The Silk Road usually refers to the commercial roads in northern Europe and Asia, in contrast to the ancient tea-horse road in the south. In the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian started from Chang 'an, passed through Guanzhong Plain, Hexi Corridor and Tarim Basin, and reached Central Asia between the Syr Darya River and the Wuhu River, connecting the land passages of Mediterranean countries.

This road is also known as the "Silk Road on Land" to distinguish the other two traffic routes named "Silk Road" in the future. Because silk products have the greatest influence on the goods transported to the west, it is named. Its basic trend was set in the Han Dynasty, including three routes: South Road, Middle Road and North Road.

But in fact, the Silk Road is not a "road", but an unmarked road network that crosses mountains and deserts. Silk is just a commodity.

Extended data:

The Silk Road declined in 1209. With the development of shipbuilding and navigation technology in the west, Constantinople in the eastern Roman Empire was captured and suppressed by the fourth Crusader in July12003, Venice, Genoa and Pisa.

/kloc-In the 6th century, Spain and Portugal began to try to bypass the Mediterranean route and the ancient Silk Road controlled by Italy and the Ottoman Empire and connect South Asia and East Asia by sea, hoping to gain more profits from it than the Silk Road trade. Some countries also hope to spread their religion to the East.

/kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, despite the expansion of European powers at sea, China was still regarded as the most prosperous and ancient civilization by the west. Scholars mostly think that this is the spiritual influence brought by the Silk Road in the history of communication between China and the West, and it also creates the impression that the West can gain huge profits through its trade with China in the modern 200 years.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Silk Road