By Rita Farhat Mukand and Dr. Rizwan Rumi
The Old Silk Road was so widely used in the 4th century that in the 21st Century, its geopolitical significance led most nations to wish for the same dominance over this route. Charles C Mann, an American journalist and author believes that inventions such as silk, paper, gunpowder, stirrup, and moldboard plow all started in Asia which led to more complicated innovations in the West which reached Europe through the Silk Road.
The era in China of the 4th century BC to 2nd century AD witnessed an exponential silk trade surge making China one of the most prosperous nations, known as the Land of Silk. This route started at Luoyang and Seyang, where the Silk Routes crossed the Yellow River at Lanzhou, and then followed the Gansu Corridor. At Dunhuang, the route split three ways, the northern branch crossed the Tianshan Mountains and the other two crossed the Taklamakan Desert. The Silk Route crossing China did not only impact Northern China but the history of the whole world.
The ancient silk route connected land and sea routes linking it with China, India, East Asia, Persian Peninsular, South East Asia, South Asia, Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean as well as Southern Europe. All ancient cities started thriving through this trade and were equal stakeholders with an unspoken language of trust between each other.
Trade activities were noticed back 4000 years in Xinjiang. During that time, green jade was a precious stone in Xinjiang while silk became wildly popular. By 600 BC, gold, jade and silk became popular items among merchants between Europe and Western Asia in the advanced states of the Zhou Dynasty. Around 300 BC, civilizations along the Silk Road including ancient Greece, Persia, Yyezhi and the Qin State had control over the eastern parts of the Gansu Corridor crossing a huge long valley from Luoyang to Xinjiang.
Development of the trade route started during the Han Empire 206 B to 220 AC, until hindered by attacks of small nomadic tribes from Central Asia on their trade caravans.
The reinforced development of the Silk Road dates back to the 5th century BCE when Darius the great Persian ruler built the first royal road from the Tigris River to the Asian Sea. Besides facilitating easy trade, the invasion of Asia by the powerful Greek King Alexander expanded into Asia by conquering Samarkand (a city in South East Uzbekistan) and new ones gave the idea of a connecting bridge between China and Europe. The spreading eastward of Greek, Egyptian, Indian and Persian made the Silk Road’s passage extensively sought after.
In the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty touched its Golden Age. The rise of the Mongols between 1207 AD and 1360 brought political stability which promoted the Silk Road. Western travellers such as the Venetian traveller Marco Polo went on the Silk Road controlled by the East between 1271 and 1295 was very impressed by his discoveries in the East led him to say that the East was far more developed and innovative than the West.
During this time, to protect their trade routes, in 138 BCE, a general was sent as an envoy to the Western regions to scout out the territory and to form an anti-Xinjiang alliance with the Western people to build trade relationships with them. He returned to the Han Empire with stories of highly developed civilized societies in the West sharing about their wide diversity of products over the Western borders. It was not long before silk and jade were exchanged for horses and cotton by diplomats. This marked the formal beginning of the Silk Road trade bringing silks and ceramics to other parts of the world. At the end of the Han Empire’s rule in 220 AD, it was split into three warring states, Wei, Shu and Wu marking the beginning of the three kingdom periods.
During the ancient Roman Empire era, the demand for Chinese silk rose to levels that royal orders were passed to ban Chinese silk and went as far as calling Chinese silk immoral! However, the Eastern Roman Empire was so obsessed with Chinese silk that they got spies to steal the silkworm eggs and learned the secrets of making Chinese silk. They produced silk in the Byzantine Empire, but Chinese silk was still superior!
Indian and Chinese Connections: For thousands of years, India and China have been connected by two silk routes, the Overland Silk Road and the lesser-known Maritime Silk Road transporting silk, spices, and other luxury goods. Maritime Silk Routes have powerful evidence that ancient Asia was deeply connected, used by Hindu Brahmans and Buddhist monks, by diplomats and adventurers, used for trade, cultural expansion, diplomacy, piracy, and raids.
