It’s a well-known fact that the Silk Road became the route to a melting pot of cultural traditions.Along with art, culture, and maybe the invention of soccer, Ancient China is known for being a dominant trading entity. They are often credited for being the exporter of superior quality material goods at a great price which made merchants travel from countries near and far.Whenever a country does good in terms of trade elusive details follow. Similarly, it’s believed that along the Silk Road laid robbers and cunning people who would jump on the trade goods of merchants. It’s also believed to be the connection of the western world with the Middle East and Asia. It’s also believed that only a handful of people were able to complete the whole route. Interestingly, you can still see the Silk Road in all its glory by visiting China or countries along the Indian subcontinent. But, before you can do that, we have created a guide on this trade route that remained open for a long time.So, keep reading if you want to know about Ancient China trades.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about Ancient Egypt for kids and Cleopatra’s beauty facts here on Kidadl?Impact Of Trade On Ancient ChinaAs you might know, Ancient China was quite prosperous, and when it had extra luxury goods like silk or porcelain, the country shared its spoils to attract traders all around the globe to become richer.Even though it’s called the Silk Road, the way is not actually a physical path. Rather it included an arduous trade route passing through the Gobi desert and it went on for around 4,000 miles (6437 km). The main attraction of the silk route had to be the soft and luxurious silk produced by China which was coveted. But, along with the transport goods, the Silk Road also exported one of the most renowned religions, Buddhism from India to China. On top of that, the opening up of this route by the Han Dynasty meant that Ancient China could connect with a lot of countries.The trade reached its peak during the rule of the Yuan Dynasty when Kublai Khan took over Mongol rule. As a lot of the Silk Route was controlled by China or rather the Mongols, you may guess that they also had an eye over the trading activities. Even an important figure like Marco Polo traveled via the Silk Road to reach China.Some of the things China imported through the trade included horses, gold, and silver, as well as cotton and wool to clothe themselves during the harsh winters of Central Asia.Countries Ancient China Trade WithWhen you look at the Silk Route what would amaze you that its spread from China to all the way eastern Europe where it connected to the Roman Empire.Even though the Ancient Silk Road is usually portrayed as a physical road, it’s astonishing to think that even the Indian Ocean played an important part in how the tradesmen traveled. The closest countries that China would have traded with included India, West Asia, Persia, and Arabia. But, links even point out that the trade might have extended as far as Java in Southeast Asia, and maybe other countries in Europe like modern-day Turkey. Somalia in Africa is also taken as an important point of traded goods, especially when we focus on trade via water. Marco Polo is one of the most notable people who traveled along the Silk Road to reach China and stay there for multiple years, only to return home and make the route extremely popular.The History Of Silk Road And Who Discovered ItThe Silk Road was started by Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty who wanted to export warhorses from the Fergana Valley to win against the nomadic people of Xiongnu.The emperor sent his embassy, Zhang Qian to Central Asia in search of horses in 139 B.C and this led to the initiation of the prosperous trade along the Silk Road. When it initially began, the trade goods relied on the exchange of silk but soon other things like gold, silver, ivory, precious stones, and spices poured in as the trade flourished. Moreover, when other countries, like the Romans of Europe, got to know about the goods like luxurious Chinese silk, the biggest trade good of China, and Chinese porcelain, they had to have the things.The Silk Road is regarded as one of the longest land-based trading routes of ancient times. Merchants traveled for months on the dry and harsh land in large caravans of camels. The total distance covered by the Silk Road is said to be around 5,500 miles (9,000 km) spanning from China to Rome.The Importance Of Silk RoadAlong with the exchange of culture, the Silk Road opened up Ancient China to the rest of the world.We have already talked about the various goods that traveled along the Silk Road on top of camels and other animals. The Mongols did have a good hold over the route and had a say over how the merchants could have traded. Moreover, the Chinese merchants even were protected and given high status when they traded along the routes. However, apart from material goods, the Silk Road also helped to trade religion and even a disease like Bubonic Plague. The horses the China trade route imported into the country helped Mongols to win over several territories making their stronghold over China. Interestingly, even though the Silk Road officially came to an end with the Ming Empire, parts of it are still visible in Asia and are regarded as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Along with fortifying the trade of Chinese silk or porcelain, the Silk Road, opened up the idea of the orient to the West, especially to Europe. The Chinese image of luxury was imprinted in our minds, and to date, we use things like porcelain, Chinese silk, tea, and spices that started with the Chinese route.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for cool facts on Ancient China trades explained: unraveling the Silk Road then why not take a look at the alamo facts which nobody told you read & share this!, or amazing things that you can learn from animal teamwork?
It’s a well-known fact that the Silk Road became the route to a melting pot of cultural traditions.
