The Silk Road In China

The Silk Road began during the Han Dynasty in China. “ The network was used regularly from 130 B.C.E., when the Han officially opened trade with the west, to 1453 C.E., when the Ottoman Empire boycotted trade with the west and closed the routes.” This text states that the Silk Road lasted about 1583 years. The Chinese started using the Silk Road to mainly transport and trade their precious silk. It ran from China to the Mediterranean Sea. It branched out and extended in many different ways all across West Asia and Europe. Ferdinand von Richthofen, a German geographer, named the Silk Road in 1877.

There were many goods that went to and from China. “Foods such as pomegranates and carrots also were traded. While from the opposite direction came
The Silk Road had many stops and trading posts. People came all over Europe and Asia at different stops. They talked and exchanged ideas, goods, and metals. Marco Polo was a famous traveller that used the Silk Road. He took notes and published what he saw. Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254. At age 17, Marco Polo travelled to China with his father and his uncle on the Silk Road. Along the trip Marco Polo took notes and kept a journal. Marco Polo was attracted and loved the jade stone. They met the emperor Kublai Khan in China. Marco Polo, his father, and his uncle served in Kublai Khan court for 17 years. When he got back home to Venice, he described to the Venetians all about China and astonished them. He later published a book called “The Travels of Marco Polo”. Another famous person that travelled along the Silk Road was Ban Chao. He was a famous general leader during the Eastern Han dynasty from 25 C.E.- 220 C.E. “Ban Chao was born in Pingling (present Xianyang in Shaanxi Province) in 32 AD. His father, Ban Biao, was an official compiling history. His brother, Ban Gu, was the author of Han Shu, a book about the Western Han Dynasty. However, Ban Chao was uninterested in writing history. He respected Zhang Qian and Fu Jiezi very much and wanted to live a military life.” He did what he wanted and was very successful. Ban Chao was a brilliant military leader. He helped defeat the Northern Huns that were invading China. He helped
It changed history and brought everything together. There was an exchange of culture and religion. The people also exchanged goods on the Silk Road some goods were silk and gold. People also had many encounters. Many famous people like Marco Polo faced and saw the Silk Road. People stopped and shared ideas at different places. Cultures and goods were shared. Lastly, exploration took place all around Eurasia. Many new places were discovered. Also people explored new spices, food, and new ingredients. This shows that the Silk Road is very important for Exploration, Encounter, and