India has twelve very important Silk Road sites that used to play a big role in ancient trade through the Silk Road such as Indraprastha (in New Delhi), Shravasti (in Uttar Pradesh), Kushinagar (in Uttar Pradesh), Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Kaushambi (in Uttar Pradesh) Vaishali (in Bihar), Vikramshila (in Bihar), Arikamedu (in Puducherry) Kaveripattinam (in Tamil Nadu) and Nalasopara (in Maharashtra) where gold was exported from this town. All these 12 main sites associated with the Silk Road are on UNESCO’s tentative list including the ruins of ancient Vaishali in Bihar, the Remains of Vikramshila Ancient University, and Buddhist sites like Kushinagar, Sravasti, Kaushambi, and Ahichhatra in Uttar Pradesh.
The Silk Route wasn’t merely about trade; it was an information superhighway, facilitating the exchange of ideas, art, and science. Greek art flowed into India, Buddhism spread globally, and Chinese travellers like Fa Hein and Hiuen Tsang visited India through these routes. The Arabs gained knowledge from India and China, shaping new sciences like Algebra.
In Sikkim, the Silk Route is an offshoot of an ancient trade route originating from Lhasa, passing through Nathula Pass and reaching the port of Tamralipta in West Bengal. This less-travelled route, known as the South West Silk Route, connected the Yunan Province of China to Tibet and India, trading in horses, tea, sugar, salt, copper, and cotton. The route’s history is intertwined with the rise and fall of empires and the exchange of cultures along its path.
From the third and fourth centuries BCE, Southeast Asian countries started becoming Indianized linguistically, politically, and religiously where Hindu and Buddhist thoughts started to dominate, and dance styles and forms of art were taken from India.
The New Silk Road
Now in modern times, the New Silk Road travels via the Suez Canal in Egypt where Asian and European trade flourishes. In the 20th century, due to World Wars 1 and 2, along with the Cold Wars, the Silk Routes were subdued. During the 1990s, with the growth of Chinese industrialization and trade, the Silk Road was revived. China focused on Central Asia, Central Europe, and Africa.
China launched its Belt and Road initiative in 2013 – the land-based economic belt and the 21st century Maritime Silk Road. China vigorously invested in Africa to connect more easily with Africa through East Africa and North and Central Africa was fluidly connected through Southern Europe.
Presently, through rail connection, Central Europe and near the North Sea, Poland is being connected. There is a railway network through which China, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan are being connected called the Eurasian Land Bridge now called the New Silk Road – a new network working its route into Europe.
The Trans-Surasia Logistics is a joint venture of companies between China, Germany and Russia to connect China with Germany through Belarus and Poland.
Why is it Vital to Revive the Silk Road?
It Will Challenge Western Hegemony and Bring Political Balance to the World.
In today’s modern world, when we envision power and money, we immediately think of Western nations, but the Silk Road outdates every modern trade. The Silk Road may be the answer to challenge Western hegemony and its world dominance.
With Western dominance, the East appears to become slaves to the West. Western decisions on the global stage always have their last say without any challengers. The disconnection of the Silk Road disunited the East and Middle East and fear and distrust were created between nations in the East.
Due to Western imperialism, radicalization in the Middle East especially rose as counterattacks on the West, which the West used to their advantage to “prove” that Easterners were barbaric and savages.
China’s flagship scheme, the Belt and Road Initiative will elevate the political and cultural significance in the East. In the coming days, Eurasia consisting of China to Eurasia, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Indian Peninsular, going all the way to the Mediterranean would pave a powerful passage and message to the world.
The New Silk Road connections can counter Western control over Asia where their “Pivot to Asia” can be challenged. Silk Routes would be opened not only for trade but for harmonious unity in Asia and the Middle East, which would strengthen these nations against Western dominance and unbalanced and unreasonable rules.
Eurasia would pave a powerful passage and message now with the limitations of the United Nations which used to be more relevant in the 1950s-1960s. In fact, during the attack on Gaza, China holds the same view as India, being a proponent of a two-state solution contends that the Palestinian people are engaged in a struggle for national rights, and this cause deserves unwavering support.
