The Silk Road is an ancient commercial and trade route, starting from the political, economic and cultural center of ancient China, and connecting Asia, Africa and Europe in the ancient capital Chang 'an (today's Xi). It passes through the Longshan Mountains, the Hexi Corridor, Yumenguan and Yangguan, reaches Xinjiang, along the oasis and Pamirs, passes through Central Asia, West Asia and North Africa, and finally reaches Africa and Europe. It is also the main road for economic, political and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. Its original function was to transport silk produced in ancient China. Therefore, when German geographer Ferdinand

Flehel

From ...

Richthofen

It was first named "Silk Road" in 65438+70s, and it was widely accepted.

Silk is a representative commodity exported along trade routes in ancient China. As the main commodity in exchange, it is also another name of the Silk Road, such as "Fur Road", "Jade Road", "Jewelry Road" and "Spice Road". During the Sui and Tang Dynasties (589-896), the Silk Road was unprecedentedly prosperous, and Hu gathered in the capital Chang 'an, with tens of thousands of settlers. In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, wars were very frequent, and the Silk Road was blocked, and the scale was far less than before. The Maritime Silk Road gradually took its place.