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1、Unit7 The Silk roadThe Silk Road refers to a transport route connecting ancient China with Central Asia, West Asia, Africa , and the European continent . It appeared as early as the second century and was traveled mainly by silk merchants. The term Silk Road , or “die Seidenstrasse”in German , was f
2、irst noted down by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen at the end of the 19th century.The Silk Road began in Changan(present-day Xian,capital of Shaanxi Province ) , passing through Gansu and Xinjiang to Central Asia , West Asia , and to lands by the Mediterranean . There were no signs of
3、 communication between ancient Chinese civilization and Mediterranean civilization in earlier history. In about the seventh century BC, the ancient Greeks began to learn about an ancient civilization to the east , yet knew little about it . Before the Silk Road , according to archeological findings
4、, there had already existed an intermittent(断断续续的) trade route on the grasslands from the Yellow River and the Indus River drainage areas to the Euphrates and the Tigris, and the Nile drainage areas .Yet real communication between China , Central and West Asian countries Africa and the European cont
5、inent did not develop until the opening of the Silk Road .The Silk Road functioned not only as a trade route but also as a bridge that linked the ancient civilization of China , India , the Mesopotamian plains , Egypt and Greece . It also helped to promote the exchange of science and technology betw
6、een east and west. The Silk Road served as the main channel for ancient China to open up to the outside world , as well as for fresh impulses from other cultures to enter the country which contributed a significant share to the shaping of Chinese culture.Zhang Qian , Trail Blazer The pioneer who bla
7、zed(开拓) the trail of the Silk Road was Zhang Qian ( c. 164-114 BC ) , a general of the Western Han Dynasty ( 206 BC - AD 25 ) . In Zhang Qians time, the Chinese had little knowledge about Central and West Asian countries , Africa or Europe although they were aware of the existence of many different
8、countries and cultures in faraway place the west.During the reign of Emperor Wu (r. 140 - 135 BC), there were 36 small kingdoms in the Western Regions ( present-day Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia ) . All of them were later conquered by the Huns , who then posed a direct threat to the Western Han
9、 and blocked the dynastys path west . Under these circumstances ,Emperor Wu appointed Zhang Qian to lead a team of more than 1 0 0 envoys(使者) to the Westem Regions . The mission was to unite the Indo-Scythic people against the Huns , who once killed their chieftain (首领 ) . Zhang Qians team set out i
10、n 138 BC.No sooner had they entered the Hexi Corridor ( northwest of present-day Gansu Province ) , than they were captured by the Huns . After being held under house arrest for over ten years , Zhang Qian and only one other remaining envoy managed to escape and return to Changan in 126 BC. Their ac
11、counts about the Western Regions were a revelation to the Han emperor and his ministers . In the next two decades , Emperor Wu launched three major campaigns against the Huns , forcing them to retreat from the Western Regions . In 119 BC, the emperor sent Zhang Qian on a second mission to the Westen
12、 Regions .This time Zhang Qian went further west , while his deputies reached more than a dozen countries in South and West Asia , and the Mediterranean .Zhang Qian s two missions to the Western Regions opened up the road to the west . Emperor Wu adopted a series of measures to strengthen ties with
13、the Western Regions , including encouraging Han people to trade there. Soon the route was bustling(繁忙的,热闹的)with caravans(旅行队) of camels carrying goods of all types and reverberating(回响) with the tinkling(叮当声)of their bells . Through the Silk Road ,trade flourished between China and Central ,South an
14、d West Asian countries , Africa and Europe . In 166 , envoys from Rome arrived via the Silk Road in Chang an, where they set up an embassy. The Silk Road also facilitated active trade between India Southeast Asia, West Asia , Africa ,and Europe.The exchange of new goods and technologies from differe
15、nt continents greatly helped to promote the development of all the civilizations involved .Opening to the“West The Silk Road exerted an inestimable influence on the lives of the Chinese people . While Chinese culture and technology , such as papermaking and printing ,were introduced to countries to
16、the west, China also absorbed many elements from the arts , philosophy and religions of many other countries . This helped to promote an open policy toward other cultures from the Han to Tang dynasties. The Silk Road highlights a period of history when China looked west for a farther vision of the world . To the east , apart from the islands of the Pacific and Japan ,the country faced only a huge ocean .To the west , in contrast ,there were many countries
