Line #28 UsefulNotes/TheSilkRoad


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silk_road.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The Silk Road's major routes, and the merchandise that was available at each stop. See the image at full resolution [[https://sites.google.com/site/evdaemonia/_/rsrc/1401137931204/why-singapore/Silk_Road.jpg here]].]]
3
4	->''"But the majestic River floated on,\
5	Out of the mist and hum of that low land,\
6	Into the frosty starlight, and there moved,\
7	Rejoicing, through the hushed Chorasmian waste,\
8	Under the solitary moon: — he flowed\
9	Right for the polar star, past Orgunjè,\
10	Brimming, and bright, and large: then sands begin\
11	To hem his watery march, and dam his streams,\
12	And split his currents; that for many a league\
13	The shorn and parcelled Oxus strains along\
14	Through beds of sand and matted rushy isles—\
15	Oxus, forgetting the bright speed he had\
16	In his high mountain-cradle in Pamere,\
17	A foiled circuitous wanderer: — till at last\
18	The longed-for dash of waves is heard, and wide\
19	His luminous home of waters opens, bright\
20	And tranquil, from whose floor the new-bathed stars\
21	Emerge, and shine upon the Aral Sea."''
22	-->--''Sohrab and Rustam'', by '''Matthew Arnold'''
23
24	The Silk Road is a name given by the AdventurerArchaeologist Ferdinand von Richthofen (the uncle of [[RedBaron guess who]]) to the overland luxury trade routes between China and the Mediterranean. It was not a "road" per se; more like a "web", a web that shifted to and fro, as natural, economic and political circumstances favored one route above another. Its name came from the Chinese silk traded along the road, which was more valued then any silk manufactured at the time. There were other goods transported along the way, such as jade, glass, porcelain, horses, spices, and what not. In fact, from China's point of view, it might be called the "jade route", as Chinese for a long time valued jade as much as westerners valued silk. Ideas and customs were also carried back and forth along the routes. For instance, Greek colonies descended from veterans of the army of UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat have left traces of merging of Oriental and Occidental art forms. From the other direction, "Arabic" (actually Indian) numerals, both by the Indian Ocean commerce and through the Silk Road were carried largely by Islamic traders (the reason for the name "Arabic") to the west. On the whole, the Silk Road was inclined toward the desert and mountain areas of Central Asia because, hazardous as those were, they were usually less hazardous than the steppes riddled with constant clan wars among the nomads dwelling there.
25
26	Few traders actually went all the way across. Not only were the perils great, but the tariffs charged by each prince along the way mounted up until they became unaffordable, not least because there were few occasions in which the entire route was ruled by one [[TheEmpire empire]]; in normal times, each petty prince got a piece of the action, so to speak. Thus, the trade along the Silk Road naturally formed a sort of relay system where one trader would sell to another, and so on taking his own cut at the end of his journey. The Silk Road, like much of Central Asia, resembled an "ocean" in which each city was an "island". The names of the cities have become famous in romance and poetry and are well remembered, names like Samarkand, Bactria, Kashgar, and so on. The Silk Route also isn't limited to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_Silk_Road land]].
27
28	The end of the Silk Road as remembered in the past came when the Cape of Good Hope was circumvented by the Portuguese and the luxury products from China could be gotten cheaper. Much of the Silk Route declined. Still, to this day, it is a notable trade route and caravans frequently cross. Usually with trucks instead of camels, but often carrying the same kind of goods as their ancestors. Currently, China's "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_and_Road_Initiative Belt and Road Initiative]]" aims to create modern Silk Roads.
29
30	A number of famous people had part of their lives associated with the Silk Road. These include, but are not limited to UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, UsefulNotes/FitzroyMaclean, UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan, UsefulNotes/GustavMannerheim, and most famously of all Creator/MarcoPolo.
31
32	!!Works associated with the Silk Road:
33
34	!!!Historical:
35
36	* ''The Silk Road: A History'', by Irene Franck and David Brownstone
37	* ''To the Ends of the Earth'' by Irene Franck and David Brownstone
38	* ''Literature/TheGreatGame'' series by Peter Hopkirk
39
40	!!!Memoir:
41
42	* ''Eastern Approaches'' by UsefulNotes/FitzroyMaclean
43
44	!!!Fiction:
45
46	* ''Literature/TheGoldenDreamOfCarloChuchio'' takes place in a setting rather like the Silk Road and seems to have [[ShoutOut allusions]] which might be caught by someone familiar with the history of the area.
47	* The Silk Road was simulated in ''[[VideoGame/CrusaderKings Crusader Kings II]]'' (requires the ''Horse Lords'' or ''Jade Dragon'' expansion). It depicts the trade routes as "streams" starting in Tibet; wars that erupt "upstream" will interrupt the flow of trade downstream, and streams which are unaffected by wars can see increases in trade volume as trade is diverted away from warring areas. The Road passes through the steppes, India, Persia and ends in the Levant. To take advantage of the routes, owners of counties where the routes pass through can build trading posts (previously, only patricians can build trading posts and only in coastal counties). Ambitious (or pragmatic) rulers would often try to bring as many counties along the routes under their (or loyal vassals') control.
48	* The early (and sadly [[LostEpisode lost]]) ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E4MarcoPolo Marco Polo]]" sees The First Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbra accompany the titular explorer on his expedition.
49	* Where ''Manga/ABridesStory'' takes place along.
50	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSilkroad'' is a Korean BeatEmUp duology where player heroes must journey along the titular road and battle their way through bandits, rebels, the undead and even demons.
51	* The ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness'' supplement ''Blood & Silk'', which attempts to connect ''TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast'' to ''[[TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade Dark Ages: Vampire]]'' by way of the Road.
52	* ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'': The Silk Road's existence is vital to many a city's existence, especially those set along the northern border or in the Taklamakan desert. Not only are you intended to import silk from China and sell it at a markup to other cities (usually represented by the distant city of Kashgar), you also get jade (which you then carve into expensive trinkets and resell) and spices (which can be sold or used to provide better food to your people).
53	* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' has its own version of the Silk Road that follows a similar route more or less: it starts in Xian, [[{{Wutai}} a small village modeled after a medieval Chinese settlement]] in the Angara continent where merchants buy silk, going through Kalay, a PortTown roughly equivalent to either Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) or Samarkand and ending in Tolbi, the Rome analogue in the setting, where merchants sell the silk.

Context UsefulNotes / TheSilkRoad