visit us at https://blog.laowaicareer.comtweet us @laowaicareer

China & Silk Road

History of the Silk RoadCommunication routes and paths of trade have always crisscrossed Eurasia, which

slowly linked up to form the Silk Road. These are routed across both land and sea along which not only silk but many other

products were exchanged.

These vast networks didn’t just carry merchandise and precious commodities but also the constant

mixing and movement of different populations aided in the transmission of ideas, knowledge, belief and culture. This formed such a profound impact on the

civilization and history of the Eurasian people.

Trade was a major attraction for the travelers along the Silk Road, but the cultural, and intellectual

exchange majorly contributed to the development of cultural and educational hubs. Along the lengths of

these routes, art, craft, literature, science, and technology were shared and disseminated into

societies.

Silk Production & Trade

Silk, a textile woven from the protein fiber usually

produced by silkworms to make its cocoon is of

ancient Chinese origin, developed around 2,700

BC.

Despite the Chinese monopoly on Silk production, it wasn’t restricted to the Chinese empire but was used

as a diplomatic gift and extensively traded initially with its immediate neighbors before becoming one of

the chief Chinese products under the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

During the first Century, Silk was introduced into the Roman Empire where it grew very popular and was considered an exotic luxury. Throughout the Middle

Ages, silk’s popularity continued, and the manufacturing of silk clothes was governed by

Byzantine regulations which emphasized its importance not only as an essential royal fabric.

Silk production knowledge becomes very valuable and despite Chinese emperor’s efforts to keep it as a closely guarded secret, eventually it did spread

beyond China to India and Japan, then to the Persian Empire before finally reaching the West in the 6th

Century AD.

A diverse route and cargo beyond silk.

Even with silk being at the center of the earliest catalysts for trade routes across Central Asia, it was just but one of the many products traded between

the west and east. Goods ranged from spices, textiles, vegetables, fruits, and grain to woodwork, artwork,

animal hides, precious stones, and much more.

The merchants had a wide choice of different routes going through several regions of the Eastern Europe,

Central Asia, Middle East, and the Far East. Additionally, the traders had maritime routes for

transporting goods from China and South East Asia via the Indian Ocean to India, the Near East, and Africa.

Silk Road Dialouge

For the material exchange to take place, cultural interaction was vital, and merchants who ventured onto the Silk Roads were able to engage in cultural and intellectual exchange. One of the most famous

technical advances that have been propagated worldwide by the Silk Road includes paper making techniques, as well as printing press development.

General Zhang Qian, the man often credited with founding Silk Roads which opened up the first route

from China to the West in the 2nd Century, was more on a diplomatic mission than a trading expedition.

The Modern Silk Road

The New Silk Roads are different from the historic trade routes. The historical ones majorly served as connectors for cultural exchange and trade but was

less politically significant. On the other hand, the New Silk Road is quite an obvious expression of China’s

power ambition in the 21st Century.

In essence, this means that China is trying to demonstrate how ready it is to shoulder the

responsibilities in the development of the region by putting in $40 billion Silk Road fund and also

$50billion for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

President Xi’s Big Idea

The New Silk Road is set to become the largest program of economic diplomacy since the US-led

Marshall Plan for postwar reconstruction in Europe which will cover dozens of countries with the

population totaling to 3 billion people. This scale demonstrates huge ambition but even against the

rising strength of China’s military and the backdrop of a slowing economy.

The “One Belt, One Road” initiative is a land route linking central Asia, Russia, and Europe. With a

dramatic increase in trade between China and other five neighboring Asian states such as Uzbekistan,

Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, China is on the frontline in building the roads and

pipelines necessarily for smooth access to the resources it needs for the development.

BonusClick on the link below to read the full blog post!

https://blog.laowaicareer.com/modern-silk-road-china-growing-key-player-trade

/

LaowaiCareer.comblog.LaowaiCareer.com

• Search Jobs• Register as a Job seeker.• Subscribe to our Newsletter, Job offers and Blo

gs• Read our blog