Demonstrating their backing, Chinese Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas visited Beijing in June, marking the initial visit by an Arab leader to China this year. Following this, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang asserted that Israel had exceeded the bounds of self-defense in its military operations in Gaza. One can conclude that the new BRICS alliance will start speaking more strongly against human rights abuses. On January 11, 2023, South Africa, the only nation in the world to speak up against Israel’s attack on Gaza presented its case at the United Nation’s highest court, aiming to halt the widespread killing of civilians in Gaza Israel accusing them of carrying out genocide against Palestinians in the region.
Nations only have power when they have money and military strength which keeps more powerful nations in line and speaking up against unreasonable Western hegemony will bring more balance and peace into the world.
Revival of Trade through the Silk Road Will Remove an Imaginary Fear of China
The Silk Road and BRICS together will remove an imaginary fear of China. Some Western theorists have propagated teachings that the “Yellow Army” will march across the mountains and take over the world and with these worries; a lot has been done to curb China.
In the ancient world, while there were conquests and battles, peace and trade also flourished. Today, the world has evolved with modernization, technology, the Internet, knowledge, and social awareness. These aims of global peace are still shaping; however, the fresh modern 21st-century renaissance of science, arts, and growth is not as keen on colonising or taking over nations as in the past. Nations such as the United Kingdom and Europe which colonised most of the East and Africa have taken a step back. Asia today mainly focuses on trade, money, and good global relations along with reviving industrialization and trade with other nations. The formation of BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates proves so.
Ironically, with all its criticisms, U.S. trade with China has grown widely in recent decades and while they may hate to admit it openly, trade between them is vital for both nations. Today, China is one of the largest export markets for the U.S. The surge in trade between the United States and China gained momentum over the two decades following China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. While this trade has brought advantages to consumers and businesses in both nations, there is growing apprehension among Washington officials regarding the potential hazards associated with Beijing’s state-driven development. President Biden has opted to uphold tariffs on Chinese goods and implement additional trade restrictions as part of an initiative to redefine the bilateral relationship.
The New Silk Road Will Strengthen the Eastern Entrepreneurial and Innovative Spirit
The revival of the Silk Road will draw out the Eastern world’s entrepreneurial spirit and develop its innovative powers, to link with each other culturally reviving ancient traditions and this itself is a cause for celebration and unity. The buildup of Eastern confidence and self-assertion, new inventions and growth will spring up.
The New Silk Road goes via the Suez Canal in Egypt where Asian and European trade flourishes. During the 1990s, with the growth of Chinese industrialization and trade, the Silk Road was revived. China focused on Central Asia, Central Europe, and Africa. With this, 40 percent of the world trade was established through the Silk Road, concentrated mainly through its Maritime Routes.
At present, in the Maritime Silk Road, several deep water ports are being developed to have seamless connectivity through roads, railways and ports. China connects to major cities such as Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur Jakarta, Singapore, and Colombo through these routes. In the West, the Silk Road connects to Djibouti, the Red Sea, Haifa Istanbul Athens, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea.
Presently, through rail connection, Central Europe and near the North Sea, Poland is being connected. There is a railway network through which China, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan are being connected called the Eurasian Land Bridge now called the New Silk Road – a new network working its route into Europe.
The Trans-Surasia Logistics is a joint venture of companies between China, Germany and Russia to connect China with Germany through Belarus and Poland.
In the ancient world, there were equivalent shareholders such as South Asia, South East Asia, and Central Asia. The new Silk Road will have a larger geographic spread compared to the old Silk Road covering Africa going all the way to Latin America. China is trying to reach Nairobi through rail with fresh ambition to reach the Arctic Ocean through the Northern Sea Route.
With good trade comes brighter fortune and confidence. Fear makes countries do weird things and this fear will leave when most of the nation’s stand on an equal platform. The golden ages of the past always signified periods of rest, peace, wealth and harmony and this is what the revival of the new Silk Road can do for the world.
Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
- Rita Farhat Mukand, is an independent writer in West Bengal and Dr. Rizwan Rumi, the author is a freelancer, Writer and columnist and can be reached on [email protected]
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