The-Silk-Road-of-Southwestern-China(西南丝绸之路)

TheSilkRoadofSouthwesternChinaCONTENTS1.IntroductionofSilkRoads2.AstoryaboutSouthwesternSilkRoad3.TherouteofSouthwesternSilkRoad4.TheinfluencesofSouthwesternSilkRoadCONTENTSTheSilkRoadThereisnodoubtthattradenetworksliketheSilkRoadmadepossibletheflourishingandspreadofancientcivilizationstosomethingapproximatingaglobalcultureofthetimes.——RobertClarkInthirteenthcentury,MarcoPoloventuredtowardChinaalongthesilkroad.Inhisbook,Marcodescribedtheprosperoustrade.Goods,peopleandideasalltravelledalongtheselong-distanceroutesspanningorcircumventingthevastlandmassofEurasia.123NorthernrouteSouthwesternrouteThenorthernroutestartedatChang’an,anancientcapitalofChinathatwasmovedfurthereastduringtheLaterHantoLuoyang.TheroutewasdefinedaroundthefirstcenturywhenHanWudiputanendtoharassmentbynomadictribes.ThesouthernrouteorKarakoramroutewasmainlyasinglerouterunningfromChinathroughtheKarakorammountains.ThreeSilkRoadsinhistoryThesouthwesternroutestartfromCentralChinathroughthemountainousareasofSichuan,GuizhouandYunnanprovincesintoeasternstatesofSouthAsia.SouthernrouteAlittlestoryIn122.BC,Zhangqianwasorderedtogotothewesternregions.Whenhecomeback,HanWudiwasgladabouttheboomingtrade,SoHanWudidecidedtobuildtheroadfromChinatoIndia.However,itwasverydifficult,becausethenativesinwesternregionspreventedtheprogresstoprotecttheirprofit.HanWudiwasveryangry,hemusteredanarmytodestroythenatives’resistance.Thewarlastedfordecades,andmanynativeswerekilled.Finally,theRoadwasbuilt.ThestartingpointoftheSouthwesternSilkRoadontheChinesesidewasChengdu.TheprimaryroutepassedthroughYunnan,Myanmar(Burma)andintoSouthAsia.Thisroute,knownastheIndiaRoute(蜀身毒道).TheSilkRoadisabout2000kilometers.Itisamulti-elementandtri-demensionalcommunicationnetwork.TherouteThe“IndiaRoute”splitintotwobranchesasitpassedthroughSichuanintoYunnan.Onebranch,knownasthe“OldYakRoute”(古牦牛道)extendedfromChengdusouthwestacrosstheSichuanBasinplaintothefoothillsTherouteofMingshanmountains.FromheretheroutecontinuedsouthwestalongQinyiRivertoYa’an,onceanimportantcenterforteatradewithconnectionsthroughtheTibetanPlateau.FromYa’an,thesemerchantsandpiligrimstraveledupstreamalongJinshaRiver,andfinallysouthwesttoDalionLakeErhai.FromDalionetookoneofthreeroutestocrossthroughMyanmaronone’swaytoIndia.TherouteTheserouteswerecollectivelyknownastheBonanRoute(博南道)orYongchangRoute（永昌道）intheHanperiod,andtheWesternDian-TianzhuRoute(西滇天竺道)intheTang.ChengduStartingpointOldtownsIndiaDestinationThetraditionalexportsweresilk,andtheywereusuallywellreceivedabroad.SilkTeaisthechiefexports.TeaThewarhorsesweretheimportgoods.WarhorsesThegoodsintheSilkRoadTeaandwarhorseswerethemostimportantgoodsintheSilkRoad.Soithasanothername“TeaandHorseTradeRoute”(茶马古道).TheinfluencesofSouthwesternSilkRoadReligionTechnologyCultureEconomicBoomingtrade.SilkandteaAdvancedtechnologycanmakepeople’livesconvenient.Knowingwesterncountries’customs,dietandthewayofcommunicating.Buddhism(佛教)isthemostinfluentialreligion.SilkRoadisnotonlyaroad,butitrepresentsChina’straditionalculture.Ifwewantedtolearnitdeeply,weshouldrevisittheSilkRoad.RevisitingtheSilkRoad.