No matter Luoyang or Chang 'an.
The starting point of the Silk Road in the Western Han Dynasty is Chang 'an.
The starting point of the Silk Road in the Eastern Han Dynasty was Luoyang.
Recently, on the basis of respecting history and fully demonstrating, the state official officially identified the eastern and western parts of Beijing (Luoyang and Chang 'an) as the starting point of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty.
Luoyang: the well-deserved starting point of the Silk Road
Source: 2006-09-0 1 09:03:39
In August this year, UNESCO and National Cultural Heritage Administration held an international consultation meeting on the Silk Road application in Turpan, Xinjiang, confirming that Luoyang is a well-deserved starting point of the Silk Road.
Recently, on the basis of respecting history and fully demonstrating, the state organs officially identified the East and West Beijing (Luoyang and Chang 'an) as the starting point of the Silk Road in the Han Dynasty, which is a great happy event for the people of the whole city. In the past few days, the general public has paid extensive attention to it, and some non-governmental organizations have spontaneously organized cultural activities such as "signature by ten thousand people" and "re-taking the Silk Road" to cheer for the cross-border declaration of world cultural heritage in Luoyang section of the Silk Road, and the enthusiasm of "loving the ancient capital, loving Luoyang and loving hometown" has risen again.
So, what is the connotation of the Silk Road? What is the relationship between the Silk Road and Luoyang?
Luoyang was identified as one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road.
According to Guo Yinqiang, director of the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, there has always been a view in academic circles that the starting point of the Silk Road is Xi 'an, not Luoyang. Although many experts at home and abroad use a lot of historical facts to demonstrate, there has been no conclusion.
From 2 to 7 August this year, UNESCO and National Cultural Heritage Administration held an international consultation meeting on the application for the Silk Road in Turpan, Xinjiang, which officially put this transnational application for the Silk Road, which has been brewing for many years and attracted much attention, on the agenda. This meeting focused on solving four problems:
-Clarify the definition and nature of the Silk Road, that is, the Silk Road is a road for business travel and cultural exchange across Eurasia, with a long history and rich cultural connotations.
-The starting and ending time and main routes of the Silk Road (China section). The China section of the Silk Road began in the East and West Beijing (Luoyang and Chang 'an) in the Han Dynasty and ended in the late Qing Dynasty. It started in the eastern and western parts of Beijing (Luoyang and Chang 'an) in Han Dynasty, passed through Hexi Corridor and Dunhuang to the west, divided into three roads in Xinjiang: South, North and Middle, and finally led to Central Asia from Arimuli (now Yili) and Kashgar (now Kashgar) in Xinjiang.
-The criteria for applying for the World Heritage will be determined, and the first batch of official documents for cross-border application for the World Heritage along the Silk Road will be submitted within three to five years.
-The cooperation intention reached at this meeting will form a practical action plan at the samar meeting held in June+10 this year.
This meeting clearly pointed out that Luoyang is one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road, and Luoyang, as an important part of the Silk Road, was officially listed in the transnational heritage declaration project.
There are six cultural relics in Luoyang listed in the list of bundling projects for applying for World Heritage.
On August 8, the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau held an emergency meeting to determine the basic framework for the application of the Silk Road in Henan: Luoyang as the core, Gongyi and Dengfeng in the east and Sanmenxia in the west. Within this range, all kinds of cultural relics that meet the requirements of applying for heritage are selected as the objects of applying for heritage.
On August 19, the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau held another meeting to further clarify the first list of Silk Road applications with Luoyang as the core. Six cultural relics in our city, including Han and Wei Ancient City, Luoyang City in Sui and Tang Dynasties, Baima Temple, Mangshan Mausoleum, Tang Gongling and Longmen Grottoes, are on the list. In addition, Gongyi Grottoes, Shaolin Temple and Liang Jing (Luoyang and Liang Jing) are also on the list.
