Luoyang and Chang'an are both.
The starting point of the Silk Road in the Western Han Dynasty was Chang'an.
The starting point of the Silk Road in the Eastern Han Dynasty was Luoyang.
Recently, the national authority, on the basis of respecting history and full justification, officially clarified that the eastern and western capitals (Luoyang and Chang'an) of the Han Dynasty were the starting points of the Silk Road.
Luoyang: a worthy starting point of the Silk Road
Source: Time: 2006-09-01 09:03:39
August this year, UNESCO and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in Turpan, Xinjiang, held the Silk Road to declare the international consultation on the World Heritage Site, which confirms that - -Luoyang: a deserved starting point of the Silk Road
Recently, the national authority in respect of history, on the basis of full justification, officially clear the Han Dynasty East and West two capitals (Luoyang, Changan) for the starting point of the Silk Road, which is the city's people rejoice a big happy event. Over the past few days, the general public is widely concerned about, some civil society organizations also organized their own "10,000 signatures" and "retracing the Silk Road" cultural activities for the Silk Road Luoyang section of the transnational declaration of the world cultural heritage work to cheer, "love the ancient capital, love the Silk Road, love the Silk Road, love the Silk Road, love the Silk Road, love the Silk Road, love the Silk Road. The enthusiasm of "love the ancient capital, love Luoyang, love their hometown" is once again high.
So what is the connotation of the Silk Road? Silk Road and Luoyang in the end what is the relationship?
Luoyang was identified as one of the starting point of the Silk Road in the East
According to the Director of the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics Guo Yinqiang, has always been, in the academic world, there is a view that the starting point of the Silk Road is Xi'an, not Luoyang. Although many experts at home and abroad to a large number of historical facts to refute, but has not been conclusive.
August 2 to 7 this year, UNESCO and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in Turpan, Xinjiang, held the Silk Road declaration of World Heritage International Consultative Conference, this brewing for many years, the much-anticipated cross-border bidding for the Silk Road formally included in the agenda. This meeting focused on solving four problems:
-- Determine the definition and nature of the Silk Road, that is, the Silk Road is across the Eurasian continent of the road of commerce and cultural exchanges, with a long history, rich cultural connotations.
--The starting and ending time and main routes of the Silk Road (Chinese section), the Chinese section of the Silk Road started from the east and west capitals (Luoyang and Chang'an) in the Han Dynasty and ended at the end of the Qing Dynasty; it started from the east and west capitals (Luoyang and Chang'an) in the Han Dynasty and traveled westward through the Hexi Corridor and Dunhuang, and divided into three routes of the south, the north and the center in the territory of Xinjiang, and ultimately traveled from the Xinjiang Alimari (present-day Ili) and Kashgar (present-day Kashgar) to Central Asia.
--The criteria for the nomination of world heritage sites were defined, with the aim of submitting the official text of the first transnational nomination of the Silk Road as a world heritage site in three to five years.
--The cooperation intentions reached at this meeting will result in a practical plan of action at the Samar conference to be held in October this year.
The meeting made it clear that Luoyang is one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road, and that Luoyang, as an important part of the Silk Road, is officially included in the transnational inscription project.
Luoyang has six cultural relics included in the list of bidding for the bundled project
August 8, the Henan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics held an emergency meeting to determine the basic framework of the Henan Silk Road bidding: Luoyang as the core, east of Gongyi, Dengfeng, west of the Sanmenxia, within this scope, to select various types of cultural relics eligible for bidding as the object of reporting.
August 19, the Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics held another meeting to further clarify the Luoyang area as the core of the preliminary determination of the first batch of the Silk Road Heritage list, the city's Hanwei Imperial City, Sui Tang Luoyang City, White Horse Temple, Mangshan Mausoleum Group, Tang Gongling, Longmen Grottoes*** 6 cultural relics on the list, in addition to Gongyi Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, the two capitals (Luoyang, Changan), the old road are also in it.
