海上丝绸之路
海上丝绸之路（简称“海上丝路”）是古代中国联系南亚、东南亚、西亚、非洲及地中海沿岸的重要海上通道，兼具商贸往来、技术传播与文明交流功能。它形成于秦汉时期，历经魏晋发展，隋唐兴盛，宋元鼎盛。其路线主要分为东海航线和南海航线。东海航线通向朝鲜半岛及日本列岛。南海航线是主线，从中国东南沿海出发，经南海、印度洋至西亚、非洲。早在汉武帝时，中国与东南亚、南亚的海上交通贸易往来便正式开始，海上丝路初步形成。唐代的“广州通海夷道”从广州出发，经南海、印度洋，到达波斯湾，是当时世界上最长的远洋航线。宋元时期，造船、航海技术迅速发展，海上丝路进一步延伸到阿拉伯半岛西南端的亚丁及东非沿岸，逐渐成为中外交流主通道。此时，瓷器逐渐成为主要出口货物，因此这条通道又称“海上陶瓷之路”。明朝郑和七次下西洋更是将其发展推向高峰。
海上丝绸之路不仅深刻影响了古代东西方的贸易往来和文化交流，而且极大推动了中国航海技术的进步，中国的造船技术、航海技术等都曾长期处于世界领先地位。同时，海上丝绸之路也促进了世界航海技术的发展，为人类的海洋探索和海洋文明交流作出了重要贡献。2013年，中国提出共建“21世纪海上丝绸之路”倡议，让海上丝绸之路焕发出新的活力。
Maritime Silk Road
The maritime Silk Road is another important route that linked ancient China and South, Southeast, and West Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean. It facilitated trade contacts, the spread of technology, and cultural exchanges.
The earliest sea route took shape in the Qin and the Han dynasties, further developed in the Sui and the Tang, and thrived in the Song (960-1279) and the Yuan. The eastward route extended to the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands, and the southward route, which was the main line, started from China's southeast coast and stretched across the South China Sea to reach the Indian Ocean, West Asia, and Africa.
During the reign of Emperor Wu (r. 141-87 BCE) of the Han Dynasty, there were already formal sea transportation and maritime trade links between China and Southeast and South Asia. This was the maritime Silk Road in embryo. During the Tang Dynasty, there was a route that started from Guangzhou and crossed the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean to reach the Persian Gulf. It was the longest navigation route in the world at that time.
In the following Song and Yuan dynasties, due to the booming shipbuilding and navigation technologies, the maritime Silk Road further extended to Aden on the southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula and to the east coast of Africa, becoming a main channel of exchanges between China and the rest of the world. This route was also called the "porcelain road on the sea" as porcelain was the major export from China. The seven epic ocean voyages made by Zheng He (1371 or 1375-1433 or 1435) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) saw the zenith of the sea route.
The maritime Silk Road profoundly influenced trade ties and cultural exchanges between the East and the West and promoted China's ocean navigation technology. For a long period, China led the world in terms of shipbuilding and marine navigation. The maritime Silk Road also spurred world marine navigation technology and made a significant contribution to humanity's exploration of the seas and the exchanges among the maritime nations.
With China's proposal of building a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, this ancient route of communication is gaining renewed vitality.
