絲綢之路 Silk Road Intro

Today I want to write about the Silk Road, which spans from Chang An (now Xi An) to many parts of Western civilization.

Part 1: Introduction

This famous trade route, or should I say trade network, covered a distance of around 10,000 km. This amazing network started around 114 Before the Common Era (BCE), around 2100 years ago. With more stable political control over the region in China, tradesmen were able to travel safely across vast regions along this route.

Around the first century CE, demand for Chinese silk grew in the West, especially Rome, Greece, and Egypt. Other merchandise such as tea and porcelain were also highly sought after. In exchange, the West exports gold, wine, honey, horses, and camels. Fun fact: Gunpowder and paper were introduced to the world through the Silk Road. The world was never the same after that.

Did you know that Silk Road was also the name of a dark web marketplace where anonymous users were trading illegal goods (mostly drugs) with Bitcoin? That is how Bitcoin got its headstart as a currency. Contrary to common belief, the trade of firearms was not popular and was shut down due to a lack of demand.

In the next chapter, I will write about how civilizations flourished with trade. Stay tuned!