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Xi'an is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. Six countries including China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyztan are jointly applying for World Heritage status for the Silk Road. Each of these countries claims a part of the ancient trade route that links the East with the West.
Camel caravans on the desert. This is the typical image of the Silk Road. It inspires our wildest imaginations and ignites a desire within us to explore the unknown.
All the glory of the legendary road ends in one city, Xi’an, the capital of the dynasty, around 200 BC, when the road first took shape. Trailblazed by imperial envoy, Zhang Qian, who sought a military alliance with western kingdoms, the road became frequented when Chinese silk was sought after by foreign countries.
Nowadays Xi’an ’s people pay tribute to their courageous and business savvy ancestors with this set of sculptures, at Xi’an’s old West Gate. It’s where sacks of silk were loaded onto camel caravans, waiting to embark on a journey full of danger and hardships.
Reporter: “These sculptures mark the old West Gate of ancient Xi’an, the starting point of the silk road. From here, the merchant caravans began their journey to the west, passing China’s Gansu and Xinjiang, through central Asia and onto the Middle East and even Europe. They brought Chinese silk and porcelain to the West, and brought back jewelry, glass and spices.”
The Silk Road started in the Han dynasty, but saw its peak years during the Tang dynasty around the 7th century AD when Xi’an was also the country’s capital. At that time, the city was the center of the world. It boasted the world’s biggest trading market, called the "West Market". There is now a museum there to commemorate that part of history.
Reporter: “This museum is built on the ruins of Xi’an’s grand old market. Ancient merchants travelled here all the way from Persia and Arabia to trade their exotic goods. It was also here that Chinese merchants bought their wares before their great journey to the west.”
As a world trading center, the "West Market" gathered traders from around the world. Among the 1 million Xi’an residents, one fifth were foreigners. This unearthed pottery work depicting camel-riding traders from central Asia strutting on the streets of Xi’an, recalls the bussling trade back then. Silk products with Western patterns and porcelain with exotic adornments were exclusively catered to foreign customers. The foreign traders also influenced the local residents’ way of life with their food, clothing and even art and religion.
An active trade route from 200 BC, the Silk Road thrived until the 16th century AD when it was overtaken by the advent of a sea route between China and Europe. But it remains a testimony to the earliest exchanges between East and West, and also the earliest merging of the two cultures.
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