Silk Road Business in China - Coursework Example

Business of China: Silk Road by Lecturer’s and Number The Silk Road is seen to be the oldest in the world, and most significant in historical sense on land business route. The name itself arouses images of caravans beating their way through endless seas of sand, and the scent of exotic spices, and still proceeds in fascinating travellers nowadays. The major purpose of this work is to trace Silk Road’s long history, its crucial role in economic, cultural and social aspects and to highlight grounds of this ancient business prosperity. The Silk Route, a connection of trading roads building bridges between Eastern and Southeastern Asia and Central Asia, Southwestern Asia, India and northern Europe, actively blossomed from about 100 BCE to 1450, has encouraged two eras of thorough academic research. The first era covers a phase of less than fifty years up to the early1930s, whilst a consistency of European along with those coming Japan, and American scholars, working basically in China revealed large amount of the ancient areas and artifacts of the Silk Road (Hansen 2010). The other era started to take pulse in the 1980s due to a huge quantity of technological, geopolitical, cultural issues along with the emerging History of New World as a subject of study. That very period of enchantment with the Road phenomena has been followed by not only a topic of both studied and popular researches along with numerous products in another media sources and apart from that in growing interest among scholars of the magnitude, coverage, and overall remarkable place of the Silk Road taking into account both China and the history in general. The Nature of the Route The definition of this trade route introduced to the western civilization as the `Silk Road is slightly deceptive. First of all, no single itinerary was chosen; across central part of Asia many diversified branches evolved, going through different oasis habitations (Hansen 2010). The roads all started from the territory of Changan, continued in the corridor of Gansu, and got at the border of the Dunhuang and Taklimakan. The north route afterwards went across Yumen Guan and went across the part of the Gobi desert directly to Hami prior to reaching the mountains of Tianshan going around the periphery of the Taklimakan to north. It managed to pass through the main oasis before reaching Kashgar, right at the bottom of the Pamirs. The road of the south flourished at Dunhuang, going across the borders of the desert, passing through Miran, Hetian and Shache consequently turning north once again in order to see the another road sited at Kashgar (Rarick 2009). A vast range of minor paths got also interesting but to a lesser degree; one began from the route of the south and crossed the east part of the Taklimakan directly to the Loulan city, just before entering the road of the north at Korla territory (Rarick 2009). The territory Kashgar became a starting point for the new crossroads of Asia; beginning from here the routes kept on dividing, going through the Pamirs reaching Samarkand and heading to the southern coast of the Caspian Sea to the territory of India; a farther route separated from the one of the north and went across the Tianshan row to consequently get to the shore of the Caspian Sea, across territory of Tashkent (Hansen 2010). Secondly, the route itself was not intended as a path that was primarily born in order to trade silk trade; a variety of other commodities was also traded, a variety beginning from ivory, gold to vast choice of exquisite flora and fauna specimen (Wild 1992). But among the expensive goods being traded through this territory, material such as silk stood out to be the most admirable for the inhabitants of the western countries. It is widespread opinion depicting people of Roman Empire first discovering this very material in their crusades in 53 B.C, they found out that it couldn’t have been manufactured by this relatively ordinary people (Wild 1992). They managed to take after prisoners of Parthian that it originated from a mystery eastern tribe, who were seen as Seres people. Practically, it is most likely that silk along with other products were beginning to spread into Europe right before this time, but only in significantly small portions. The Romans acquired specimens of silk, and this material immediately gained great popularity in Rome, due to its softness and beauty. Traders came to conclusion that there was much profit to be gained from silk trade, and thus trade missions were sent rapidly towards east. The people of Roman Empire also displayed efficiency through sending people to investigate the route, and eventually to do their best to acquire material at a price considerably less than that established by the Parthians (Wild 1992). Taking into account this reason, the eastern road was viewed as a route mainly for silk more than the minor goods. The appellation of the route doesn’t come from the Romans, nevertheless, it is a term of the nineteenth century, created by researcher from Germany von Richthofen. Additionally to silk, the Silk route transported many other precious goods. Caravans passing towards China had precious metals, gold and, ivory, glass and precious stones; they were not produced in China before the fifth century. A variety of these goods were traded within barter system for others on the way, and goods often went from one tradesman to the others many times. The records show that no Roman traders have been noticed on the Changan territory, as well as Chinese traders in Rome, but nevertheless their commodities were highly valued in both areas. This would apparently have been to benefit of the Parthians to a great extent and other working tradesman in between, gaining large a benefit from the changing of hands (Rossabi 1999). The Economic Role of the Silk Road Alongside with the initiation of the Tang Empire and a massive growth in the economy, the Silk Road reached its peak in history. Right before the Anshi Revolt (755–762), this world-famous route underwent its Golden Age of development (Rossabi 1999). This long-time trade route reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty and this was reached due to many factors. First of all, this dynasty is to be referred as one the most powerful in time-honored history, and helped to a great extent the economy to thrive; Changan was considered