Which two continents does the Silk Road connect? What's the role?

"Silk Road" is a land-based commercial corridor connecting the hinterland of China (namely Asia) and other parts of Europe.

The functions of the Silk Road can be divided into three aspects: commodity exchange, cultural exchange and religious exchange.

1, Commodity Exchange:

On this long road of more than 7,000 kilometers, silk, like porcelain also originated in China, became a symbol of prosperity and civilization in East Asia at that time. Heads of state and nobles used to wear China silk dyed with Phoenician red and use porcelain as a symbol of glory at home.

In addition, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan also flows into Europe and Asia with the caravan. The widespread spread of this kind of trade commodity far before silk in Eurasia has contributed to the promotion of trade exchanges between Europe and Asia. This precious commodity was once a symbol of national wealth in the two river basins. After lapis lazuli was spread to India, it was regarded as one of the seven treasures of Buddhism by Buddhists there, adding a long religious color to lapis lazuli.

The spread of grapes, walnuts, carrots, peppers, beans, spinach (also known as Persian food), cucumbers (called cucurbitaceae plants in Chinese) and pomegranates has added more choices to the daily diet of East Asians. After historical development, the wines from the western regions have been integrated into the traditional wine culture in China. Caravans mainly transport iron, gold, silver, mirrors and other luxuries from China.

There are many things introduced and transplanted between East and West. Medical skills, dancing, martial arts and some famous animals and plants have all increased the horizons of both sides. In the Han dynasty, people used to take things imported from the west as Hu characters, such as,, carrots and so on. In the Tang dynasty, people used to add Shanghai characters before their names, such as begonia, sea pomegranate and Haizhu (Persian Gulf pearl). According to Tang Huidian, the Tang Dynasty had contacts with more than 300 countries and regions. Every year, thousands of guests from all over the world come to Chang 'an, the largest city in the world, through the Silk Road. Among them, thousands of people have settled in China, including Guangzhou alone.

2. Cultural exchange:

China's ancient technology spread to the west. At the beginning of the 20th century, the oldest known print, The Diamond Sutra of the Tang Dynasty, was discovered in Dunhuang. Papermaking has made great contributions to China's leading position in ancient science and technology in the world. However, it seems that only some countries in East and South Asia have developed the paper industry. With the opening of the Silk Road, paper products began to appear in the Western Regions and beyond. People found ancient paper from the 2nd century in the archaeological site of Loulan. Although paper is also used in Central Asia, there is no evidence of paper industry. Many people believe that the spread of papermaking to the west has brought great changes to Europe and Central Asia, but the initial changes were cruel: the forces of the Tang Dynasty and the emerging Abbas dynasty in Central Asia were constantly rubbing. During the Nero War, which had a strong influence on the political situation in Central Asia, Arabs brought China prisoners of war back to Samarkand along the Silk Road, and among these prisoners of war were China craftsmen who were good at papermaking. Finally, papermaking spread all over the world.

There are dense deserts in the western regions, and the prosperity of countries is often inseparable from water. Snowmelt water in Tianshan and Kunlun Mountains is one of the main water sources in the western region. However, collecting snow water is not easy. After melting, the accumulated water at the foot of the mountain will evaporate or seep into the ground in a short time. Since the Han Dynasty sent troops to the western regions to hoard and develop agriculture, Karez and well canal technology, which spread in mountainous areas, was used by soldiers in the western regions who also needed water, and gradually spread to further countries.

Whether Karez technology was introduced into the Western Regions from China or Persia has always been a controversial issue. However, it has been proved that the well canal technology and well drilling methods were spread to the west from China. According to Records of the Historian, Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, led troops to attack Dawan in order to cut off the water and besieged the city. However, "Imakiayahito in Wancheng knows how to drill a well", which made Dawan people persist for a long time.

Printing in ancient China was also one of the technologies that spread westward along the Silk Road. Wood blocks and some paper products used for block printing were found in Dunhuang and Turpan. Among them, the engraving of the Diamond Sutra in the Tang Dynasty is still preserved in Britain. This shows that printing had spread to Central Asia at least in the Tang Dynasty. During the13rd century, many European travelers came to China along the Silk Road and brought this technology back to Europe. In 65438+5th century, Johannes Gutenberg, a European, printed a Bible by printing. 1466, the first printing factory appeared in Italy, which made this technology convenient for cultural exchange spread quickly throughout Europe.

3. Religious exchanges:

After Buddhism was introduced into China during the Han Dynasty, it began to spread in China in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and made it China-Zen. Buddhist culture has injected new blood into the development of China's traditional philosophy and Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. The rhythm of Buddhism has improved the four tones of China's ancient poems and increased the beauty of musical rhythm. Its content enriches the vocabulary of China language, and hundreds of idioms such as "Great World", "Unique Method", "Ganges River Sand Quantity", "Elysium" and "Putting Down the Slayer to Become a Buddha" have become popular words in all walks of life. In the Tang Dynasty, Du Mu wrote a poem: "Four hundred and eighty halls in the southern dynasties, several towers in the wind and rain". Today, the surviving Song Yue Pagoda in Northern Wei Dynasty, Chang 'an Wild Goose Pagoda in Tang Dynasty, Fufeng Famen Temple, nanzenji in Wutai Mountain, Beidou Temple, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda in Liao Dynasty, and Pagoda of Six Harmonies in Hangzhou, etc. Their stone and wood structures are exquisite and ingenious, and they can be called national treasures. At this point, international friends all sigh. These buildings have greatly absorbed the architectural technology of India and the West (India absorbs the West). During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Xuanzang (602-664), a monk, went to India by land via Central Asia to learn from the scriptures and give lectures. After 16 years, his book "Records of the Western Regions of Datang" recorded the politics, society, customs and customs of India at that time, and it is still the first important material for Indian scholars to study Indian medieval history. He retrieved 657 Buddhist classics, and Tang Gaozong specially built the Wild Goose Pagoda in Chang 'an to collect and translate them. Later, the monk Yijing (635-7 13) went to India by sea again, and it took another 16 years to retrieve 400 Buddhist scriptures. His works Biography of the South China Sea Returning to China and Biography of the Great Monks in the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty introduced the culture and life of South Asian countries at that time to China, and their hard work was a great event at that time.

Nestorianism (also known as Catholic Orthodox Church) was introduced into China from the Eastern Roman Empire in the early Tang Dynasty. The Chinese Monument written by Xi An Beilin is a living witness. Although its influence is not as good as Buddhism and Islam, it is a great event in the history of East-West communication. Manichaeism (also known as Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism) introduced from Persia in the middle of the Tang Dynasty was later called Zoroastrianism in China. It believes that light will conquer darkness, and justice will eradicate evil, which is deeply believed by many working people. Many leaders of peasant uprisings after the Tang and Song Dynasties used their teachings to organize poor peasants to resist feudal rulers. /kloc-The Ming Dynasty established in 0/368 was founded by Amin believers. Islam introduced into China in the prosperous Tang Dynasty was mainly mediated by Hu merchants of the ancient-eating empire in the Middle and Near East. Highly respected by officials in the Tang Dynasty, many mosques began to appear in Guangzhou, Chang 'an and other places. China's papermaking was also introduced into the great food empire in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It soon spread to European countries through it.