What network of trade routes connected China to the West?

What network of trade routes connected China to the West? The Silk Road was the network of trade routes connecting China with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The name refers to a broad collection of land and maritime routes rather than one continuous road. Traders, translators, pilgrims, and diplomats moved through changing routes shaped by geography, politics, and security.

Silk was one of China’s most prized exports, especially during the Han dynasty, but merchants also carried horses, spices, glassware, precious metals, textiles, ceramics, and paper. Chang’an, now Xi’an, served as an important eastern starting point for northern overland routes. These passed through the Hexi Corridor and Central Asia, often using oasis cities to cross deserts.

The Silk Road carried more than goods. Buddhism, technologies, artistic styles, languages, and diseases also traveled along it. The routes expanded and contracted over many centuries, and maritime connections across the Indian Ocean became increasingly important. The Tea Horse Road and Spice Route were related regional networks, but they are not the canonical answer to this question.