as an international metropolis at that period of time; many foreign missioners, tradesmen and envoys lived in Changan (Hansen 2010). Secondly, the emperors concentrated special attention to the process of management of the Western Regions. Thirdly, the powerful countries to the west of the Tang Empire, taking into account Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), Persia and Arabian Empire displayed relative stability. These countries were in pursuit to establish good relationships with China. All these factors mentioned above resulted in trade flourishing along the Silk Road and in cultural exchange on a regular basis between the Western and the Eastern worlds (Rossabi 1999). The Decline of the Route The fall of the Tang dynasty in the early 10th century gave a fatal blow to the trade industry on the Silk Route. The business on the road dropped dramatically till the 13th century, when the conquests of the Mongols ushered in a long period of regular and continuous relations between East and West. This improved contact evolved a great demand for Asian commodities across Europe, a demand that consequently encouraged the pursuit of a sea route to Asia (Hansen 2010). The opening of a sea route from Europe to Asian countries in the late 15th century contributed greatly to a damaging blow to the Silk Road trade once more. Taking into consideration less cost, anxiety and hazard, many products and materials that the Silk Road was not able to carry were successfully transported through the sea route (Wild 1999). Apart from that, the Persians had digested the craft of sericulture and the level of silk import of from the East was dramatically decreased. Regrettably due to abovementioned factors, the flourishing Silk Road was in its eclipse. Taking into consideration technological aspect of the matter researcher has to admit that as shipbuilding technology progressed, maritime routes became much easier and secure; this was one the most important factor to contribute to the significant decline of the on land Silk Road from about the fourteenth century (Rarick 2009). The flurry streets, affluent cities and towns and firm ramparts turned to be submersed in the endless desert, and nowadays, scholars as well as ordinary people can only look back at their outstanding and rich history via the infinite destroyed, ruined and tumble-down remains.  The Impact of the Silk Road The Silk Road trade scheme had important cultural and social effects on the territories of the countries involved. It resulted in the extension of Buddhism to China (Hansen 2010). The records used in this research show that approximately ninety percent of the population was exposed to Buddhist religion and many of them were eager to convert to it. Apart from that, the other religions such as Zoroastrianism and Islam, integrated to China and became part of its rich cultural life. The Silk Road further resulted in much stronger and centralized states that managed to provide higher level of protection. It was simultaneously in the Han Dynasty that Emperor Wu Di started the reconstruction the Great Wall of China. Thus it can be seen with a naked eye the importance and effects of the Silk Road were considerable. It had a remarkable history, commodities that were conveyed on it and an interesting manner in which they transported social effects and cultural effects as well. The Silk Road turned into a certain model, a firm foundation for the trading system that the whole world uses nowadays (Hansen 2010). Apart from cultural and social issues the Silk Road had a great economic impact on the areas absorbed by this system. Turfan’s economic state of the sixth to eighth centuries varied greatly in the most important ways from Niya’s in the fourth century and Dunhuang’s in the ninth and tenth centuries relatively (Rarick 2009). Generally speaking it was to a certain extent more commercialized – even in the existence operations stated in surviving contracts. Éric Trombert has disputed that the central government of the Tang dynasty played an enormous and crucial role in the development and prosperity of the Silk Road trade. Trombert suggests researchers to focus their attention on government finance rather than low-level entrepreneurs crossing Tarim Basin (Hansen 2010). Afterwards when the Tang government made decision to send huge quantities of silk to central Asia in order to pay its troops and working officials, the Silk Road trade boosted. And when the government suddenly withdrew from Central Asia, as it did so rapidly after 755, it eliminated its voluminous subsidies (often in the form of silk) to the region. The Silk Road business in the years of Tang government had sound and obvious surplus effects on the Turfan economic state, which was monetized and in which all operations were subject to high rates of interest. But nevertheless between 640 and 755, so-called the Golden Age of the Tang on the Silk Route, a great number of people earned their maintenance working their land than in the trade sphere on the Silk Road (Wild 1992). Conclusions Beginning from its nascence before Christ, living through the heights of the Tang dynasty government, until its slow death seven ages ago, the Silk Road has had a remarkable role in external trading and political relations as well, extending far beyond the borders of Asia itself. It has left its vitally important impact on the development and evolution of civilizations on both sides of the continent despite of their diversity. However, the Silk Road system has simply fallen into desuetude; its story is far from coming to an end. Provided with the recent developments and taking into account the changes in both political and economic spheres, the brinks of the Taklimakan may be fortunate to see international trade once more, on a level relatively greater than that of old, and the iron horse are to substitute the camels and horses of the past to make a huge step into the future. References Alfred J. Andrea. 2014. The Silk Road in World History. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thearwh.org/journal/arwh_2-1_andrea.pdf. [Accessed 27 April 15]. Annie Wu. 2015. History of the Silk Road. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.chinahighlights.com/silkroad/history.htm. [Accessed 27 April 15]. Charles A. Rarick . 2009. Historical Antecedents of Chinese Business Ethics. 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