Under Emperor Wu of Han, Chinese missions into Central Asia, including the travels of the envoy Zhang Qian, established diplomatic and commercial contact with states and peoples west of China's existing frontier. These contacts opened and secured overland routes later known collectively as the Silk Road, along which Chinese silk moved west in exchange for horses, glass, wool textiles, and other goods from Central Asian and further western regions. Han military garrisons and watchtowers helped protect caravan traffic through the Tarim Basin. This period marks the beginning of sustained, state-supported long-distance overland trade between East Asia and the rest of Eurasia.
Relevance to Trade History
The opening of these routes under Han sponsorship established the overland framework for centuries of Eurasian exchange that later generations would call the Silk Road.
Read the full story in our article The Silk Roads and the Movement of Goods and Ideas.
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, "Trade Routes Between Europe and Asia During Antiquity". See our Sources & Methodology page for how we select and verify references.