The Silk Road

Ancient history teaches us that the silk routes or more commonly known as the Silk Road, linked the regions of the world as it provided a network of trade and commerce.

Established during the Han Dynasty of China, the Silk routes carried many goods transported back and forth from West to East, and East to West. Some of these goods included honey, horses, weapons and armor, porcelain and tea.

China Silk was the major trade product that traveled on this road which was why a German geographer named Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the term Silk Road in 1877.

While this route circulated goods, it is important to mention that a tremendous exchange of cultures also took place.

This then explains why history will always show us, and perhaps re-educate us on the relevance of our heritage and our close connections with our neighboring countries.

We all know someone or have that family member who has found his or her “fortune” in another country through skills or trade.

We also witness how the Philippines and its emerging economy has its own share of goods that are heavily in demand, including certain expertise.

In the past, the journey on the Silk Road was said to be dangerous as bandits and sandstorms were serious threats.

Spices, grain, religious items and luxury goods were mostly traded including precious stones and ivory.

The Silk Road had many advantages as it connected the world through links from one place to another in over 40 nations. The primary purpose of the Silk Road was to provide a network of pathways and its biggest effect was the considerable exchange of cultures that became deeply rooted in distant lands.

Today, we are still bearing witness to such valuable exchanges through social, cultural and religious people that essentially were in the very first place so very different from one another.