Silk Roads: Trade, Faith, and Ideas Across Eurasia

丝绸之路：欧亚大陆上的贸易、信仰与思想之路

课文音频

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From around 130 BCE, caravan routes linked China with the Mediterranean world.

约公元前130年起，商队路线将中国与地中海世界连接起来。
Merchants carried silk, spices, glassware, horses, and paper across deserts and mountains.

商人穿越沙漠与群山，运送丝绸、香料、玻璃器皿、马匹和纸张。
Buddhism traveled west from India, while Christianity and Islam spread east along these paths.

佛教自印度西传，基督教与伊斯兰教则沿这些路径东渐。
Cities like Samarkand and Dunhuang grew rich by hosting travelers, translators, and monks.

撒马尔罕、敦煌等城市因接待旅人、译者与僧侣而日益繁荣。
Disease sometimes moved too—plague reached Europe via these same routes centuries later.

疾病有时也随路传播——数百年后，瘟疫正是经由这些路线传入欧洲。
No single ruler controlled the whole network; local kingdoms protected sections for taxes and safety.

整条网络从未由单一统治者掌控；各地王国分段守护，以征税并保障安全。
Maps were rare, so traders relied on stars, landmarks, and trusted guides to navigate.

地图极为罕见，商旅只得依靠星辰、地标与值得信赖的向导辨识方向。
The Silk Roads proved that exchange—not just conquest—could shape civilizations deeply.

丝绸之路证明：交流——而不仅是征服——亦能深刻塑造文明。