Transcript Achievements of Ancient China

Achievements of Ancient
China
Sec. #4
The Silk Road
• Wudi’s victories brought
China into contact with
the people of Central Asia
• Trade introduced new
foods such as grapes,
walnuts, and garlic
• This trade created a new
route called The Silk
Road which ran from
China to the
Mediterranean Sea
Characteristics of the Silk Road
• The Silk Road was a
series of roads covering
4000 miles
• Travel was hard and
dangerous
• The road ran along
deserts, and mountains
and often travelers had to
withstand sand storms
• The Silk Road ended in
Antioch or modern day
Syria
A Route for Goods
• Most travelers did not
travel the entire route of
the Silk Road
• Goods were passed from
trader to trader and the
price of the goods rose at
each trade
• Silk was created from the
silk worm, a closely
guarded secret
A Route for Ideas
• Missionaries traveled
from India to China
bringing the religion of
Buddhism
• Buddhism became a
major religion in
China during the Han
Dynasty
Old Traditions, New
Accomplishments
• To bring back respect
for tradition the Han
Dynasty brought back
Confucianism
• The arts and learning
grew under the Han
Dynasty
• Historical Records
written by Sima Qian
Advances in Technology
• Chinese
achievements were in
farming tools,
irrigation systems,
paper, medicine, and
the arts
• The Han Dynasty
ended in the 200s AD