On the Silk Road 5. Directions Fill in the blanks.
During the Han dynasty, Chinese trade increased. China made
new contacts in the West as a result of increased
Zhang Qian, a Chinese explorer, spent
thirteen years travelling in the West. His original mission was
to find
to help China fight its enemies.
When Zhang Qian returned he told Emperor
about the powerful horses he had seen in the West. The
emperor wanted to encourage trade between China and the
West to get these horses for his
Early
Chinese merchants traded silk, spices, and other
goods. In honor of China's most famous
export, the route along which these goods were traded was
later called the
The Silk Road went from western China to the
Travel along the route was difficult because
of the long distances, high mountains, and vast
Merchants hired guards for protection
against
Even though the route was long
and dangerous, for more than 1,000 years the Silk Road was
the main trade link between
and