Steven's Chinese Idiom Stories (Episode 7) The Great Journey of Xuan Zang
Xuan Zang, Wade-Giles romanization Hsüan-Tsang, original name Chen Yi, honorary epithet San-tsang, also called Muchatipo, Sanskrit Mokshadeva, or Yuanzang (born 602, Goushi, Luozhou, now Yanshi, Henan province, China—died 664, Chang'an, now Xi'an, China), Buddhist monk and Chinese pilgrim to India who translated the sacred scriptures of Buddhism from Sanskrit into Chinese and founded in China the Buddhist Consciousness Only school. His fame rests mainly on the volume and diversity of his translations of the Buddhist sutras and on the record of his travels in Central Asia and India, which, with its wealth of detailed and precise data, has been of inestimable value to historians and archaeologists. While in Sichuan, Xuan Zang began studying Buddhist philosophy but was soon troubled by numerous discrepancies and contradictions in the texts. Not finding any solution from his Chinese masters, he decided to go to India to study at the fountainhead of Buddhism. Being unable to obtain a travel permit, he left Changan by stealth in 629. On his journey he traveled north of the Takla Makan Desert, passing through such oasis centres as Turfan, Karashar, Kucha, Tashkent and Samarkand, then beyond the Iron Gates into Bactria, across the Hindu Kush (mountains) into Kapisha, Gandhara, and Kashmir in northwest India. From there he sailed down the Ganges River to Mathura, then on to the holy land of Buddhism in the eastern reaches of the Ganges, where he arrived in 633.
In India, Xuan Zang visited all the sacred sites connected with the life of the Buddha, and he journeyed along the east and west coasts of the subcontinent. The major portion of his time, however, was spent at the Nalanda monastery, the great Buddhist centre of learning, where he perfected his knowledge of Sanskrit, Buddhist philosophy, and Indian thought. While he was in India, Xuan Zang's reputation as a scholar became so great that even the powerful king Harsha, ruler of North India, wanted to meet and honour him. Thanks largely to that king's patronage, Xuan Zang's return trip to China, begun in 643, was greatly facilitated.
Xuan Zang returned to Chang'an, the Tang capital, in 645, after an absence of 16 years. He was accorded a tumultuous welcome at the capital, and a few days later he was received in audience by the emperor, who was so enthralled by his accounts of foreign lands that he offered the Buddhist monk a ministerial post. Xuan Zang, however, preferred to serve his religion, so he respectfully declined the imperial offer.
Xuan Zang spent the remainder of his life translating the Buddhist scriptures, numbering 657 items packed in 520 cases, that he brought back from India. He was able to translate only a small portion of this huge volume, about 75 items in 1,335 chapters, but his translations included some of the most important Mahayana scriptures.
Xuanzang | Wikipedia audio article
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Xuanzang
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Xuanzang (; Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuánzàng; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang [ɕɥɛ̌ntsâŋ]; fl. c. 602 – 664) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who travelled to India in the seventh century and described the interaction between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism during the early Tang dynasty.During the journey he visited many sacred Buddhist sites in what are now Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh. He was born in what is now Henan province around 602, from boyhood he took to reading religious books, including the Chinese classics and the writings of ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang (in Henan in Central China), Xuanzang was ordained as a śrāmaṇera (novice monk) at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained as a bhikṣu (full monk) at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, where Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist texts that had reached China.He became famous for his seventeen-year overland journey to India (including Nalanda), which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming dynasty, around nine centuries after Xuanzang's death.
Xuanzang | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:25 1 Nomenclature, orthography and etymology
00:04:39 2 Early life
00:08:51 3 Pilgrimage
00:13:30 4 Arrival in India
00:24:24 5 Return to China
00:25:47 6 Chinese Buddhism (influence)
00:28:53 6.1 The perfection of Wisdom Sutra
00:29:48 7 Autobiography and biography
00:30:59 8 Legacy
00:33:18 8.1 In fiction
00:34:28 9 Relics
00:35:29 10 Works
00:35:39 11 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
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Speaking Rate: 0.7659724456746017
Voice name: en-US-Wavenet-B
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Xuanzang (; Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuánzàng; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang [ɕɥɛ̌ntsâŋ]; fl. c. 602 – 664) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who travelled to India in the seventh century and described the interaction between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism during the early Tang dynasty. He is also known as Hiuen Tsang in history books of India.
During the journey he visited many sacred Buddhist sites in what are now Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh. He was born in what is now Henan province around 602, from boyhood he took to reading religious books, including the Chinese classics and the writings of ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang (in Henan in Central China), Xuanzang was ordained as a śrāmaṇera (novice monk) at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained as a bhikṣu (full monk) at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, where Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist texts that had reached China.He became famous for his seventeen-year overland journey to India (including Nalanda), which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming dynasty, around nine centuries after Xuanzang's death.
