The Characteristics and Background of the Ancient Silk Road

The Silk Road refers to the land passage opened by Zhang Qian in the Western Han Dynasty (202 -8 BC), from Chang 'an (Jin 'an) to Central Asia and West Asia via Gansu and Xinjiang, connecting Mediterranean countries (this road is also called the "Northwest Silk Road" to distinguish it from the other two traffic routes later named the "Silk Road"), because silk products are the most influential commodities transported westward by this road.

? The Silk Road in a broad sense refers to a long-distance commercial, trade and cultural exchange route covering Eurasia and even North Africa and East Africa. In addition to the above routes, it also includes the Maritime Silk Road, which was formed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and played a great role in the late Ming Dynasty, and the Southern Silk Road, which appeared at the same time as the Northwest Silk Road and replaced the Northwest Silk Road as a communication channel on the road at the end of Yuan Dynasty.

Characteristics and background of today's Silk Road

The strategic significance of building the "New Silk Road" is well known.

First of all, from the perspective of geographical factors, the ancient Silk Road started from Chang 'an (now Xi 'an, Shaanxi Province), passed through Yumenguan, Yangguan and Pamirs in the west, and reached the Mediterranean coastal areas in Central Asia, West Asia and Europe. On the other hand, the "New Silk Road" is based on the route of the ancient Silk Road, and it has greatly expanded to the east, west, north and south in space, covering and influencing countries and regions far beyond the ancient Silk Road.

Secondly, from the perspective of functional orientation, the ancient Silk Road is mainly a traffic artery carrying commodity trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and its prosperity depends on the geological conditions and safety factors of the passage. The "New Silk Road" will not only build bridges and ties in terms of geographical concepts, but also integrate the resources of countries and regions along the Silk Road to achieve the strategic goal of interconnection among these countries.