Unit7TheSilkroad.docx

Unit7TheSilkroad.docx

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Unit7TheSilkroad

Unit7-The-Silk-road

Unit7TheSilkroad

TheSilkRoadreferstoatransportrouteconnectingancientChinawithCentralAsia,WestAsia,Africa,andtheEuropeancontinent.Itappearedasearlyasthesecondcenturyandwastraveledmainlybysilkmerchants.Theterm"SilkRoad",or“dieSeidenstrasse”inGerman,wasfirstnoteddownbytheGermangeographerFerdinandvonRichthofenattheendofthe19thcentury.

TheSilkRoadbeganinChang'an（present-dayXi'an,capitalofShaanxiProvince）,passingthroughGansuandXinjiangtoCentralAsia,WestAsia,andtolandsbytheMediterranean.TherewerenosignsofcommunicationbetweenancientChinesecivilizationandMediterraneancivilizationinearlierhistory.InabouttheseventhcenturyBC,theancientGreeksbegantolearnaboutanancientcivilizationtotheeast,yetknewlittleaboutit.BeforetheSilkRoad,accordingtoarcheologicalfindings,therehadalreadyexistedanintermittent（断断续续的）traderouteonthegrasslandsfromtheYellowRiverandtheIndusRiverdrainageareastotheEuphratesandtheTigris,andtheNiledrainageareas.YetrealcommunicationbetweenChina,CentralandWestAsiancountriesAfricaandtheEuropeancontinentdidnotdevelopuntilthe

Hanandblockedthedynasty'spathwest.Underthesecircumstances,EmperorWuappointedZhangQiantoleadateamofmorethan100envoys（使者）totheWestemRegions.ThemissionwastounitetheIndo-ScythicpeopleagainsttheHuns,whooncekilledtheirchieftain（首领）.ZhangQian'steamsetoutin138BC.NosoonerhadtheyenteredtheHexiCorridor（northwestofpresent-dayGansuProvince）,thantheywerecapturedbytheHuns.Afterbeingheldunderhousearrestforovertenyears,ZhangQianandonlyoneotherremainingenvoymanagedtoescapeandreturntoChang'anin126BC.TheiraccountsabouttheWesternRegionswerearevelationtotheHanemperorandhisministers.

Inthenexttwodecades,EmperorWulaunchedthreemajorcampaignsagainsttheHuns,forcingthemtoretreatfromtheWesternRegions.In119BC,theemperorsentZhangQianonasecondmissiontotheWestenRegions.ThistimeZhangQianwentfurtherwest,whilehisdeputiesreachedmorethanadozencountriesinSouthandWestAsia,andtheMediterranean.

ZhangQian'stwomissionstotheWesternRegionsopeneduptheroadtothewest.EmperorWuadoptedaseriesofmeasurestostrengthentieswiththeWesternRegions,includingencouragingHanpeopletotradethere.Soontheroutewasbustling（繁忙的,热闹的）withcaravans（旅行队）ofcamelscarryinggoodsofalltypesandreverberating（回响）withthetinkling（叮当声）oftheirbells.ThroughtheSilkRoad,tradeflourishedbetweenChinaandCentral,SouthandWestAsiancountries,AfricaandEurope.In166,envoysfromRomearrivedviatheSilkRoadinChang'an,wheretheysetupanembassy.

TheSilkRoadalsofacilitatedactivetradebetweenIndiaSoutheastAsia,WestAsia,Africa,andEurope.Theexchangeofnewgoodsandtechnologiesfromdifferentcontinentsgreatlyhelpedtopromotethedevelopmentofallthecivilizationsinvolved.

Openingtothe“West"

TheSilkRoadexertedaninestimableinfluenceonthelivesoftheChinesepeople.WhileChinesecultureandtechnology,suchaspapermakingandprinting,wereintroducedtocountriestothewest,Chinaalsoabsorbedmanyelementsfromthearts,philosophyandreligionsofmanyothercountries.ThishelpedtopromoteanopenpolicytowardotherculturesfromtheHantoTangdynasties.

TheSilkRoadhighlightsaperiodofhistorywhenChinalookedwestforafarthervisionoftheworld.Totheeast,apartfromtheislandsofthePacificandJapan,thecountryfacedonlyahugeocean.Tothewest,incontrast,thereweremanycountriesintheWesternRegionsandbeyond.Bythetenthcentury,Chineseexplorershadalreadyrealizedtherewererichcountries,attractivegoodsandartworks,anddifferentpeoplesbeyondtheWesternRegions.Thisarousedgreatinterestinthe"west"amongancientChinesepeople.

Buddhism,forexample,wasfirstintroducedtoKhotanKingdom（coveringpresent-dayHetianareaofXinjiang）intheWesternRegionsin87,andthengraduallyspreadtotheCentralPlainsalongboththesouthernandnorthernroutesoftheSilkRoad.ThisreligionhassinceexertedahugeinfluencenotonlyonChinesebeliefsbutalsoonthedevelopmentofChinesethinking.NestorianismandIslamwerealsointroducedtoChinathroughtheSilkRoad.

CulturesandartsfromotherlandshaveleftvaluablelegaciesalongtheSilkRoad,suchasthemurals（壁画）intheGaochang,KucheandDunhuanggrottoes.TheystandasevidenceofastunningblendofChineseandwesternartandculture.

