If asked, most people will know where countries like India,
Canada, Afghanistan and maybe even our small country The Netherlands can be
found on the map, but how about Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan? These
countries formerly were part of the Soviet Union and are only independent and
open for public since 1991. In earlier years, traders and salesmen travelled
through these countries over the Silk Route. In fact, the Silk route is the
oldest connection between China and Europe. It is a network of varies routes
that in general run between China and Europe and is determined by compelling
shapes of mountains, deserts and steppe, although local conflicts and plundering
nomads made it no more than luxury to choose alternative routes mostly.
To explain the origins, history and the impact of the Silk
Route, we need to back in time to the BC years.
139 BC –
Exchanges between east and west were
started by the emperor of China, Wu Ti (however the pronunciation is and please
don’t try to remember the spelling of Chinese emperors), who sent out an
ambassador between 139-126 BC to find strategic partners in trading silk with
Europe. Strategic partners were never found. Local tribes were logically only
interested in a trading relationship with China. But this seemed a fair deal for
China, besides providing economic advantages, they would create a buffer between
China and the Hsiung-Nu, with whom they shared a never-ending war story at the
western borders. Nothing like the sweet Never Ending Story since invasions by
the Hsiung-Nu was the reason for building the Great Wall of China earlier. The
beginning of trade made the Hsiung-Nu fell apart and they are now integrated
within the several local societies.
Various routes run between Xi’an to the Mediterranean (Click on the map for more detail)
First AD decades –
Finally a Guinness book record for
the Hsiung-Nu: some of them conquered the west part of China and the Silk route
within China couldn’t be used for some 50 years. When the Chinese fought back
and opened their borders again, trading on the Silk route flourished as never
before: carpets, fur, metals, precious stones, plants for medical use, henna,
horses, several fruits, grapes, wine, and, as I would assume, probably some not
in books mentioned products and services. On the map from right to left:
products were traded between the Chinese and the Parthians and between the
Parthians and the Romans. Since both Romans and the Chinese benefit from a
direct trading relationship, the Chinese forbid the Parthians to further
intermediate in trading; however, any suggestion on how to stop them for doing
so?
The decline in trade –
The strategic relevance of trade
weakened at all three trading parties during the first three and a half century.
The Romans expanded their area towards the west, but the area became too large
to control, it fell apart and the eastern part struggled its existence. A
rebellious group within the Parthians took over the monarchy and got in conflict
with the Romans several times. The Chinese emperor Wu Ti (remember his name?
Stay awake now) was very successful in the beginning trading silk, but it seems
we never learn from the past, he eventually spent more money than available.
Therefore, state taxes were required but wasn’t very helpful in the end.
International trade stopped in and China closed its borders again in the fourth
century.
The second season for the Silk Route –
Only since the T’ang dynasty (7th-10th
century), China re-energised its international focus and started trading with
countries at the western border and with Japan. Military guards ensured save
trading via the Silk route and thus trading flourished between Japan, China,
India, Persia, Byzantium and the Arabic world. The liberal climate in Xi’an (then
the capital of China) easily incorporated other religions next to Buddhism and
both Japans and China’s well being was feasible by being introduced to the
others religion, culture, trade, products and habits (like the Japanese learnt
eating with chopsticks from the Chinese). As well the art and craft flourished
these days and this is when China porcelain was first developed. But, not every
story can have a happy-end, China suffered from a huge internal conflict and the
capital was taken over by a general who then divided the country among itself
and into four kingdoms. The Silk route however staid alive for trade: European
countries showed an interest in trading with Central Asian countries. As well
Marco Polo travelled parts of the Silk Route. The second season of the Silk
Route came to an end somewhere in the 17th century. The desert has
absorbed some of the oases in the Taklimakan desert that were a necessity for
traders to survive, Chinese leaders realised that trade over the Silk route was
much more expensive than over sea (seems un-Chinese: never thought of using a
bike??), and Central Asian countries got acquainted with silk cultivation.
Besides this, the Chinese Ming-dynasty in the 14th century had
decided to restructure the ownership of land, including closing the borders.
Although Central Asian countries still profit from the Silk route, it was last
used in the 17th century.
The Silk route under Russian and Soviet government –
A supply-stop of cotton from America
to Europe and Russia caused by the American civil war, made Russia aware of the
value of owning the Central Asian countries, where great stocks of cotton were
still available. Besides a supply of cotton, Central Asia was a huge territory
to sell products. Thus… Russia easily took over most Central Asian countries
in the 19th century, and from 1917 onwards this area was assumed as
part of the Soviet Union. Soviet idealism however was never developed for the
Central Asian, nomadic/Islamic oriented countries and Stalin decided to divide
the difficult to manage area into the countries as we know them now, drawing
strait but non-logic border lines and setting ethnic groups against each other:
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Post-Soviet emporium –
Imagine an unexpected independent status of your country, being part of the Soviet Union…, which was the case for all five countries in 1991. There was however no way that changes could be made easily; ex-communists were still in place in most important positions preventing changes and reformation. The industry could be called classical rather than new and the economic system was still based on the communist product-driven approach. The Islam had been a forbidden religion ever since the Soviet Union and all of the sudden it was allowed again to