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Spices travelled from the Middle East, India and East Africa and arrived at China via the Silk Road. As a result of this commodity, China has used spices to develop in fields of  medicine, scents and cosmetics.

China contributed tea to the world, allowing The Dutch East India Company to make tea available to Europeans in 1610. Tea went on to influenced Western countries, nowadays, making Europe a significant market for tea.

Nowadays, many Chinese characters for food items contain the character “胡 hu” in it. It is likely that such an exotic plant was introduced to China from Western Regions.

Thanks to the Silk Road, new vegetables were transported to China, allowing for an increase in food variety.

The maritime foreign played a significant role in China's medical field. The majority of medicines were imported from overseas, and further increased during the Tang Dynasty. Over 100 drugs were recorded  in Herbal Medicine.

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Islam:

Islam traveled along Silk Road into China, establishing Muslim Quarter in Xian

100,000 Muslims present in China

Many direct descendants of Islamic traders from West who settled in China

Great mosque in Xian since 742-centre of Chinese muslim worship

Silk Road traders came to mosque, praying for safe journey to West

Mosque unique in China with 1273 yrs of history

"Islam spread into China via both the Maritime Silk Road and the land Silk Road" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZGv78iN6Bk)

No Silk Road = no Hiu minority Chinese muslims

Ancestors were Arabian, Iranian, & Central Asian

Brought islamic religion, culture, & medicine to China

Muslim merchants operating under protection of Muslim rulers and missionary activity of Sufi preachers helped spread Islam.

Buddhism:

Maiji Shan, Qinling Mountains, Tianshui, Gansu Province

Cave shrines carved into mountainside

Important site for Buddhist pilgrimage

Over 1500 yrs old

Construction in late 4th century

Early 5th century: monks Tan Hun & Xuan Gao arrived from Xian, building a 300 monk community.

20/30 yrs after community's establishment under Wei dynasty

Buddhism heavily scrutinised,

Monks killed for beliefs

Tan Hun fled to China/modern day Vietnam, burning himself to death as protest

Subsequent rulers of Wei Dynasty actively supported Buddhism, growing its religion again

Maiji Shan on crossroads of Northern Silk Road & southern routes down to Southeast Asia

1st meeting point between Western & Eastern Buddhism

Arts here display influences from India & Southeast Asia, showing culture clashes

"Much of the Silk Road economy was in the hands of Buddhist traders and the monasteries they supported along the way" (https://asiasociety.org/religions-silk-road)

Competing Religions

Afghanistan region was mostly Buddhism before 7th century Muslim conquests

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The Silk Road was a network of trading routes from the 2nd century BC to the 14th century AD. It stretched from China to Europe, the main countries being involved being Greece, Egypt, India and China. A large portion of the road consisted of difficult terrain such as desert and mountains; oases made it possible for traders to go long distances. Spices came from the Middle East, India and Africa and were traded to China through the Silk Road, so China now uses these spices to develop medicine and cosmetics. Other commodities traded include vegetables and tea, allowing for an increase in food variety. But it was not only commodities that were traded; religion was also shared throughout the Silk Road. This resulted in new religions forming and old religions spreading. Islam, for example, spread into China through the Silk Road, and mosques were stationed along the road for travellers to pray. To sum up, collective learning allowed ideas, inventions, beliefs and commodities to spread along the Silk Road.

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Greece, Egypt, India, China

China to Europe

General regions:
Intermontaine Desert and Oasis Belt

main zone of Silk Road

Mostly desert, from NW China to Caspian, Black Seas to Middle East

dry, high, little water

oases made journeys much more possible

one important segment: NW from Chang'an, from Gansu corridor, then passes through deserts and oases in Central Asia

Trans-Eurasian Steppe Belt

grassland

eastern Mongolia to Romania and Hungary

became an important highway to spread languages, populations, culture

China

North China

relatively dry climate

Yellow River makes soil fertile

South China

monsoon climate

soil needs to be fertilized

trade routes fed into Silk Road, maritime trades to other ports and a route to what is now Vietnam

- The Mediterranean
- The Middle East
- South Asia
- Northeast Asia
- Northern Europe
- Mainland SE Asia
- Island SE Asia

- Persian Royal Road
- Alexander the Great extended it further east to India
- Chinese trade routes eventually joined to the Western routes

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Food:

Lanzhou was a rest stop for merchants during silk road.

Aspects of their culture such as their noodles were shared with foreign merchants

Trade in places such as Lanzhou, China allowed for ideas to be shared

Italian pasta said to originate from China

Paper:

Invented in Han dynasty in China

Was kept within China until 13th or 14th century when Chinese men created paper-making station in Samarkand

Spread through trade and imitation

Became primary writing material

Overtook parchment/papyrus

Spread of Ideas:

"ideas, inventions, devices and techniques spread readily and far along the Silk Road" (https://asiasociety.org/education/silk-road)

affected not just merchants who traveled but entire countries

shaped cultures

good ideas spread rapidly due to collective learning