What is the Silk Route?

From the second century B.C. to the fourteenth century A.D., the Silk Route was a significant commercial route. It passed through China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Italy on its way from Asia to the Mediterranean.

Because of the extensive silk trade that occurred during that time, it was given the nickname “Silk Route.” Before disseminating the techniques in its manufacturing, China had a monopoly on producing this priceless cloth. Apart from silk, the route enabled the exchange of other textiles, spices, cereals, fruits, vegetables, animal skins, metal and wood crafts, precious stones, and other valuable goods.

China said in 2013 that it would resurrect the Silk Road, linking it to over 60 nations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Understanding the Silk Route

A network of historic trade routes, the Silk Route, linked China and the Far East with nations in Europe and the Middle East. A collection of marketplaces and commercial stations along the road aided in product exchange, transportation, and storage. Another name for it was the Silk Road.

Travelers slept in guest homes or inns, usually separated by one day of travel, and employed camel or horse caravans. Ports along the maritime Silk Road gave travelers access to commercial opportunities and clean drinking water. The most current visitors to the Silk Road have been archaeologists and geographers doing studies at historic places.

Numerous goods that would significantly affect the West were carried to the West with the advent of the Silk Route. Several goods, such as paper and gunpowder, originated in China. These started to rank among the most frequently exchanged items between China and its trading partners in the West. Paper had a particularly significant role in the development of the printing press, which allowed for the creation of books and newspapers.

China has been advocating for the reopening of the Silk Road to enhance collaboration between nations in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The Silk Road’s historical account

Chinese statesman and diplomat Zhang Quian founded the first Silk Route during the Han Dynasty. Quian was apprehended on a diplomatic trip, imprisoned for 13 years on his first journey, and then managed to escape and explore other ways from China to Central Asia.

Between 618 and 907 A.D., the Tang Dynasty saw a rise in the popularity of the Silk Road. To get to their destination, travelers had a variety of land and maritime routes to choose from. The routes changed as national leadership and territorial borders changed.

Trade in products and civilizations took place along the Silk Road. It also aided in advancing other academic disciplines, including science, technology, literature, and the arts.

Along with aiding Buddhist and European monastic missions, the Silk Road played a significant role in disseminating Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and other faiths across the areas it passed through.

Bringing the Silk Road Back to Life

Under President Xi Jinping, China started formally reopening the ancient Silk Route in 2013 by implementing the $900 billion “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative. China’s link with over 60 other nations in Asia, Europe, and East Africa was to be enhanced by this initiative.

It also goes by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) name and spans several land and maritime routes. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road connects China’s southern coast to the Mediterranean, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia by water. In contrast, the Silk Road Economic Belt connects China with Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe via land.

China sees the project as a crucial means of enhancing its economic development. It also gives China the cheapest and most convenient route to export goods and materials by opening up new trade markets for its products.

Critics, including Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, claim China is using the BRI to lend to nations that could fail to get political or economic concessions.

China has signed hundreds of transactions since 2016, one of the OBOR’s many accomplishments. A new rail service from Beijing to London was launched in January 2017, utilizing the East Wind freight train. The train travels the traditional route, crossing the English Channel to get to London. The roughly 7,500-mile, 16–18-day voyage gives freight merchants an option over the slower, more affordable maritime routes and the quicker, more costly air routes. Other important OBOR lines connect China with fourteen critical European cities.