Silk Road

The Silk Road crosses Asia from China to Europe. It is not really a single road, rather a collection of related trade routes. One poem calls it “The Golden Road to Samarkand". It has just included the land road from China’s Xinjiang to central Asia in the 19th century. Later it was expanded gradually and reached West Asia, Europe and Africa. It took in land and water routes. It is not only an important transportation route connecting the ancient world but also a synonym for economic and cultural exchanges between the Western world and the oriental world.

The Silk Road is a historically important international trade route between China and the Mediterranean. Because silk comprised a large proportion of trade along this road, in 1877, it was named ‘the Silk Road’ by Ferdinand von Richthofen, an eminent German geographer.

This ancient road begins at Chang’an (now Xian), then by way of the Hexi Corridor, and it reaches Dunhuang, where it divides into three, the Southern Route, Central Route and Northern Route. The three routes spread all over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and then they extend as far as Pakistan, India and even Rome. 

On the Silk Road, many passes, castles, grotto caves, tombs, post houses and beacon towers were well maintained. So far, there are 14 grottoes and 990 caved found in Xinjiang. Among these grotto caves, there are four large ones including the LarKirtz Aqianfo grottoes. The sculpture and murals in these grottoes integrate Chinese, Indian and Persian culture and feature special artistic styles. Apart from Buddhist artwork, these grottoes also reflect the production and living conditions of ancient people.