Silk Road Research Paper

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Recommended: Changes and continuities of the silk road

Sofia Morales
HIS 150_1 Asian History
February 3, 2015

The Silk Road:
Importance of Cultural Diffusion

The Silk Road was known as a “heaven” for merchants and consumers alike. It was a gathering of different civilizations and cultures where people from all over the world can not only share their products but also their ideas and religion. It consisted of both land and sea routes that many caravans and ships had to cross. While the Silk Road originated as a route between the countries for merchants, it later became an international phenomenon, economically and culturally. It became easy to spread such cultural ideas, beliefs, and lifestyles that connected the bridge between the continents of Europe and Asia.
Many do not know the story of Chan Chi’en. He …show more content…

As the invention of better ships came about, many people realized that the boats were much more stronger and reliable than by land. Even though the ships had to face bad weather and pirates, it was better to take your chance at sea. Traders by land were often ambushed and robbed while on the road from nomadic tribes and it became difficult to travel the road. While China and Russia maintained a trading relationship with silk and fur, trade and travel had declined so much that no other activity occurred. Internal problems in China also led to the demise of the Silk road. Many of the later Chinese dynasties like the Tang, Ming, and Qing faced corruption, rebellion, and illegitimate rulership. The Ming dynasty, for example, did not help advance the Silk road with its foreign policy. During that time, they did not trust the westerners or any foreign influences which hindered the trade between the east and west. This attitude of Chinese nationalism lasted from the all the way to the Qing dynasty and got better during the Sung dynasty (Wu,

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