The Role of Grassland Route and Desert Route of the Silk Road

摘要

Introduction One of the world''''s most ancient and historically important trade routes,the Silk Road conjures up exotic images of camel caravans,windswept deserts.Extending as far as the Indian kingdoms in the west,to present-day Xi’an in China in the east,the Silk Road was already a crossroad of Asia by the third century B.C.Recent archaeological discoveries across China indicate that silk production technology has developed to a fairly high level from the Shang Dynasty and warring states periods.Nowadays,China''''s silk goods are still one of the most important products that China has devoted to the people of the world.The Silk trade road serves as a highway connecting China,Southern,Western and central Asia,in the Han Dynasty.According to new archaeological data,further spread to the west Mediterranean and Asia minor,determines the basic connotation of the silk road,i.e.it is the ancient China through nearly the whole ancient world,the land trade communication channel paving a lot of Chinesegoods,is so called"silk road".