Clarify the Maritime Silk Road
The Maritime Silk Road was a conduit for trade and cultural exchange involving China's south-eastern coastal regions and foreign nations. There had been two big routes: the East China Sea Silk Route as well as the South China Sea Silk Route. Get more data about Maritime Silk Road
A visitor appears at Quanzhou-style lanterns in the course of an exhibition on intangible cultural heritages along the ancient Maritime Silk Road in Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
Starting from Quanzhou Fujian Province, the Maritime Silk Road was the earliest voyage route that was formed inside the Qin and Han dynasties, developed in the Three Kingdoms Period towards the Sui Dynasty, flourished inside the Tang and Song dynasties, and fell into decline inside the Ming and Qing dynasties.
By way of the Maritime Silk Road, silks, china, tea, and brass and iron were the four key categories exported to foreign nations; though spices, flowers and plants, and uncommon treasures for the court have been brought to China. For that reason, the Maritime Silk Road was also known as "the Maritime China road" or "the Maritime spices road".
The Maritime Silk Road, like its overland counterpart, had its origins throughout the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). While vast seas separate the 4 corners of the Earth, with advances in shipbuilding and navigational technologies, maritime transport came to supply unprecedented access towards the most distant destinations.
It's identified that the bulk of the raw and processed silk transported along the overland Silk Road through the Han Dynasty was produced mainly along China's southern coast and in the coastal Wu, Wei, Qi, and Lu regions (present-day Shandong Province). Due to the fact ancient occasions, these locations have already been thriving centers of shipbuilding also as silk production. They have been hence capable to supply both commodities for export plus the signifies to transport them across the sea. It was this mixture that offered the social and material conditions vital for the development of maritime trade through the Han Dynasty.
The maritime routes opened by Emperor Han Wudi (reigned 140-87 BC) provided access for the Roman Empire by means of India, marking the initial oceanic route as well as the earliest maritime trading route inside the world. This enabled China to actively seek out overseas markets and establish foreign trade relations, and laid the foundation for the development from the Maritime Silk Road.
Han Shu Record (also known as The History from the Han Dynasty) kept the first comprehensive vivid record on China's boats sailing into the Indian Ocean in the South Sea by means of the Malacca Strait in Southeast Asian waters. Han ships would leave from Xuwen in South China's Guangdong Province, or Hepu in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and by way of the South Sea, would arrive in India and Sri Lanka -- a transfer station, exactly where pearls, colored glazes, along with other exotic issues may very well be purchased. Chinese silk was transported to Rome hereafter. Such was the Maritime Silk Road.
In his book Nature History, Gaius Plinius Secundus, a knowledgeable scientist in ancient Rome, recorded, "four sailors from (today's Sri Lanka) left for Rome (throughout the Caesar Era). According to one with the sailors named Rutgers, each Rome and Sri Lanka had direct trade relations with China."
In 166 on the Han Dynasty, the Roman Emperor sent envoys to China, presenting several such gifts as ivory and hawksbill turtles for the imperial royal court, which marked the earliest friendly relations amongst China and European countries. A direct route from the East towards the West was consequently opened up.
Throughout the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Chinese ships set sail from Guangzhou, bound across the South China Sea, thus pioneering probably the most critical routes on the maritime Silk Road. Additionally to transporting silk, the South China Sea routes stimulated each material and cultural exchange. Nations throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and also Europe dispatched emissaries to China via the new maritime routes to establish diplomatic relations, obtain silk, and engage of trade of all sorts. Silk, because the principal maritime trade commodity, flowed inside a steady stream from China to other countries.
Profits from the maritime trade had been one of the Chinese government's main sources of revenue in the course of this time. The Tang, Song (960-1279), and Yuan (1279-1368) Dynasties all appointed particular Commissions of Maritime Affairs at coastal cities including Guangzhou (Canton), Mingzhou (present-day Ningbo), and Quanzhou. These offices had been responsible for overseeing maritime trade and offering logistic support and preferential treatment for foreign merchants in China. The maritime Silk Road as a result became a conduit for advertising friendly relations and linking East and West.
