The Silk Roads: Before and After Richthofen

The Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, jointly declared by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, was inscribed on the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014. In order to commemorate this big event, China National Silk Museum (NSM) is planning to hold an exhibition entitled “The Silk Roads: Before and After Richthofen” in Hangzhou from June 19 to August 23, 2020.

This is an exhibition on the academic history of the Silk Road. 'Silk Road' is, in fact, a relatively recent term, and for the majority of their long history, these ancient roads had no particular name. Thus, it can be divided into three parts, the historical facts of the exchange routes between the East and the West, the era that Ferdinand von Richthofen, the German geologist, named the trade and communication network Die Seidenstrasse (the Silk Road) in the mid-nineteenth century, the Silk Road project launched by UNESCO and Silk Road as a World Heritage. It is intended to introduce the idea of Silk Road research and its conservation practice, so as to carry forward the connotation of the Silk Road Spirit.

Mutual Learning on the Silk Roads: Stories of the Silk Road Treasures

The ancient silk routes were not for trade only, they boosted the flow of knowledge as well. 

Through these routes, Chinese silk, porcelain, lacquer work, and ironware were shipped to the West, while pepper, flax, spices, grape, and pomegranate entered China. 

Through these routes, Buddhism, Islam, and Arab astronomy, calendar and medicine found their way to China, while China's four great inventions and silkworm breeding spread to other parts of the world. More importantly, the exchange of goods and know-how spurred new ideas. 

For example, Buddhism originated in India, blossomed in China, and was enriched in Southeast Asia. Confucianism, which was born in China, gained appreciation by European thinkers such as Leibniz and Voltaire. Herein lies the appeal of mutual learning.

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