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The Silk Road was an ancient trade route from East China to Central Asia and Europe. The Silk Road was influential because it brought grapes, cotton, chestnuts, lucerne, pomegranates, and Buddhism to China and shipped out techniques for silkworm breeding, iron smelting, and papermaking westward.

The Silk Road was an ancient trade route from East China to Central Asia and Europe. The Silk Road was influential because it brought material goods like grapes, cotton, chestnuts, lucerne, pomegranates, as well as false religions like Buddhism to China; and it led to the westward spread of Chinese technology like silkworm breeding, iron smelting, and papermaking.

The Silk road ran for 5,000 miles across Asia and increased trade in silk and fine goods between [[Asia]] and [[Europe]]. Merchants did not travel the entire length, goods were passed on by middle-men who extracted large sums of money for their services. Ideas were also passed along the Silk Road. Buddhism entered China due to trade along the [[Silk Road]].

The Silk road ran for 5,000 miles across Asia and increased trade in [[silk]] and fine goods between [[Asia]] and [[Europe]]. Merchants did not travel the entire length, goods were passed on by middle-men who extracted large sums of money for their services. There is no general consensus as to the date when the silk road began, but silk from China arrived in Rome before the first century A.D. Although the volume of trade fluctuated across time, the Silk Road remained an important trade route until the anti-[[Ch'ing]] revolution of 1911.

 

In addition to material goods, ideas were also passed along the Silk Road. Buddhism entered China due to trade along the [[Silk Road]], beginning during the [[Song dynasty]]. [[Christianity]] also penetrated China for the first time thanks to the Silk Road, which brought [[Nestorian Christians|Nestorian Christianity]] to the Chinese capital of [[Beijing]] during the [[T'ang dynasty]]. [1]

[[Image:silkroadmap.jpg]]

[[Image:silkroadmap.jpg]]