1. If you had lived in ancient China, you may have traveled the Silk Roads in a caravan as a trade merchant.

2. This is the Chinese Portion of the Silk Road

3. Most camel caravans…

4. would not have traveled the entire Chinese portion of the Silk Road, but if they had, they would have trekked over 2,000 miles across a wide variety of terrains…

5. Scorching Deserts

10. Treacherous Mountains

16. You might have to cross rushing rivers,

17. and lazy ones.

20. While traveling through the desert with your caravan and your Bactrian camels

21. you would seek refuge in the occasional desert oasis town.

22. This desert oasis town is in Dunhuang.

23. Every 25 miles or so, you would come across these “caravanserais” where you could stay for the night and even seek medical attention.

24. You might even seek refuge in a hut like these while traveling through the Kunlun Mountains.

25. You would encounter many dangers along the way.

26. Sandstorms

28. Nomadic people who lived in portable homes like this “yurt”, or bandits might rob you of your trade goods and even steal your camels!

29. Venomous Pit Vipers

30. Venomous Lizards

31. Exposure to people and animals from outside places put you at risk of deadly diseases such as…

32. SMALLPOX

33. You would be willing to risk these dangers and load up your family and camels with items to trade such as…

34. Porcelain

35. Dried Rhubarb

36. Tea

37. Which was grown and harvested on farms in China

38. And of course, the highly prized Chinese SILK!

39. Which the ancient Chinese learned to make by using the cocoons of these tiny worms called silkworms.

40. Silk was the fashion of the day as seen on this wealthy Chinese family.

41. Risking your life would be worth it, as your quest would be to gain such wonderful treasures as…

42. Ivory (elephant and rhino tusks) for carving wonderful things

43. Jade for carving and jewelry-making

44. Amber for carving and jewelry-making

45. Gold!

46. Rugs and tapestries

47. “Exotic” Fruits such as apricots, grapes and melons

48. Spices!

49. Horses!

50. The crowded markets you would trade your goods at might look similar to these modern- day markets in Kashgar.

55. In addition to exchanging commodities such as silk, porcelain, fruits, precious metals, and other “exotic” items, you would be exposed to new ideas.

56. Buddhism, the most dominant religion in all of Asia today began in India and spread by way of travelers along the Silk Road.

57. A Buddhist Monk whom you may have met along the way.

58. The following images of the Buddha show how depictions of the same idea may be presented differently by different cultures. These depictions are influenced by the art style of the culture.

59. Indian Buddha

60. Chinese Buddha

61. Japanese Buddha

62. Tibetan Buddha

63. Korean Buddha

64. The journey along the Silk Roads was treacherous for ancient traveling merchants, but allowed for the cultural exchange of inventions, goods, and religious ideas.