Silk And Spice Trade Essay Research Paper

Silk And Spice Trade Essay, Research Paper

The establishment and impact of the Silk and Spice trade

The establishment of silk garments in Asia first came about when the silkworm, Bombyx mori (moth) residing in the family Bombycidae, was first discovered for its thread by a great dynasty of China.the Han Dynasty (206 BC . AD 220). The silk has a continuous-filament fiber consisting of fibroin protein secreted from two salivary glands in the head of each larvae, and a gum called sericin, which cements the two filaments together. Silk weaving began around 2,700 B.C. when the great prince, Hoang-ti, directed his wife, Si-ling-chi, to examine the silkworm and test the practicability of using the thread (4). From there Si-ling-chi developed the technique of raising silkworms, reeling of the silk, and the ability to produce a lavish of fancy garments; and using color patterns in the latter. Is-lingo-chi was recognized for her work and honored with the name Seine-Than, or “The Goddess of Silk Worms” (4).

Soon after the cultivation of silk, this precious product became distributed all throughout China, even reaching its unmilitarized borders. In doing so, many caravans had been attacked by small Central Asian Tribes in hopes of obtaining their precious cargo they traded. Therefore, between 135 and 90 BC, the Han dynasty expanded its military alliance deeper into Central Asia and expanded the construction of the Great Wall to secure the road from the Xiongnu. A Chinese trader by the name of Chan Ch.ien was the first to communicate with the Central Asian Tribe and setup peace treaty for all caravans; thus the branching of the Silk Road began. However, before setting foot on the journey through the Silk Road, many unprecedented territorial hardships laid in front of the merchants and their caravans.

Much of the land separating Eastern China from Western China and Europe was a treacherous desert. The Taklimakan desert, or otherwise unknown as, the .Land of Death. was an extreme climatic region for the merchants. Much like the Mediterranean region, the Taklimakan desert received limit amounts of rainfall, temperatures between summer and winter fluctuated between .22oC and +55oC, and its lethal sandstorms were produced from robust winds and the nature of the surface. Unlike the Sahara desert that was rich in oasis, the Taklimakan desert had an oasis famish, only to be found in scarce locations. Surrounding this respected desert layed some of the highest mountain ranges in the world not to mention some of the largest rivers in the world. Separating the Indian peninsula from Central Asia were the Himalayas, Karakorum and Kunlun ranges rising up to 5000ft in elevation, with narrow paths and steep falls. To the northest of the Taklimakan desert lies the Gobi desert that just as deadly Taklimakan desert, except that it contains more oases; to the north and west lie the Tianshan and Pamir mountain ranges that are characterized as lower altitude and wider roads, but must continue to approach these ranges with caution. Therefore, the life of the merchant was a stressing and life-threatening job that required much attention and delegation to succeed through the Silk Road.

.The name “Silk Road” is really a misnomer,. in the reality that it was an extensive network of roads connecting Xian and Lahore to Cairo and Rome. It started in the capital of Changan that headed north to the Gansu corridor, and then arrived at Dunhuang on the outskirts of the Taklimakan desert. From Dunhuang, an intricate set of roads branched off from the main northern and southern routes; from these arteries, capillary roads split east and western to arbitrary destinations, mostly following the scent of money and prosperity.

This distinctive path to success was not originally called the Silk Road until a nineteenth century German scholar, von Richthofen, gave it the term because silk was the main priority of merchants for trade. Silk was not the only commodity that was traded, but so was art, religion (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism), ideas, gold, silver, ivory, exotic plants and animals, metals, stones, and glass to name a few. In the opposite direction furs, ceramics, jade, bronze objects, lacquer and iron were carried into China even though the Chinese regarded all foreigners as nomads.

Religion is thought to be the primary impact of all time on the Silk Road. Buddhism rose as a strict doctrine in the sixth century BC, and was adopted as India’s official religion in the third century BC. When Buddhism, Manicheanism, and Nestorianism arrived in China through the Silk Road, it further influenced the Chinese culture. Ironically, its has also been known that neither Japan nor Korea had developed their own cultures, but Korea had adopted and modified their culture from China and Japan had done similar with Korea.

When Buddhism became the primary religion of China scholarly professors had been sent out to India to learn about the new religion, thus returning from their voyage with sacred Buddhist texts and paintings as well as Indian preists to explain the teachings of the Buddha to the Emperor. .Monks, missionaries and pilgrims began travelling from India to Central Asia and then on to China, bringing Buddhist writings and paintings, while converts followed the Silk Road west.. Fa Xi’an (337-422), was the first Chinese monk to travel to India in 399, via the