Skip to main content
Like
Create new Glog
previous
next
Email share
352 views | 0 likes | 0 reposts
Washing Song - Silk Road Music
Originally, silk was only traded internally within the Chinese empire. Chan Ch'ien had the idea to expand silk trade routes to smaller tribes in order to strengthen alliances with the Central Aisian nomads. Also, on the other end of the Silk Road was the Roman Empire.
Travelers had to pass through harsh natural obstacles such as the Taklah Mahkan Desert and the Tain Tian Mountains. When crossing the desert, the travelers had to deal with thirst, heat, and sandstorms. If water was spilled or stolen, it could mean disaster for the travelers. In the mountains, travelers had to brave extremely low temperatures, icy conditions, avalanches, frostbite, and altitude sickness. In Central Asia, the trade route was broken up into smaller trails that where not well constructed or marked. This could be difficult because it made navigation difficult. Snow and floods could wipe out or cover trails making it very difficult to travel. The travel was very dangerous because of bandit raids, bribes, and customs duties.
The Silk Road made a few merchants very wealthy, but overall the economies in the empires that were linked by the trade route did not become significantly impacted by the route. It was very difficult and costly to transport goods. The Silk Road did, however, have a large cultural impact. The traders brought new ideas, products, and technologies with them when they traveled from town to town. This spread different cultures and ideas throughout China. Buddhism spread through China largely because of the Silk Road. Buddhism not only impacted the spiritual aspect of people's lives, but diets, funerary practices, knowledge of the world outside of China, art, and economic structure. Also, it impacted the architecture and art in China.
Silk Road
Home