MuralsintheKucheGrottoes

AsBuddhismspreadeastalongtheSilkRoad,manylargetemplesandgrottoeswerebuiltinoases（绿洲）,housingexquisitestatuesandmurals.Mostofthemhavebeendestroyedordamagedoverthecenturies,yetsomehavesurvived,especiallythemuralsingrottoes.Ofthese,themuralsoftheQiuciKingdom,coveringtoday'sKucheareainXinjiang,aresomeofthemostremarkable.

WhilemostofthegrottomuralsinKuchedepictBuddhisttales,anumberofthemattractspecialattentionbyrepresentingarichmixoftheancientculturesofChina,India,Egypt,Greece,Mesopotamia,andCentralAsia.

SomepaintingsdepictimagesoftheBuddhawithabrightaura（氛围）emittingfromhisarms,legsandfeet.Flyingapsarasareseenplayingallsortsofmusicalinstruments,suchasthepipa,panpipeandflute.Thesungodsitsonatwo-wheeledchariot（双轮战车）,andthegolden-wingedkingofbirdsappearseitherasatwo-headedeagleoraneaglewithahumanhead.SeahorseswithwingsinflightanddovesholdingringsofflowersintheirbeaksbearaclearresemblancetoGreekart.

Shiva,wearingacolorfulrobe,hasthreehumanheads,oneanimalhead,andthreehands.Parvati（alsospelledparvathiorParvathy,aHindugoddessandnominallythesecondconsort（配偶）ofShiva）sportsearringsandbeautifuljewelryonherhead,armsandhands.Somefrescos（壁画）depictPersiankingsandknightsinhelmetsandsuitsofarmor,andartistsinEgyptian-styleblackwigs（假发）holdingbrushesandpalettes（调色板）intheirhands.

Manypicturesportrayscenesofsonganddance.Amongthemanymusicalinstruments,rangingfromthoseofChina（panpipe[排箫]andruanxian,aplucked[弹]instrument）,Persia（pipa,suona,awoodwindinstrument,andtheverticalkonghou,apluckedinstrumentwithfiveto25strings）,India（bowedkonghouandafive-stringedinstrument）,andGreece（lila,apluckedstringedinstrument）,arealsoseenawidevarietyofflutes,hornsanddrums.

Dancerscanbedividedintosolosandduets（双人舞）.Singlemaledancersusuallysportlongscarves（围巾）,whichflyintheairasthedancersswirl（旋动）rapidly.Femalesoloistswearonlycapesandnecklacesofpearlsandjadeontheirnakedbodies.Duetscompriseamaleandafemaleofdifferentcomplexions.ThemaleusuallysportsBuddhistrobesandhashisarmonthefemale'sshouldersoraroundherneckinanintimatemanner.Thefemalewearsapairofpantswithflaredbottomsandplaysabowedkonghouinamostfeminineposture.TheirbodiescurveinanSshape,withboththemaleandfemaleinaduetdanceonhalf-tiptoes.ThedancingstylerepresentsthatofIndiaandWestAsia.

MostoutstandingofthemuralsinKuchearealargenumberofnude（裸体的）humanimages,especiallyofbeautifulfemalebodies.Theseincludemanyfemaleacolytes（随者）listeningtotheBuddhaespousing（拥护）Buddhistteachings.HighlightsarethefemaledancerswithS-shapebodycontours（轮廓）,fullbreastsandroundbuttocks（臀部）.ThesepaintingsshowaclearinfluenceofIndianandGreekart,especiallyBuddhistartfromIndia.

Afineexampleisthemuraldepictingwhatscholarscall"Mahamaya（motherofGautama）bathing".Theyounglady,uncoveredexceptforherprivateparts,standscrossedleggedunderatreewithfire-shapedflowers.Shesportsafewflowingribbonsonherbodyandjewelryaroundherneckandwrists.Twomaidsarekneelinginfrontofher.Twoothergirlsarewalkingtowardthetree,eachholdingajarofwateronhershoulder.Theircostumeshavewave-likepatternswithdark-yellowhems（褶边）andtheirwaterjarsevokeanancientGreekstyle.ThemuralasawholefeaturesbothGreekandIndianartisticinfluences.

AnotherfrescobearingclearGreekandIndianconnectionshasakingandhisqueenassubjects.Theking,withapaleyellowcomplexion,sitscross-leggedinthecenter.Hiswifesitsonhisright,restingherlefthandontheking’s,shoulder.Thequeenwearsassortedjewelryonhernakedbody,includingthreegoldchainsaroundherwaistthattieintoaknotinthefrontofherbody.Shewearssnake-shapedleggings（裹腿）,andbothsheandthekingwearearrings.Thekinghasbrighteyesandhandsomefeatures.Heisholdingthehandofachild,andaBuddhistmonkiskneelinginfrontofhim.AladyinGreekcostumebehindthechildisspeakingexcitedlytotheking.Twoservantsstandbehindthekingqueen,withtheirpalmspressedtogetherinBuddhistgreeting.

Thekuchegrottomuralsrepresentarichtreasure-houseleftbytheSilkRoad.Theyarehistoricalconfirmationthattheexchangesandintegrationofdifferentcivilizationsbringforththemostbrilliantflowersofart.