Silk Road transnational heritage work is a huge systematic project. City leaders attach great importance to this, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Sun Shanwu clearly pointed out that we must fully understand the far-reaching significance of the status of Luoyang as the starting point of the Silk Road East established to strengthen the organization and leadership of the work of the heritage; Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Mayor Lien Weiliang, and other leaders to make special instructions: we must actually do a good job of this work.
According to Guo Yinqiang, at present, mainly by the city's cultural relics department of the Silk Road Luoyang section of the heritage work, in particular, the preparatory work is in full swing, all the declaration materials are basically ready.
What is the rich connotation of the Silk Road
According to Guo Yinqiang, in 1877, German geographer Richthofen first proposed the term Silk Road. Based on what he knew, he only saw the Silk Road as a transportation route through China and the West at that time. The actual sense of the Silk Road has three main lines: the Desert Silk Road, the Prairie Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. Desert Silk Road, from the east and west of the two capitals, to the west to Central Asia, West Asia directly to Europe, but also this transnational heritage identified line. Maritime Silk Road, from Luoyang, along the southeast coast, through the Strait of Malacca, across the Pacific Ocean to the West. Grassland Silk Road, from Luoyang, northward through the desert south, desert north, across Kazakhstan, through the Aral Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea to reach Europe.
The above three routes to the middle of the desert Silk Road is the most famous and important, since the opening is an all-round, multi-purpose carrier, is connected to the ancient East and along the line of the various nationalities of the link, is the road of trade and species dissemination of the road, is the road of cultural and artistic and scientific and technological exchanges, is to enhance understanding and friendship, is the road of the envoys along the line of the countries of the political exchanges, is the dissemination of various religious Pilgrimage Road, is the road of national migration and mingling, is the road of long-term competition and war. It covered the four major civilization circles of China, India, Persia-Arabia and Greco-Roman.
Historical Contribution of Luoyang to the Silk Road
Luoyang was one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road, which greatly contributed to the formation and development of the Silk Road.
Researcher Xu Jinxing, former director of the Hanwei Imperial City Cultural Relics Management Institute, said that in 138 B.C., the Western Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian on a mission to the Western Regions, and the Silk Road, which traversed the east and west, was thus opened. However, to the Wang Mang period, the relationship between the West and the Central Plains interrupted. When Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty reintroduced the rule of the Western Regions, he sent Ban Chao on a mission to the Western Regions from Luoyang in 73 A.D., restoring the Silk Road, which had been interrupted for half a century. Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty sent Cai, Qin Jing mission to India to introduce Buddhism, is along the Silk Road westward; Tang monk Xuanzang went to India to take the scriptures is also the Silk Road. According to the documents, the Western Jin Dynasty in the Imperial College there are four students from the West, in the city of Luoyang, the West and even the Great Qin (Roman Empire) merchants are quite a lot.
Dr. Chen Liangwei, director of the Luoyang workstation of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, focuses on the study of the Sui and Tang dynasties' Luoyang City. He said a large number of remains and relics related to the Silk Road have been unearthed in Luoyang in recent years, including figurines indirectly reflecting the commercial activities of the Hu people on the Silk Road, ancient coins of some Central Asian countries, and tombs of people from the Western regions who settled in Luoyang. All these fully demonstrate that Luoyang is one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road.
Dr. Chen Liangwei said that the Silk Road was at its peak during the Sui and Tang dynasties, when there was a greater surplus of material production, the consumer market and consumer groups matured, and the integration of transportation resources along the Silk Road was completed. The Sui and Tang Dynasty city of Luoyang was the world's largest capital city at the time, and was famous for its culture and commerce. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, materials from all over the country were first concentrated in Luoyang through the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, and then transferred to Chang'an City and all over the country. Some commodities, such as silk, silk, silk, porcelain, etc., were then exported to all over the world from the east and west capitals through the Silk Road; commodities, such as spices, pearls, corals, etc. from the Western Regions and West Asia and even from Europe were also imported into Chang'an and Luoyang through the Silk Road and then exported to the whole country. (Shi Wenyu)