Mysterious Clouds and Storms (Exploring Ancient Civilization in Yunnan)

Author: Duan Dingzhou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: In terms of geographical environment, ancient people's development of transportation largely relied on geographical conditions. Between the ancient East and West civilizations, the world's highest plateau, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, posed a significant obstacle, making it difficult to open trade routes across the "Roof of the World." Northwest China extends deep into the heart of the Asian continent, while the southwest borders Southeast Asia through mountainous terrain. Under such conditions, East-West transportation naturally divided into two routes to bypass the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: one along the northern edge of the Kunlun and Qilian Mountains, or the eastern side of the Hengduan Mountains along the southern edge of the plateau. No other routes were as convenient as these. The Northern Silk Road, though passing through the Gobi Desert, was dotted with oases and lakes along the way. The Southwest Silk Road had to cross deep valleys and high mountains, but it avoided the most treacherous peaks, following river valleys and basins rich in resources, providing food, lodging, and supplies for traveling merchants.
From a cultural perspective, ancient people had long settled in the river valleys and basins of the southwest, spreading rice and bronze drums far and wide. Northern ethnic groups moved southward, while southern ethnic groups moved northward, long ago creating what is known as the "Ethnic Corridor." Through long periods of cultural exchange and ethnic migration, ancient people gradually formed clear and interconnected trade routes.
From an economic and social standpoint, some areas in the southwest remained in a primitive slash-and-burn society until modern times, but the Silk Road along the route had already experienced a glorious ancient civilization before the Western Han Dynasty.