The web of ancient roads that connected China to the West known collectively as the Silk Road left a remarkable legacy of humankind’s attempt to forge commercial and cultural links between disparate nations. The overland Silk Road journey spans approximately 6,500 kilometers (about 4,000 miles) from China to the Mediterranean, though the entire network of interconnected land and sea paths totals much more. Important oasis towns and cities are indispensable for travelers given the distance and harsh terrain of snow-capped mountains and scorching deserts. Over the centuries, many of these cities have become the stuff of legend. The most prominent of these include Kashgar, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva but there are many more.
Today’s post will focus on the Eastern stretch of the Silk Road, literally from the starting point in Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), the ancient capital of China as well as the oasis city of Dunhuang to the west. I had the privilege of visiting both of these places some years ago to witness what’s left of the Silk Road legacy. I went away humbled by the treasures that can still be seen, particularly the world-famous Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, a massive temple network containing some of the world’s most significant Buddhist art spanning a 1,000-year period from the 4th to the 14th centuries.
Chang’an
Chang’an, meaning “Perpetual Peace”, was a major ancient capital of China located near modern-day Xi’an. It was as the political and economic hub for several powerful dynasties, most notably the Han, Sui, and Tang from 202 BC to 907 AD. From around the 2nd century BC, a complex network of trade routes emanated from Chang’an that extended to the heartlands of Central Asia. For the next millennium or so, Chang’an would witness vibrant two-way trades with its distant neighbors. Loaded caravans would depart the city carrying China’s most prized treasures, including fine silk, paper, tea, camphor and porcelain bound for the West, while traders from Central Asia would bring back Roman glassware, Persian rugs, Indian ivory, precious stones, and strong Central Asian horses known as “heavenly horses.” As this list indicates, the Silk Road was a conduit for more than silk. It also facilitated extensive cross-cultural exchanges that made Chang’an one of the most vibrant cities on Earth.
Dunhuang
About 1500 km west of Chang’an lies the important oasis town of Dunhuang. Dunhuang is situated at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu province. To its west lay the formidable Taklamakan Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. For any ancient traveler wanting to cross west, Dunhuang was the last major stopover and supply station before continuing their journey. Importantly, Dunhuang marks the point where the Silk Road splits into a northern branch and a southern branch to skirt the “Desert of No Return.” As befitting an multicultural oasis town, many languages were spoken in ancient Dunhuang, including Chinese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Tangut and Hebrew. The following manuscript is tangible evidence of the connection between Dunhuang and Chang’an in the Tang dynasty.
After the mid-7th century, young Chinese aspiring to serve as civil or court servants could sit for the official examinations in Chang’an. The emperor Tang Taizong (r. 626-649) also allowed the cultural values of central China to be transmitted to the western frontier through Confucian education. Since paper was precious, examination manuscripts like this one were commonly repurposed: in this case, it was cut into a distinctive U-shape to form the upper part of a burial shoe.
Another stunning evidence of Dunhuang’s importance to the Silk Road is the Mogao Caves, a sacred complex of Buddhist art and a UNESCO world heritage site. The murals and sculptures within the caves – many blending Indian, Persian, Gandharan and Chinese motifs – form a dynamic history book spanning a thousand years. Around 60,000 manuscripts were discovered from one cave alone (Mogao Cave 17) showing records in nearly 20 different languages including Sanskrit, Khotanese, Sogdian, Uyghur, Tibetan and even Hebrew, evidence that testifies to Dunhuang’s standing as a major center of cross-cultural exchanges along the Silk Road.
