Adam Lustig
3/13/14
History 9-2
Rough Draft/Research Paper
The Similarities and Differences of New York City and Chang’an
It is interesting that two cities over 7,000 miles apart from one another, and in completely different time periods, could have so many similarities. The city of Chang’an in China during the Tang Dynasty was set up in a grid fashion similar to that of modern day New York City. Flourishing trade was of great importance to the development of both cities, but very different political systems were used to govern each. Modern day New York City and Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty share key similarities as both were important trade centers in strategic locations, but were run on very different political lines.
Both Chang’an during the Tang dynasty and modern day New York City attracted people from all over the world because of the vast amounts of resources being traded. One of the greatest trade routes during the Tang Dynasty was the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a path that went from the Pacific coast of China to the Mediterranean Sea, and this road connected the Eastern market with the Western market (Chang’an). Chang’an was located at the Eastern end of the Silk Road. Many exotic goods were traded along this path from Persia and India (City Life in Tang). This trade made the people of Chang’an wealthy, and trade continued to increase in both the Western and Eastern markets. Because of the increased trade, many more people began to live near the Western market (Chang’an). The people of Chang’an began to be envied because of their vast wealth. This caused laws to be created that made it forbidden for people to show their wealth. While in New York City wealth is applauded and envied.
Trade in modern day New Y...
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...lead to government buildings. Commerce and trade increased because it allowed merchants, travelers, and locals to transport themselves and their goods throughout Chang’an in an efficient and organized fashion. The grid system in New York was, and still is, used as a organized and efficient way for anyone to navigate through the city. Before being built, the city was growing rapidly and city planners needed to plan for expansion. They decided on a plan of building Manhattan into a grid system. This allowed them to plan ahead for the rapidly increasing population. The main idea behind the system was to gain profit from real estate. The more that people moved into the new land, the more commerce increased. The net result was that the city grew even faster than the planners had expected and there was more profit from real estate than expected as well (New York Times).
Geography plays a key role with trade. The fourth painting that Brook shows us is called “The Geographer”. The main focal point in this painting is the globe that is located behind the man. During this time, knowledge of geography was far from perfect, but it was drastically improving. As Brook points out, the Spanish Jesuit, Adrino de las Cortes, was a great example of the moving geography of the epoch. The ship that he led was crashed onto the rocks of the Chinese coast by 1625, right after it had departed from Manila. This was completely by mistake, as they soon discovered uncharted territory. The people who had been living there had never seen any foreign people at a close range. It surprised them to see the wide span of people they brought: African Americans, Portuguese, Muslims, Spaniards, and the list goes on. This showed that the rise of the global world did not only imply goods and material objects, but also people from all
Now that I live in Long Island I look at everything different and I see how much I changed as a person. Living in Long Island and living in Brooklyn is so much different because of the different atmosphere the different people and the things I did before vs the things I do now. Honestly I think living in Long Island changed me because when I moved here I started experiencing things and trying new things. Before I came to Long Island I was this shy innocent girl who was scared to make new friends but that all changed once I entered elementary school. When I entered elementary school I was eleven years old.
At the time of the Han Dynasty, general trade began over the Silk Road, which was a network of trails that stretched 4,000 miles from China extending to the Roman Empire. At the time the Chinese were unique in their knowledge of how to raise silkworms and weave silk. Chinese silk was extremely expensive. In fact it was worth its weight as gold in Rome! Europeans also preferred other Asian luxury goods including but not limited to exotic sp...
When comparing Western New York to New York City there are significant cultural differences that come to mind, but also some similarities. New York City is considered the most populous city in the United States. According to the 2014 census the population of the metropolitan region of the city reached to about twenty three million residents. Because of the rapidly growing population it has been named the cultural and financial capital of the world. The city is known for its big impact on finance, art, fashion, education, and entertainment. On the other hand, Western New York is more known for its scenic attractions, agriculture, award winning wineries, and classic style of living. The census bureau in 2014 also stated that if Western New York was counted as one single area the population would be significantly smaller than the cities, just topping over two and a half million. Because of all the farmland and less populated areas in Western New York, it leaves room tons of room for agriculture. A lot of western New Yorkers stick to the basic means of living like operating a family farm, owning your own business, and supplying your family however possible. For example, in the
During 2000 BC - 1000 AD, Chinese and Indian empires developing into thriving nations. With a strong government and a trade network they prospered. Both experienced periods of strength and also periods of weakness. The same policies in each empire led them to these previously mentioned periods. Although Chini and India are different because of their contrasting cultures, they are very similar due to their methods in economy, and running of the government.
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The silk road, in it’s time, was a huge advancement to the trade and communication of many different kingdoms and empires. It stretched from China to Eastern Europe. The routes followed the northern borders of India, Persia, and China and ended up in Eastern Europe near modern day Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea. It was given the name the silk road because one of the main products traded along the route was silk from China. Merchants and Tradesmen traveled by relatively large caravans and typically brought along guards. The reason for big groups and guards was to help defend from bandits. The silk road carried not only silk, but other goods such as woolen goods, blankets, rugs, gold and silver, glass items, watermelons, peaches, spices, fragrances, jewels, ivory, and sugar. The silk road also spread diseases such as smallpox and the bubonic plague.
The Mongols conquered and then united China. This created peace among the country and led to other great things. One of these great things is the Silk Road. The Silk Road is a long trading route that was created when China was united as they had started
There are so many opportunities in the city. It is easy to quickly observe some of the amazing opportunities that cities offer. Cities have advanced over the past 2000 years and there are so many interesting facts about them. The first Industrial Revolution played an important role in the development of London. It made this city famous and powerful. The people of London made the steam engine, which is what powered the first trains. The second Industrial Revolution played an important role in the development of New York. When New York was a part of the second industrial revolution, the people came up with an assembly line idea. This idea helped New York become the first city to replace horses with cars, which made a huge impact on the
Through the Silk Road, Chinese goods such as silk and porcelain were transported to places such as Persia in exchange for foreign exotic goods . Furthermore, the Silk Road supported the influx of culture and religion to further enforce Taizong’s embracing attitude of a cosmopolitan society. The Silk Road was also a major factor in introducing Buddhism to China, as during the seventh century, Xuan Zhuang used it to travel to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures . The capital of the Tang, and the beginning of the Silk Road, Chang’an, was the most populous and diverse city in both religion and culture in the world at the time , hosting Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and high ranking officials and citizens from many countries in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East . Under Taizong’s guidance, China created close foreign relations with many foreign nations, and the Silk Road became a major component of trade and revenue for China’s economy. Correspondingly, his capital city of Chang’an became the greatest city in the
The Silk Road is trade route that connected east and west. Inaccurately named by Ferdinand von Richthofen in the 19th century, it is actually a collection of roads. Traders didn’t usually traverse the whole length of the route, however. Goods were usually traded multiple times before they reached the final destination. Items leaving from Asia and China were goods such as: silk, spices, textiles, ivory, jade, bronze objects, ceramics, lacquarware, flowers, furs, paper, jewelry, minerals, horses, and exotic plants and animals. Goods from the west were: wool, linen, coins, bullion, ambergris, gold, ivory, amber, coral, other precious stones, beads, and glass (a commodity that China has not been able to produce at this point). Goods originating from India were:...
Hoobler, Dorothy, Thomas Hoobler, and Michael Kort, comps. China: Regional Studies Series. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon, 1993. 174-177.
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