The transnational application of the Silk Road is a huge systematic project. City leaders attach great importance to this. Sun Shanwu, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, clearly pointed out that it is necessary to fully understand the far-reaching significance of Luoyang as the starting point of the Oriental Silk Road and strengthen the organization and leadership of the application; The deputy secretary of the municipal party Committee, mayor Lian and other leaders specifically instructed: we must do this work well.
According to Guo Yinqiang, at present, the application of the Luoyang section of the Silk Road, mainly undertaken by the cultural relics department of our city, especially the preparatory work, is in full swing, and all the application materials are basically ready.
What is the rich connotation of the Silk Road?
According to Guo Yinqiang, 1877, the German geographer Richthofen first put forward the term Silk Road. As far as he knows, at that time, he only saw that the Silk Road was a traffic channel connecting China and the West. In a practical sense, the Silk Road has three main lines: the Desert Silk Road, the Grassland Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. The desert Silk Road, which starts from Beijing in the east, reaches Central Asia and West Asia in the west and goes directly to Europe, is also the route determined by this transnational application. The Maritime Silk Road starts from Luoyang, runs along the southeast coast, crosses the Straits of Malacca and crosses the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Prairie Silk Road starts from Luoyang, passes through Monan and Mobei in the north, passes through Kazakhstan, and reaches Europe through the Aral Sea, Caspian Sea and Black Sea.
Among the above three routes, Zhonglu Desert Silk Road is the most famous and important. Since its opening, it has been an all-round and multi-purpose carrier, a link between the ancient East and countries and ethnic groups along the route, a road of trade and species spread, a road of cultural, artistic and scientific and technological exchanges, a road of enhancing understanding and friendship, a road of political exchanges among countries along the route, a road of spreading various religions, a road of ethnic migration and blending, and a road of long-term war. It covers China, India, Persia-Arabia and Greece-Rome.
Luoyang's Contribution to the Silk Road in History
Luoyang is one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road, which greatly promoted the formation and development of the Silk Road.
Researcher Xu Jinxing, former director of the Cultural Relics Management Office of the Old City of Han and Wei Dynasties, said that in BC 138, the Western Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, thus opening up the Silk Road across the east and west. However, during the period of Wang Mang, the relationship between the Western Regions and the Central Plains was interrupted. In the period of Han Ming Emperor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the rule over the Western Regions was once again mentioned. In 73 AD, Ban Chao was sent from Luoyang to the Western Regions, and the Silk Road, which had been interrupted for half a century, was restored. Emperor Han Ming of the East sent Cai to India to introduce Buddhism, and it was along the Silk Road to the west. Xuanzang, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, also took the Silk Road when he went to India to learn from the scriptures. According to documents, there were four students from the Western Regions in imperial academy in the Western Jin Dynasty. In Luoyang, there are many businessmen from the Western Regions and even Daqin (Roman Empire).
Dr. Chen, the stationmaster of Luoyang Workstation, Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, specializes in the study of Luoyang City in Sui and Tang Dynasties. He said that in recent years, a large number of relics and relics related to the Silk Road have been unearthed in Luoyang, including figurines that indirectly reflect the commercial activities of Hu people on the Silk Road, ancient coins from some countries in Central Asia, and tombs where people from western regions settled in Luoyang. All these fully show that Luoyang is one of the eastern starting points of the Silk Road.
Dr. Chen said that during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Silk Road was the most prosperous under the influence of many factors, such as overproduction of materials, maturity of consumer markets and consumer groups, and the completion of traffic resources integration along the Silk Road. Luoyang Sui and Tang Dynasties was the largest capital city in the world at that time, and its culture and commerce were world-famous. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, national materials were first concentrated in Luoyang through the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, and then transported to Chang 'an and other parts of the country. Some commodities such as silk, silk, silk and porcelain are exported from East and West Beijing to all parts of the world through the Silk Road. Commodities such as spices, pearls and corals from the Western Regions, West Asia and even Europe were also imported to Chang 'an and Luoyang through the Silk Road and then sold to the whole country. (Shi Wenyu)