The Silk Road And The Prosperity Of The Han Dynasty

As a bridge connecting Europe and Asia,the Silk Road connected several major centers of civilization in the ancient world.It has important influence on both the history of China and the history of the world.Therefore,it has great academic significance on the study of the Silk Road.Moreover,with the "the Belt and Road" initiative proposed and carried out,the discussion of the ancient Chinese Silk Road has important practical significance for the development of "the Belt and Road" nowadays.Based on the previous research,this paper systematically studied the relationship between the Silk Road and the prosperity of the Han Dynasty,and focused on the important role played by the opening and survival of the Silk Road in promoting the prosperity of the Han Dynasty.Its importance is mainly reflected in the following aspects:First of all,Zhang Qian(??)went on a mission to the Western regions widen the view of the world for the Han Dynasty and directly changed the strategic layout of the Han Dynasty in the frontier areas.First,in terms of the Hun,the Han Dynasty changed from repelling the Hun at the beginning and removing the border threat to deconstructing the Hun and eliminating its influence in the western regions.Second,for the western regions,the Han Dynasty wanted to control the western regions,so that they could be "well-respected all over the world",create a political spectacle of "Every barbarians coming for tribute",and build a broader world order.Because of this,the Han Dynasty expended huge manpower,material resources and financial resources on military wars and frontier construction.As a result,the Hun power receded,the Western Regions were conquered and the Han empire rose.Secondly,the flourishing of the Silk Road promoted the economic prosperity of the Han Dynasty.The introduction and planting of exotic cash crops has increased the variety of products of the Han Dynasty.grape trees,walnut trees,flax and Hucong(??)planted in the Central Plain area were introduced in this period.Moreover,the large number of cultivation of these cash crops has also enriched the food life of people in the Central Plain,and some cash crops have also promoted the development of medicine and pharmacy in the mainland due to their medicinal value.In particular,it should be noted that the academic research on the external demand for the promoting of the mainland production is slightly weaker.In fact,foreign countries' demand for domestic silk,iron ware and lacquer ware promoted the unprecedented prosperity of domestic textile industry,iron smelting industry and lacquer ware industry.Take the silk industry as an example,after the opening of the Silk Road,the production of silk goods in the mainland was hundreds of times than before.In addition to domestic demand,the needs of exotic countries are also an important aspect.Thirdly,the existence of the Silk Road also promoted the prosperity of the culture of Han Dynasty.The constant importation of foreign civilization provided new elements and added new vitality into the development of culture and art.The Baixi(??)of this period was formed by absorbing all kinds of ancient Chinese art and incorporating foreign elements.During this period,HuFeng(??)also arose in the society.People's clothing,food,housing,transportation and other aspects have been affected by HuFeng(??).In addition,the introduction of Buddhism(??)contributed new vitality into the rigid ideology of the Han Dynasty and enriched the existing beliefs of the Han Dynasty.Finally,the Silk Road connected Europe and Asia,and in this new world history,the Han Dynasty played an important role and established its international status.First,the Han Dynasty had an important influence on the political situation of Central Asia and West Asia,especially the Parthian Empire.The migration of Hun to the West caused the great migration of nationalities and the extinction of Roman Empire in Europe,which was the domino effect caused by the westward expansion of Han Dynasty.Secondly,in the international trade,popular commodities such as silk and iron all came from the Han Dynasty,highlighting the important position of the Han Dynasty in international economic relations.In the contacts between China and the West,the imperial capital Chang'an(??)and Luoyang(??),as the exchanging centers,have developed into international trade centers.