What are the important international trade routes in ancient China?

Five characteristics of foreign trade in ancient China:

1) Land trade first, then sea trade. Reasons: one, it was the blockage of minority regimes in the northwest, such as the Western Xia. Second, the land silk road itself has insurmountable shortcomings. Land silk road is located in the northwest of China, is located inland, can only be transported to the west of the goods, and China's traditional export commodities such as silk, porcelain, tea and so on the origin of the southeast coast. Land transportation west, away from the commodity producing areas, neither economic, nor convenient. Not to mention for the Pacific Rim countries, the land silk road can not be reached. The natural conditions of the land silk road is very poor, to cross the onion ridge and the Gobi desert, sandy, arduous trip, and only by camel transportation, transportation is limited, and long time, high freight. Third, with the main foreign trade commodities at that time, the Han Dynasty foreign trade in silk fabrics accounted for a large proportion of the two Song Dynasty ceramics products are very large proportion of its fragility is not suitable for long-distance transportation overland. Fourth, the economic center of gravity to the south, the south of the economic status, especially the sea transportation. Fifth, the development of the Song dynasty navigation and shipbuilding industry, the accumulation of maritime experience. Such as the Southern Song Dynasty, the compass used in navigation, promoting the development of navigation. ② foreign trade policy from open to closed. ③Official trade was not profit-oriented, but focused on strengthening friendly exchanges. Whether by land or by sea, brought the most exquisite crafts, silk and porcelain in China, although the best-selling, but a lot of them are given to each other, the return voyage not only to bring back the goods, but also often foreign envoys on board the ship to visit China. ④ Foreign trade and cultural exchanges went hand in hand. West Asian merchants brought Western religion, and Chinese science and technology were successively spread to the West. ⑤ Foreign trade promoted national integration. Many Persian and Arab merchants settled in China, got along with the Chinese for a long time, exchanged marriages, and gradually integrated, forming a new ethnic group, the Hui, during the Yuan Dynasty.

Six evolutions of ancient China's foreign trade routes:

①Qin and Han Dynasties, foreign trade is mainly by land. ② Sui and Tang dynasties, and opened up the sea trade routes, water and land. ③ the two Song period, the land trade routes are interrupted, overseas trade is developed. The Liao, Xia and Jin regimes transported their annual coins westward. ④ During the Yuan Dynasty, the water and land trade routes went hand in hand. ⑤ During the Ming Dynasty, sea transportation was developed, reaching as far as East Africa and the Red Sea. ⑥ In the early Qing Dynasty, the country was closed and only Guangzhou was allowed to receive foreign merchants.