worldhistory
Long-distance trade tied Eurasia and the Indian Ocean together.
Goods (products), ideas, religions, technologies, diseases
States used these routes to gain power
Ordinary life and culture are changed
Silk Roads
Caravans crossed Central Asian deserts
Caravanserai gave safety and exchange. Luxury and light, e.g., silk, because slow and risky.
Order and taxes were provided by large empires, organize the routes.
Monks and pilgrims carried Buddhism to China.
In rich towns, Buddhism grew more devotional.
Mahayana ideas, bodhisattvas
Local beliefs mixed in, Zoroastrian elements.
China, Pure Land spread widely.
Later it blended with Daoist and Confucian practice.
Paper money, bills of exchange, and banking. Less coins.
Merchants became a clear social group but distrusted.
Yangzi delta, farmers specialized for distant markets
China …
Korea and Japan borrowed from China.
Capitals modeled on Chang’an.
Confucian schools, Buddhist monasteries, Chinese writing.
Japan: Zen gained wide support
Neo-Confucianism became official under Tokugawa.
Sinification
Indian Ocean
The largest network in 1500s.
Monsoon winds and big ships reduced costs.
Textiles and pepper moved beside luxuries (e.g., porcelain, ivory, spices)