Background

Connection between Tang Dynasty & Central Asia - Silk Road

The silk road refers to a network of transportation routes with the Chinese capital as the core since the Han and Tang Dynasties. It is used to describe the land routes and sea routes connecting Central Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe.

The silk road was reopened by the Tang when Hou Junji (Tang’s general) conquered the West and remained open for almost four decades. It connects China directly to the West for land-based trade.

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This shows the silk road’s route from Chang’an to Central Asia: via the Hexi Corridor, Xinjiang, and other places, you can reach Kucha, Samarkand, south of the Amu Darya, and even areas near India and Iran.

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There is no specific division of what places does Central Asia includes. This map is the common definition of nowadays’ Central Asia. It includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. But sometimes people will also include Afganistan and Iran as part of Central Asia.

The Silk Road makes the trading between Central Asia and China become more frequent. As a result, they had many aspects of cultural exchange.

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