Xuanzang | Wikipedia audio article | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Xuanzang | Wikipedia audio article
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Xuanzang (; Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuánzàng; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang [ɕɥɛ̌ntsâŋ]; fl. c. 602 – 664) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who travelled to India in the seventh century and described the interaction between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism during the early Tang dynasty.During the journey he visited many sacred Buddhist sites in what are now Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh. He was born in what is now Henan province around 602, from boyhood he took to reading religious books, including the Chinese classics and the writings of ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang (in Henan in Central China), Xuanzang was ordained as a śrāmaṇera (novice monk) at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained as a bhikṣu (full monk) at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, where Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist texts that had reached China.He became famous for his seventeen-year overland journey to India (including Nalanda), which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming dynasty, around nine centuries after Xuanzang's death.
Tribute to Xuanzang, the monk of the Great Tang - [Journey to the West 1986 西遊記]
A tribute to the master of Sun Wukong, Xuanzang :) i like the character, enjoy the tribute :)
Song: The Mantra of Amitabha Buddha
Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘; Wade–Giles: Hsüan-tsang; c. 602 – 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (Chen I), was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang dynasty. Born in what is now Henan province around 602, from boyhood he took to reading religious books, including the Chinese classics and the writings of ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang, Xuanzang was ordained as a śrāmaṇera (novice monk) at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained as a bhikṣu (full monk) at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist texts that had reached China.
He became famous for his seventeen-year overland journey to India, which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming dynasty, around nine centuries after Xuanzang's death.
Xuanzang (en chino: 玄奘; Wade-Giles: Hsüan-tsang; c. 602-664) fue un célebre monje budista chino Ch'an, nacido en Luoyang (Henan) en el seno de una familia de eruditos, siendo el menor de cuatro hermanos (algunos textos mencionan que tenía dos hermanos mayores y una hermana mayor). En 629 parte en peregrinaje a la India, de donde vuelve en abril de 645 con gran cantidad de textos en sánscrito, aumentando así considerablemente la cantidad de literatura budista disponible en China. Con el apoyo del emperador, fundó un importante departamento de traducción en Xi'an, que albergaba estudiantes y colaboradores de toda el Asia del Este. Se le reconoce la traducción de unos 1.330 fascículos de escrituras al chino.
El vigor de sus propios estudios, traducciones y comentarios de los textos de estas tradiciones propició el desarrollo de la escuela Faxiang en Asia del Este. Aunque esta escuela no duró mucho tiempo, sus teorías acerca de la percepción, la conciencia, el karma, el renacimiento, etc., arraigaron en las doctrinas de otras escuelas más prósperas. El estudiante más brillante de Xuanzang y más cercano a él fue Kuiji, reconocido como el primer patriarca de la escuela Faxiang.
Xingjiao Temple--Xuanzang's Resting Place--11 July 2012
Xingjiao 兴教寺 Temple is located in Shaoling Yuan,Chang'an District of Xi'an City. The five-storied Buddhist relic pagoda, preserving the relics of Xuanzang, is inside the temple, along with the pagodas of his disciples, Kuiji and Yuance. Xingjiao Temple was built in AD 669 to re-inhume Xuanzang and was one of eight famed temples in Fanchuan in Tang Dynasty. Although the original Tang Dynasty stone pagoda is still standing, the temple was burnt to the ground at Tongzhi years in Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the period of the Republic of China.
Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘; pinyin: Xuánzàng; Wade--Giles: Hsüan-tsang Sanskrit: ह्वेनसांग) (c. 596 or 602 -- 664) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period. Born in Henan province of China in 596 (or, 602 or 603), from boyhood he took to reading sacred books, including the Chinese Classics and the writings of the ancient sages. Xuanzang is also known as Táng Sēng 唐僧 'Tang Dynasty Monk'. Sānzàng (三藏) is the Chinese term for the Tripitaka scriptures, and in some English-language fiction he is addressed with this title. While residing in the city of Luoyang, Xuanzang entered Buddhist monkhood at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained at the age of twenty. He later traveled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Here Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist scriptures that had reached China.
He became famous for his seventeen year overland journey to India, which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the popular epic novel Journey to the West.
Xuanzang's work, the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, is the longest and most detailed account of the countries of Central and South Asia that has been bestowed upon posterity by a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim. While his main purpose was to obtain Buddhist books and to receive instruction on Buddhism while in India, he ended up doing much more. He has preserved the records of political and social aspects of the lands he visited.
A skull relic purported to be that of Xuanzang was held in the Temple of Great Compassion, Tianjin until 1956 when it was taken to Nalanda - allegedly by the Dalai Lama - and presented to India. The relic is now in the Patna museum. The Wenshu Monastery in Chengdu, Sichuan Province also claims to have part of Xuanzang's skull.
