What important role did the Silk Road play at that time when a new waterway was opened?

1. The opening of the Silk Road effectively promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between China and the West, and played a positive role in promoting the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.

2. Introduction

The "Silk Road" refers to the ancient commercial and trade routes that started in ancient China and connected Asia, Africa and Europe. The Silk Road in a narrow sense generally refers to the Silk Road on land. Broadly speaking, it is divided into land silk road and maritime silk road.

the "overland silk road" is an overland commercial and trade passage connecting the hinterland of China and other places in Europe. It was formed between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD and remained in use until the 16th century. It is a main road for economic, political and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions to form its basic trunk road. It starts from Chang 'an in the Western Han Dynasty (Luoyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty) and passes through Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang. From Dunhuang, it is divided into two roads: the south road runs from Dunhuang through Loulan, Yutian and shache, through the green ridge and now Pamir to Dayue's, rest in peace, and reaches Tiaozhi and Daqin in the west; The North Road runs from Dunhuang to Jiaohe, Qiuci and Shule, crosses the green ridge to Dawan, and goes to the west longitude to rest in peace and reach Daqin. Its original function was to transport silk produced in ancient China. Therefore, when the German geographer Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen first named it "Silk Road" in the 197s, it was widely accepted.

The Maritime Silk Road is a maritime passage for traffic, trade and cultural exchanges between ancient China and foreign countries. It is mainly centered on the South China Sea, so it is also called the South China Sea Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road was formed in the Qin and Han Dynasties, developed from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui Dynasty, flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and changed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the oldest known maritime route.