The Silk Road & Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China Qin (chihn) Dynasty gains control of China in 221 B.C. Dynasty- a series of rulers from the same family Emperor Shi Huangdi (shee hwahng dee) united Chinese lands together to become an empire. Built a system of roads and standardized currency. Developed the idea for constructing the Great Wall.

Great Wall of China Benefit of the Wall Used for Defensive Purposes Issues of the Wall Not enough soldiers to cover the wall Wall easily breached by invaders Not maintained after Qin Dynasty Only 3,100 miles long at this time (Length of US)

Great Wall of China China goes through a long period of new dynasties beginning and ending, as well as Mongol rule. Because of this the Wall was rarely worked on. 2,000 years later, the Ming Dynasty begins reconstruction of the wall. It takes them 200 years to fix/add on to the wall. Responsible for the Wall that we see today. 5,500 miles long after Ming Dynasty

Silk Road One of the oldest and most historically important trade routes Linked the Roman Empire with China. Trade carried on by foreign traders Not common for traders to traverse the entire length

Rise of the Silk Road 2nd century BCE From a desire for military purpose instead of for trade. Han family needed help defeating nomad groups in North China. Greco Bactrians helped the Han’s and supplied them with western horses. Made people in each area desire goods produced in the other.

Items up for Trade Chinese predominantly imported gold, gems, ivory, glass, perfumes, dyes, and textiles Chinese exported furs, ceramics, spices, jade, silk, bronze and iron Religion and ideas spread rapidly.

Development of the Route Problems for Han rulers Bandits Policing became a problem Building forts and defensive walls helped Most significant commodity carried was religion Buddhism, Christianity; and eventually Islam and Judaism

Decline of the Silk Road Affected by the Crusades Trade declined sharply till in the 13th century, until Mongols picked it back up Isolationist policies of Ming dynasty (after Mongol)

Decline Cont’d Discovery of a sea route from Europe to Asia in the late 15th century Less cost, harassment and danger Easier transportation of some items Less prosperous