Part of Xuanzang's remains were taken from Nanjing by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942, and are now enshrined at Yakushi-ji in Nara, Japan.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xingjiao; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang
_______________________________________________________________ _____
During our visit on 11 July 2012, we hired a taxi from near the Xi'an International Studies University XISU on Shida Road. We paid the driver 120RMB to go to the temple and back to XISU. The car trip took about 30-40 minutes each way. We were charged 10RMB for a ticket at the temple. Immediately upon purchasing the ticket, we were led into a room and offered what was represented to be a rubbing of a stele featuring an image of Xuanzang for 400RMB. We paid 50RMB for it. We were also offered a book, the pages of which are scanned and appear in this collection. We were told it cost 50RMB. We bargained and bought it for 30RMB. If you visit, we advise you to bargain hard and get both the book and 'rubbing' for 50RMB. There was about 20 workers making renvations and new buildings at the temple site. We arrived at about 10 a.m. and during our 1 hour stay, saw only one other small group of tourists. The road to the temple is under repair. When finished, perhaps the temple will be a more visited tourist site. We enjoyed our visit. It was pleasant to be in the countryside where the temple is located. We would have liked to have stayed longer.
《国家宝藏》第二季 佟丽娅上演古墓版“芭比娃娃”再现最美大唐风华 92岁“姜子牙”蓝天野演绎传奇英雄 20190113 | CCTV综艺
本期节目主要内容：小仙女佟丽娅一袭白色长裙空降“国宝”舞台，上演古墓版“芭比娃娃”。姜子牙再次挂帅出征，廉颇老矣，尚能战否？知名主持人尼格买提要在“国宝”舞台揭秘人类神秘基因密码。《国家宝藏》第二季新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆将携绢衣彩绘木俑、伏羲女娲图、“五星出东方利中国”锦护膊三件国宝震撼亮相。
05:29 绢衣彩绘木俑 国宝守护人：佟丽娅；
09:03 佟丽娅上演古墓版“芭比娃娃” 再现最美大唐风华；
19:36 唯一一批穿衣俑 孝道文化温暖人心；
21:04 佟丽娅自夸身材好 是个美人！
21:50 楚艳：知来处，明去处；
23:35 惊奇！古代植物染料不仅防虫抗菌还尽显审美意象；
28:37 古代服饰艺术再现 带你穿越大唐；
36:21 伏羲女娲图 国宝守护人：尼格买提；
40:02 小尼化身神秘“守墓人” 揭秘华夏儿女基因密码；
49:20 伏羲女娲图：研究中西文化艺术的神秘钥匙；
50:19 国立老师主持太辛苦 小尼暖心送香馕；
51:34 小尼化身艺术鉴赏专家 奔波半生终找归属；
54:36 于军：天地之大德曰生；
55:59 古人已开始研究基因技术？伏羲女娲图居然暗藏DNA密码；
01:00:21 技术是把双刃剑 遵守“规矩”才能造福人类；
01:04:16 “五星出东方利中国”锦护膊 国宝守护人：蓝天野；
01:08:47 蓝天野92岁高龄再挂帅 传奇英雄誓死守护西汉；
01:22:45 赵丰：生自蚕茧 成于机杼；
01:24:17 五星锦：丝织品“鄙视链”最顶端产品；
01:26:51 了不起！汉代“计算机”操作织造五星锦。
《国家宝藏》第二季，每集以一个博物馆为主题，亮相三件文物，每件文物绑定一位与之气质相符的明星嘉宾，他们或娓娓道来文物传奇的前世，或打扮成古人的形象演绎宝藏诞生的故事，带领观众进入一个神秘的探寻空间。
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BGF 25th Anniversary -08- Datuk Sri Dr Victor Wee - Speech
Source: Wikipedia
Xuanzang (Hsuan-tsang) (c. 602--664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (Chen I), was a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang Dynasty. Born in what is now Henan province in 602, from boyhood he took to reading religious books, including the Chinese classics and the writings of ancient sages.
While residing in the city of Luoyang, Xuanzang entered Buddhist monkhood at the age of thirteen. Due to the political and social unrest caused by the fall of the Sui Dynasty, he went to Chengdu in Sichuan, where he was ordained at the age of twenty. He later travelled throughout China in search of sacred books of Buddhism. At length, he came to Chang'an, then under the peaceful rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Xuanzang developed the desire to visit India. He knew about Faxian's visit to India and, like him, was concerned about the incomplete and misinterpreted nature of the Buddhist scriptures that had reached China.
He became famous for his seventeen-year overland journey to India, which is recorded in detail in the classic Chinese text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, which in turn provided the inspiration for the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming Dynasty, around nine centuries after Xuanzang's death.
