeans some of their earliest information about China and inspired many explorers including Christopher Columbus.