Trade in Ancient China

The Mongol Ruler

The Mongol Ruler

The Mongols were supporters of free trade, as they lowered taxes and tolls, promoted trade with Europe and also improved road systems between China and Russia.

During Genghis Khan's rule, a Mongol conqueror, he was almost able to take full control of the Silk Routes and sometimes went to battle to take it. But another upside during the Mongol rule is that the merchants that passed through the Silk Route were able to gain a higher social status, resulting in the merchants lives becoming richer.

Emperor Wu

Emperor Wu of Han was able to use the road networks that Emperor Qin left behind after he passed, these networks were later well known as the Silk Routes. Without his initiative to create a trading system, China would not have been as advanced and knowledgeable in their trade as they are today.

Emperor Wu

Emperor Qin

The first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, established road networks between major provinces and other cities that helped Ancient China’s trading systems. His effort was added on to later in 130 B.C., when the Han dynasty came and built the Silk Road.

Emperor Qin

Silk Routes

Silk Routes

One of the major trade goods transported along the route was silk from China as it was a cloth of luxury that was incredibly soft and able to be used throughout all seasons. The main trade routes in Ancient China were known to be the Silk Road or more commonly known as the Silk Routes. It was able to give merchants more social status during the rule of the Mongols and it connected China to the East and the West, resulting in better connections throughout the world and better diversity. The Silk Road made China opulent as it made a connection between other buyers and sellers.

Wealth

Trade in Ancient China allowed them to give away the things that they had of great consignment for things that were needed, such as ivory, wool, gold, silver and cotton.

As Ancient China was the only place that had the skills and secrets of making silk during that time, it was foreign to the other countries, which in turn helped China gain more money and other sorts of riches and stock.

Wealth

Buddhism

Because of one of the major tools in trade that was founded in Ancient China, the Silk Routes, Buddhism was able to spread throughout the world because of contacts from other cultures and traditions during travels in the Silk Routes. Even though the religion was beginning to dwindle in India, it has now become one of the biggest religious traditions in the world.

Buddhism

Silk Road

The Silk Road allowed peoples idea’s, inventions and religions to have an impact in many places, these things can not be taken back as it has helped shape the many places to be what we know it to be today. It also allowed other places to take other cultures ideas as inspiration and turn it into something entirely new.

In some cases, weapon contraptions from battles on the Silk Route were able to be taken and spread across to other regions, such as a crossbow mechanism from China that possibly got spread to the East.

Silk Road

Religion

Starting in the 2nd century A.D., the Silk Road/Routes became a pathway for the flow of Buddhism from India to China and back again. However, in the 8th century it quickly became the route in which Islam was introduced to Central Asia and Western China from the Middle East. Many other religions like Zoroastrianism, Manichaesm, Nestroain Christianity, Judaism, Shamanism, Confucianism and Taoism were also spread across the Silk Road.

Religion

Trade

In the modern era, there have been multiple 'trade wars' that have been going on between Australia and China as China is beginning to refuse imports of Australia's goods such as barely, coal, beef and other products, which in turn results in Australia loosing money. Trade

But, if it were not for Ancient China's Silk Routes, the world may have not been as successful in it's trade, nor as knowledgeable in how to control it.

Trade

Here!

• https://www.ancient.eu/Silk_Road/

• http://203-05-b5.blogspot.com/2009/10/impact-of-silk-road.html

• https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/silk-road#:~:text=Established%20when%20the%20Han%20Dynasty,with%20China%20and%20closed%20them.

• http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub90/entry-5492.html

No here!

• https://visiontimes.com/2016/03/09/another-miracle-by-qin-shi-huang-50-lane-highways-constructed-more-than-2000-years-ago.html

• https://www.ancient.eu/Qin_Dynasty/

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfe-eNqQyg&index=7&list=LLSoNn7qZTsyOrYwSmarx2Fg

• https://www.9news.com.au/trade-war

Press HERE

• https://www.theethicalsilkco.com/blog/2015/3/26/the-silk-road-and-how-it-shaped-the-modern-world#:~:text=Additionally%20Buddhism%2C%20Zoroastrianism%2C%20Manichaeism%20and,also%20influenced%20by%20the%20route.&text=Even%20today%2C%20the%20Silk%20Road,and%20cultural%20significance%20for%20many.

• https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/28/how-much-is-chinas-trade-war-really-costing-australia

• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-silk-road