The Silk Road is an interconnected series of ancient trade routes linking Chang'an (today's Xi'an) in China with Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. It extends over 8,000 km on land and sea. At one time, it was the world's most vital thoroughfare for commerce. Silk, tea, and ceramics headed west to Persia and beyond while gold, gems and horses moved east to China.
To understand and appreciate the peoples, places, and traditions that embodied the Silk Road, one may consult the following books.
An encyclopedic guidebook edited by Tony Halliday and published by the Discovery Channel, The Silk Road covers the ancient trade routes in their entirety. Using it, one can follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Marco Polo, or plot a route along the Great Wall of China. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and detailed maps, the book contains practical information for planning a trip while providing an amazing overview of the geography, history and cultures that once existed, or still exist, along the Silk Road routes.
In the 1400s, Marco Polo became the first European to make the epic journey through Asia to reach China. A book about his experiences opened the eyes of Europeans to the mysteries, advanced technologies and luxuries of China. Several years ago, a pair of contemporary explorers, Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell retraced Polo's route, reporting their experiences in a colourful book, In The Footsteps Of Marco Polo. Containing spectacular photographs, the book tells of their exciting adventure, which has a compelling human side. Following Polo's route, Belliveau and O'Donnell crossed both the treacherous Wakhan Corridor and the Taklamakan Desert, experiencing extremes of heat and cold. Mimicking Polo, they give a faithful account of the people they met, recording their customs, institutions, habits, diets, dress, dances and religions with a great deal of cultural sensitivity.
The 19th and early 20th centuries saw a new interest in central Asia as Russia and Britain vied for power in Asia Minor. A new breed of explorer, part archaeologist, part spy, was seen on the Silk Road. In July 1906, Gustav Mannerheim, a Russian spy, set out from St. Petersburg to travel to Beijing. He had to overcome difficult terrain, harsh weather and unpredictable politics, all for the sake of "gathering intelligence" on the modernization of China by the Qing imperial court. In the end, the modernization effort failed as the Qing dynasty was overthrown and replaced by the Republic of China (which, in turn, was replaced by the People's Republic a few years after the Second World War).
In 2006, Eric Enno Tamm boarded a Russian train, intent on juxtaposing his experiences with those of Mannerheim. In The Horse that Leaps through Clouds, Tamm reconstructs the hazards and glories of this long and sinuous route. In the early 20th century, Mannerheim described everything he saw and learned on his long trip: landscapes, customs and, above all, people and their religious and racial beliefs. With vividly descriptive prose, Tamm does the same thing while also reflecting on more contemplative issues, such as the spectacular rise of China and its issues in achieving racial harmony. All in all, the book provides a stirring account of the adventures of two outsiders - Mannerheim and Tamm - who attempted to grasp the workings of modern China.
Renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma established the Silk Road Project to encourage "sharing and learning across cultures, art forms and disciplines." As an in-depth introduction to the endeavour, a collection of essays was published. Edited by Elizabeth Grotenhuis, Along the Silk Road shows how the cultural and artistic aspects of Silk Road life have changed from ancient to modern times. It contains illuminating essays on music, textiles and metallurgy, while the photographs of sacred sites are hauntingly beautiful.
These books should help readers to achieve a greater understanding of the rich and dynamic Silk Road, and all are available from local libraries.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Shirley Chan is multicultural services librarian at Coquitlam Public Library.
