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Culture Corner The Silk Road The routes For centuries, the Silk Road was the most important line of communication connecting East and West.Although the Silk Road covered a huge distance linking modern day Xi'an with the Middle East and Europe,today one area in particular is associated most closely with the name of the Silk Road. This area is Xinjiang in Northwest China,through which two major routes of the Silk Road passed on the northern and southern side of the Taklamakan desert. The name The Silk Road got its name in the 19th century when a German geographer identified it as the route through which the Romans got their silk from China.However, silk wasn't the only thing that passed along the Silk Road;anything that had buyers was traded along the road.Goods were traded from market to market passing through many hands before they reached their final destinations. Buddhism The Silk Road was not just the route through which goods were carried.It was also important for the exchange of ideas.Buddhism from India entered China along the Silk Road and had a huge influence on Chinese culture.Greek art styles were popular along the Silk Road and gave Buddhist statues in Northern India classical Western faces.These styles from Northern India were also found in Xinjiang. The people One of China's famous monks, Xuan Zang,followed the Silk Road in the 6th century to collect Buddhist scriptures from India.Around 600 years later, one of Europe's famous travellers, Marco Polo, entered China along the Silk Road.Both Xuan Zang and Marco Polo left detailed records of their journeys along the Silk Road. The Silk Road today Today, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region remains an international crossroad where traders from surrounding countries, and tourists from all over the world regularly meet. Trade in precious stones, food, drinks, crafts, art, and of course, silk, continues, too. 文化广角 丝绸之路 通道 几个世纪以来，丝绸之路是东西方交流的最重要的线路。虽然丝绸之路覆盖了经现在的西安通往中东和欧洲的很长一段距离，但是，一个特别地区与丝绸之路的名字有着最紧密地联系。这个地区是中国西北部的新疆，经过这里，丝绸之路的两个主要通道通往塔克拉玛干沙漠的北边和南边。 名称 丝绸之路这一名称得于19世纪，当时，一位德国地理学家把它看作罗马人从中国获得丝绸的通道。然而，经过丝绸之路的不仅仅有丝绸；买家交易的任何东西都可以经过此路。交易的货物到达终点前，从一个市场到另一个市场要转很多次手。 佛教 丝绸之路不仅仅是运送货物的通道。它还是重要的思想交流的通道。佛教通过丝绸之路从印度传入中国，并对中国文化产生巨大影响。希腊艺术风格通过丝绸之路流行，印度北部的佛教雕像开始拥有古典西方特征的面孔。这些印度北部的风格在新疆也看得到。 人民 中国著名的高僧之一玄奘，6世纪，沿着丝绸之路去印度收集佛教经文。大约600年后，欧洲著名的旅行者之一马可o波罗，沿着丝绸之路来到中国。玄奘和马可o波罗都留下了他们丝绸之路之旅的详尽记录。 现在的丝绸之路 现在，新疆自治区仍是一个国际的中心地点，周边国家的商人和世界各地的旅行者经常在这里碰面。买卖宝石、食品、饮料、工艺品、艺术品，当然还继续买卖丝绸。 |
