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The Marine Silk Road of the Han Dynasty
 During the Han
Dynasty (206BC-220AD), Emperor Wudi exerted himself to the utmost in
developing marine transportation and friendly relations with foreign countries.
With the relentless efforts from the Imperial Court, three important sea routes
were opened: The first one was a coastal route, from today's Dandong of
Northeast China's Liaoning
Province to the Bailunhe River bayou in the South China's Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region; the second was from coastal Shangdong in East China to
South Korea and Japan via the Yellow Sea; and the third one was the marine Silk
Road, referring to the Xuwen (South China's Guangdong
Province) and Hefu (East China's Zhejiang
Province) routes.
Emperor Wudi twice sent Zhang
Qian (? - 114 B.C), a great Silk Road traveler, to areas west of Yumenguan
(including present-day West China's - Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region and parts of Central Asia), opening up a trade channel -
the Silk Road -- between China and Western countries.
Chinese silk has been world-famous since ancient times. Ancient Greeks called
the silk ser, which was similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character
for silk. Seres (silk maker) was therefore referred to as China -- the
birthplace of silk.
Following the opening-up of the Silk Road, Chinese silk
was sold to the Roman Empire through the Anxi (possessing today's Iran Plateau
and the Tigris & Euphrates River valleys). The Romans, therefore, sought to
find a marine route to China.
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During the Han
Dynasty (206BC-220AD), Emperor Wudi exerted himself to the utmost in
developing marine transportation and friendly relations with foreign countries.
With the relentless efforts from the Imperial Court, three important sea routes
were opened: The first one was a coastal route, from today's Dandong of
Northeast China's Liaoning
Province to the Bailunhe River bayou in the South China's Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region; the second was from coastal Shangdong in East China to
South Korea and Japan via the Yellow Sea; and the third one was the marine Silk
Road, referring to the Xuwen (South China's Guangdong
Province) and Hefu (East China's Zhejiang
Province) routes.