SILK ROAD - WikiVidi Documentary
The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction originally through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West and stretching from the Korean peninsula and Japan to the Mediterranean Sea. The Silk Road concept refers to both the terrestrial and the maritime routes connecting Asia and Europe. The overland Steppe route stretching through the Eurasian steppe is considered the ancestor to the Silk Road. While the term is of modern coinage, the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty . The Han dynasty expanded Central Asian sections of the trade routes around 114 BCE, largely through missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy, Zhang Qian. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route. Trade on the Silk Road playe...
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Shortcuts to chapters:
00:02:29: Name
00:04:34: Chinese and Central Asian contacts
00:08:12: Persian Royal Road
00:08:52: Hellenistic era
00:10:30: Chinese exploration of Central Asia
00:19:10: Roman Empire
00:23:02: Byzantine Empire
00:26:50: Tang dynasty reopens the route
00:29:41: Medieval
00:33:20: Islamic era and the Silk Road
00:35:54: Mongol age
00:38:52: Decline and disintegration
00:39:58: New Silk Road
00:42:34: Routes
00:42:55: Northern route
00:44:37: Southern route
00:45:57: Southwestern route
00:48:02: Maritime route
00:48:59: Cultural exchanges
00:50:33: Transmission of Christianity
00:51:01: Transmission of Buddhism
00:57:13: Transmission of art
____________________________________
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Licensed under Creative Commons.
Wikipedia link:
Tang dynasty | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Tang dynasty
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The Tang dynasty (;Chinese: 唐朝) or the Tang Empire was an imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Tang capital at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) was the most populous city in the world in its day.
The Lǐ family (李) founded the dynasty, seizing power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was briefly interrupted when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Second Zhou dynasty (690–705) and becoming the only Chinese empress regnant. In two censuses of the 7th and 8th centuries, the Tang records estimated the population by number of registered households at about 50 million people. Yet, even when the central government was breaking down and unable to compile an accurate census of the population in the 9th century, it is estimated that the population had grown by then to about 80 million people. With its large population base, the dynasty was able to raise professional and conscripted armies of hundreds of thousands of troops to contend with nomadic powers in dominating Inner Asia and the lucrative trade-routes along the Silk Road. Various kingdoms and states paid tribute to the Tang court, while the Tang also conquered or subdued several regions which it indirectly controlled through a protectorate system. Besides political hegemony, the Tang also exerted a powerful cultural influence over neighboring East Asian states such as those in Japan and Korea.
The Tang dynasty was largely a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule, until the An Lushan Rebellion and the decline of central authority in the later half of the dynasty. Like the previous Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty maintained a civil-service system by recruiting scholar-officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office. The rise of regional military governors known as jiedushi during the 9th century undermined this civil order. Chinese culture flourished and further matured during the Tang era; it is traditionally considered the greatest age for Chinese poetry. Two of China's most famous poets, Li Bai and Du Fu, belonged to this age, as did many famous painters such as Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang. Scholars of this period compiled a rich variety of historical literature, as well as encyclopedias and geographical works. The adoption of the title Tängri Qaghan by the Tang Emperor Taizong in addition to his title as emperor was eastern Asia's first simultaneous kingship.Many notable innovations occurred under the Tang, including the development of woodblock printing. Buddhism became a major influence in Chinese culture, with native Chinese sects gaining prominence. However, in the 840s the Emperor Wuzong of Tang persecuted Buddhism, which subsequently declined in influence. Although the dynasty and central government had gone into decline by the 9th century, art and culture continued to flourish. The weakened central government largely withdrew from managing the economy, but the country's mercantile affairs stayed intact and commercial trade continued to thrive regardless. However, agrarian rebellions in the latter half of the 9th century resulted in damaging atrocities such as the Guangzhou massacre of 878-879.
Silk Road | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Silk Road
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
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The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and West. It was central to cultural interaction between the regions for many centuries. The Silk Road refers to both the terrestrial and the maritime routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with East Africa, West Asia and Southern Europe.
The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning in the Han dynasty (207 BCE–220 CE). The Han dynasty expanded the Central Asian section of the trade routes around 114 BCE through the missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy Zhang Qian. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.Trade on the Road played a significant role in the development of the civilizations of China, Korea, Japan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Europe, the Horn of Africa and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic relations between the civilizations. Though silk was the major trade item exported from China, many other goods were traded, as well as religions, syncretic philosophies, sciences, and technologies. Diseases, most notably plague, also spread along the Silk Road. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road was a route for cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.Traders in ancient history included the Bactrians, Sogdians, Syrians, Jews, Arabs, Iranians, Turkmens, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Somalis, Greeks, Romans, Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis.In June 2014, UNESCO designated the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor of the Silk Road as a World Heritage Site. The Indian portion is on the tentative site list.