Silk Road

In the 2nd century B.C., the Silk Road from Chang’an (Xi’an today) to Mediterranean Sea was set up after Empeor Wudi of Han Dynasty embraced the Gansu Corridor into Han’s territory. The trade on the road, mainly concerned with silk business, had greatly promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between the east and the west, and contributed a lot to the spreading of Chinese sericulture and silk production over to the west. However, the maritime Silk Road had become the major way for China’s foreign trade since Song Dynasty.