The Silk Road is also referred to as the Si Road, it refers t the route starting from the western regions of Xi’an and Chang’an developed by envoy Zhangqian during his western diplomatic mission in the West Han Dynasty (202A.D-8B.C). It can be seen by readers who want to learn Chinese in China that the road had passed Gansu and Xinjiang provinces to reach Central Asia and Western Asia , as well as an onshore passageway linking the Mediterranean countries which is also referred to as the northwestern silk road.
Readers preparing to take a tour to study Chinese in China may be quite interested about the origin of the name “The Silk Road”, well, it was due to the fact that the this westward passage way was mostly well known for its silk goods, and its principle routes were formed during the Han Dynasties, which includes the South, Middle and North roads.
Friends would know when they study Mandarin in China that China is the first country in history to have had invented silk, China had already invented the sericulture technology Long before recorded history; During the Shang Dynasty( the 16thB.C- 11thB.C), China had mastered the technologies of planting mulberries, sericulture, filature, knit silken, which had achieved great development.
The people of the Han Dynasty could not only be able to weave plain and fine silk, but also can weave diamond checkered silk. And the people of the Zhou Dynasty had been able to control the thickness of the silk threads, as well as the twisting and tightening of the silk threads to weave them into fabric crepes, which had demonstrated the sophisticated development of the silk reeling technology out of the expectations of readers coming to learn Chinese in China.
The Silk road usually refers to the trade route in the northern Eurasian regions, and which is in contrast with the ancient tea horse road in the south, it is amazing for friends who’d like to study Chinese in China that the silk road was not only a trade avenue for the ancient Asia-Europe mutual exchange of needed goods, but also a route of friendship for the promotion of the friendly exchanges as well as ways of communications for China and the countries in Eurasia.
There are some famous figures in history had enjoyed stories relevant to this road, who are probably well known by people taking interest in Chinese culture and in coming to study Mandarin in China along The Silk Road, namely, the ambassador Zhangqian of the Han Dynasties, the Banchao who had abdicated literature to join in army, the Buddhist monk Xuanzhang who’d taken a journey to the west, and so on.
Since Zhangqian’s diplomatic mission into the western regions, it can be seen by readers who’d like to learn Chinese in China that there was a sharp increase of the commercial intercourses between China and Central Asia as well as European countries.
If you study Chinese in China, it is not hard for you to discover that through this transcontinental route, Chinese silk, silk fabric, damask silk, satin and tough silk products were ceaselessly shipped to Europe and Central Asia, therefore, the Greeks and the Romans used to refer China as the silk country. China is well-known by those who’d love to study Mandarin in China to had official silk workshops from the Shang Dynasty, the rulers of Zhou Dynasty established exclusive official posts for the management of silk.
Those who are interested in Chinese culture and wants to learn Chinese in China can see that during the Han Dynasty, and there were textile officials in Henan, Shandong, Sichuan silk production basis for the collection of silk damasks for emperors in the imperial palace, who led a luxurious and dissipated life, and even the dogs wore silk clothes. And during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the scale of state-run production of silk was even greater.Since the Han Dynasty, Chinese silk has been largely exported abroad, becoming world famous products. The Chinese working people invented the sericulture and silk reeling technology from long-term labor practice, which had made extremely brilliant contribution to human material civilization. And Chinese silk is quite popular among those who’d been to study Chinese in China.
It should be understand by those who’d like to study Mandarin in China that the Silk Road is the glory of the motherland, as well as the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese people.