East China Sea Route
Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, the starting spot of Maritime Silk Road. The East China Sea Route enjoys a lengthy history of about 3,000 years. It was throughout the Zhou Dynasty that Ji Zi, a court official, was sent on a journey east, setting off from Shangdong Peninsula's Bohai Gulf and navigating his way across the Yellow Sea, which led for the introduction of sericiculture (silkworm farming), filature and silk spinning into Korea.
When Emperor Qin Shi Huang united China, lots of Chinese fled to Korea and took with them silkworms and breeding technologies. This sped up the development of silk spinning in Korea. These new expertise and the technologies had been subsequently introduced into Japan throughout the Han Dynasty. Since the Tang Dynasty, the silks developed by Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces have been directly shipped to Japan. Lots of Japanese envoys and monks were also in a position to travel to Chang'an (now Xi'an) along this sea route.
South China Sea Route
Guangzhou represented the starting-point of the South China Sea Route, which extended across the Indian Ocean and after that on to a variety of nations situated about the Persian Gulf. The varieties goods dispatched for trade consisted mostly of silk, china and tea, when imported merchandise incorporated various spices, flowers and grasses - therefore it getting generally known as the sea's 'China Road' as well as the sea's 'Flavor Road' .
The route was initial used in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and enhanced in popularity from the 3 Kingdoms Period (220-280) to the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Up till the Tang Dynasty Anshi Rebellions (755-762), this route was viewed as a secondary alternative towards the Silk Road, However within the latter half with the eighth century, owing towards the scourge of wars inside the vast Western Regions, trade volumes along the Maritime Silk Road boomed as these on its overland counterpart steadily declined.
Delicate Silk Technologic advances in shipbuilding and navigation led towards the opening of new sea-lanes for the Southeast Asia, Malacca, locations inside the Indian Ocean as well as the Persian Gulf. Guangzhou became the first good harbor in China around the time with the Tang and Song Dynasties, while it was later substituted by Quanzhou inside the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) because the most important trade port.
The Naval Expedition for the West by Zheng He inside the early part with the Ming Dynasty demonstrated the fantastic value of the Silk Road and was to represent the peak of its recognition. The governments from the Ming and Qing Dynasties issued a ban on maritime trade, contributing to enormous decline in its use. As the Opium War broke out in 1840, the Silk Road around the Sea completely disappeared.
As early as 2,000 years ago, the Maritime Silk Road started from China's south-east coastal regions, traversing a vast expanse of oceans and seas to nations in Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe.
This trading route that connects the East as well as the West, had enhanced the exchanges of commodities, people and culture amongst countries situated around the road.
So as to revive the ancient Maritime Silk Road and bring a lot more benefits for the relevant countries and peoples, the initiative that China and countries along the ancient Maritime Silk Road would build with each other a new Maritime Silk Road with the 21st Century was proposed by China.
Such an initiative draws inspiration both from history and from latest developments within the 21st century. The aim is always to inject sturdy impetus in enhancing political mutual trust, deepening financial cooperation, and promoting cultural as well as people-to-people exchanges among relevant nations by means of joint cooperation, common development and regional integration. All nations along the Maritime Silk Road are welcome to program, develop and benefit together from the initiative.
Since the initiative was 1st raised, lots of countries have actively supported and engaged themselves within the development from the or the Silk Road Financial Belt (the "Belt and Road" for quick) or both.
On Oct. 24, 2014, twenty-first Asian nations signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing, aiming to finance and facilitate infrastructure constructions for Asian countries along the "Belt and Road".
The MOU specifies that the authorized capital of AIIB is 100 billion U.S. dollars as well as the initial subscribed capital is expected to be around 50 billion dollars. The paid-in ratio will likely be 20 percent.
The 21 countries are Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
At the APEC Summit 2014 held in Beijing in November, 2014, China announced to contribute US$40 billion to set up a Silk Road Fund to provide investment and financial support to carry out infrastructure, resources, industrial and financial cooperation along with other projects related to connectivity for nations along the "Belt and Road".
With more support from other nations and wider coverage across the area, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road has come to be an initiative not for one country but for all nations who welcome and support the initiative and are working collectively closely with one another for economic and social advancement as well as for the welfare of their peoples. The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road has normally been and will nonetheless be open to all nations along the road.
