Introduction
The following is a report of journey across the Silk Route that we travelled as a group to explore the historical existence of the route and the current status of the regions covered by the road. The report contains an insight on two of the trading hubs we came across and has pictorial presentation of some of the commodities we came across.
The Report
We traversed the silk route, a network of trade paths that connects China to the Mediterranean Sea. The communication paths and trade routes that extended across the Eurasian region linked up to form the Silk Road. A German geologist, Baron Ferdinand Von Richthofen during the mid-nineteenth century, named this trade network (Whitfield’s 2004).
Source: silkroutes.net
It is said that People were not only attracted to this route because of the trading activities but also because of the cultural, ideological, technological and philosophical exchange that was taking place along this route. It was the core of globalization at that time. From what I realized, the primary commodity exchanged along this route was silk. However, other products were also traded including gunpowder, ivory, paper, glass, exotic animals, and spices, jade, paper and musical instruments.
Figure 1 A Jade from China
We came across two cities while on our journey across the Silk road and had new things to learn about each city.
City 1 visited- Kashgar
- Observation: Kashgar is an oasis and is located near the border with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and its location is historically at a convergence point of widely varying cultures.
- Famous commodity: livestock, clothes, and jewelry
- Famous technology: Paper invention in 105 AD
- Famous Idea: painting using stirrups
The living standards of the people who lived at Kashgar were higher and better compared to their neighbors since they had enough produce from their livestock like milk, beef, skin, and other animal product that they also trade in to generate income for their financial needs. They also sold their clothes and jewelry to improve their living standards.
City 2 visited- Kurla
- Observation: Kurla is a suburb of Mumbai and is one of the busiest railway stations in the region.
- Famous commodity: Cotton, salt
- Famous technology: textile milling
- Famous Idea: Salt making
It is believed that before the people of Kurla found out how to make salt and clothes, they ravaged in poverty and hard living conditions, but when they made the invention in the textile industry and in salt making, their living standards improved tremendously.
The major trading routes along the Silk Road were the southern, central and the northern route. All these routes were extended across the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. Kunlun Mountain wandered through Ruoqiang, Qiemo, and Haitian, southern foot of Tangshan mountains and joined the southern route at Bukhara. Lastly, the Northern route ran west of the northern foot of the Tangshan Mountains and reached the Yecheng, Shake, and Kashgar the last point in China. The central route spread west of the Mediterranean Sea. Major trading cities and spots were located along these routes.
Along this trading route, the traders exchanged cultures among themselves. Chinese goods such as paper, compass, gunpowder, and silk were spread to the west. Besides the proliferation of the excellent products from China, many Chinese advanced technologies were also spread to the west. The skill of breeding silkworm and silk spinning which was the main trade item in China was exported to the west. The techniques of papermaking, printing with movable type and manufacture of gunpowder were other technologies also spread to the west. Some products were equally imported into China from the west. The products include grapes, carrots, medicinal products, jewelry, beans, and other farm products.
Another exchange that took place along the Silk Road was the exchange of religion. Zoroastrianism was one of the earliest religions that spread around this region. This religion originated from Persia and spread through the Southern and Northern Dynasties but later disappeared (foltz.R 2000). Arab Muslims also spread Islam in China by the Silk Road that became the main religion in Tang Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangzhou province. Other religions that were transmitted along this trade path were Manichaeism and Nestorianism.
Figure 2 A mosques in China
Trade along this road was not easy. One of the challenges was the hostile climate in Talisman desert, which occupied much the region between China, Europe, and Western Asia. Temperatures in this region were either too high during the day or too low during the nights. Sand dunes were also common and equally deadly because of the strength of the winds. Merchants also died because of lack of water since the desert had very few oases. Other than challenges attributed to the desert, attacks from bandits and dangerous reptiles were other hardships encountered.
Challenges during the Trip
We were faced with some challenges during the trip, but we were able to overcome them through the creativity of the team members. One of the challenges was delays caused by traffic congestions, harsh weather conditions, as at times it was too hot and other times it was raining all day, and we faced little hostilities from the locals who were not very welcoming at times.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the trade along the Silk Road sped the development of the world despite the hardships the traders went through. This trade route formed a medium for international interaction across the major continents in the world. The trade not only improved the living standards of the people who lived along it but also the living standards of others worldwide.
References
Boulnois, L. (2004). Silk road: monks, warriors & merchants on the Silk Road. WW Norton & Co Inc.
Comas, D., Calafell, F., Mateu, E., Pérez-Lezaun, A., Bosch, E., Martínez-Arias, R., … & Pettener, D. (1998). Trading genes along the silk road: mtDNA sequences and the origin of central Asian populations. The American Journal of Human Genetics, 63(6), 1824-1838.
Foltz, R. (2000). Religions of the Silk Road: overland trade and cultural exchange from antiquity to the fifteenth century. Macmillan.
Verity, D. H., Marr, J. E., Ohno, S., Wallace, G. R., & Stanford, M. R. (1999). Behçet’s disease, the Silk Road and HLA‐B51: historical and geographical perspectives. Tissue antigens, 54(3), 213-220.
Whitfield, S. (2004). The Silk Road: trade, travel, war and faith. Serindia Publications, aInc..