Silk Road
Not only were goods traded but the silk road also led to exchange of cultures ie: the religion of buddhism reached China and Central Asia through buddhist monks who were trading along the silk road.
Products that were traded on the silk road consist of:
silk, teas, salt, sugar, porcelain, and spices.
The Silk Road connected civilizations that were isolated from each other for many years. Not only were items exchanged between these civilizations, but religion, diseases and cultural ideas spread because of this trade route.
In third century CE, major civilizations, such as the Roman and Chinese Empires, stopped using the Silk Road because devastating diseases were exchanged as things were traded across Afro-Eurasia. Smallpox, measles and the bubonic plague were spread through the Silk Road, killing millions of people.
Marco Polo is probably the most famous traveler on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence.
His journey lasted for nearly 24 years and he traveled further than anyone else because he went beyond Mongolia and to China
The Silk Road was created because the western countries felt very strongly for chinese silk
Silk was a valuable product that was traded throughout the Silk Road.
Revival of the Silk Road
Speaking of cultural exchange art was a very popular thing and through art many religions were scatter across countries using the silk road
After many major empires/civilizations drew out of the Silk Road, trade was cut off for almost five centuries. However, the Tang Dynasty/China itself encouraged more trade through it's strong economy. When Arab merchants started trading with China, the Silk Roads began to be used again.
In the Tang Dynasty, the population was booming, cities were advancing, and paper currency was put in use.
The spread of Buddhism to China
Buddhism came to China around second century CE, when Buddhist missionaries traveled around Asian countries. When Chinese Emperors heard about the religion, they sent for Buddhist monks to preach the word of Buddha to the Chinese people.
A few years after Buddhism was introduced to China, a small community of Buddhists continued to introduce sacred texts and Buddhist art. Buddhist temples were built around China for worship. This form of cultural diffusion had a positive impact on China because it allowed new ideas and points of view to the Chinese people that made them want to know more. This also opened up a trading relationship between China and other countries in Afro-Eurasia, such as India.
A disadvantage to that same connectedness that it might be bad for small or developing countries. More developed countries might act like bullies to the less developed countries.
Another disadvantage of trading on the silk road was dangerous for the traders. There were bandits who stole from or even murdered merchants traveling on these routes.
China produced silk, which was valued by other empires, especially the Roman Empire. In the Roman Empire, silk was seen as something only the wealthy was valuable enough to have. China valued different gems and spices that other empires produced. Because of the exchange in resources, new materials were introduced in China and the economy was thriving off of trade.
With different people traveling to different areas across the Silk Road, it was easy for diseases to spread. Smallpox and the measles became deadly for many countries, all because the silk road introduced these diseases to to areas who hadn't been exposed to a particular disease before.
In 845, religions that were foreign to China were banned. Buddhism was especially persecuted, which greatly reduced the number of Buddhists in China.