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The Silk Route (Silk Road) between China and the West was established during the reign of which Chinese dynasty?
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Answer: Option D — Han dynasty
Detailed Solution
The Silk Route was established during the reign of the Han dynasty of China, in the 2nd century BCE.
How the Silk Route began:
- The Han emperor Wu (Wudi) sent an envoy named Zhang Qian to Central Asia in 138 BCE, to find allies against the Xiongnu, a nomadic people who threatened China.
- Zhang Qian travelled through Central Asia, and returned after many years with information about the kingdoms of the west, including Bactria and India (which he called "Shendu").
- After this, the Han dynasty opened trade routes to the west, and Chinese silk began to be traded through Central Asia to Persia, India and the Roman empire.
- The term "Silk Road" (Seidenstrasse) was coined by the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877.
About the Silk Route:
- It was a network of land (and sea) routes, connecting China with Central Asia, India, Persia, Arabia, Africa and Europe.
- It extended over about 6,400 km.
- Major cities on the route included Chang'an (Xi'an), Dunhuang, Kashgar, Samarkand, Bukhara, Merv, Baghdad and Antioch.
Goods traded:
- From China: silk, porcelain, tea, paper.
- From India: spices, cotton textiles, precious stones, indigo, ivory.
- From the West: gold, silver, glassware, wine, horses.
Exchange of ideas:
- Buddhism spread from India to Central Asia, China, Korea and Japan along the Silk Route.
- Art, technology (such as paper-making and gunpowder) and diseases also travelled along it.
- Buddhist monks such as Faxian and Xuanzang travelled on these routes.
The Silk Route and India:
- Rulers who controlled parts of the route in the early centuries CE benefited greatly from taxes and trade.
- UNESCO declared the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" a World Heritage Site in 2014.
Chinese dynasties:
- Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE): the first unified Chinese empire; began the Great Wall.
- Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE): the Silk Route.
- Tang dynasty (618-907 CE): the golden age; Xuanzang travelled during this time.
- Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE): built much of the present Great Wall.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Tang and Ming dynasties came later.
- ✗The Qin dynasty came before the Han.
Quick tip
Remember: Silk Route = Han dynasty (Zhang Qian's mission, 138 BCE); term "Silk Road" coined by Richthofen (1877); UNESCO site (2014).
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World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of World GK: Countries, Capitals & Currencies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers world GK: countries with their capitals, currencies and parliaments, national symbols, famous landmarks, the longest, largest and highest features of the world, and international boundary lines such as the Radcliffe, McMahon and Durand Lines. The most common questions match a country with its capital or currency, or a parliament with its name (such as the Knesset of Israel or the Diet of Japan). Revise countries continent by continent, giving extra attention to India's neighbours. Questions on boundary lines usually ask which two countries a line separates. Practise the world GK questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.