Key vocab
任务 – rèn wu5 – mission, task
联系 – lián xì – connection, contact
骆驼 – luò tuo5 – camel
丝绸 – sī chóu – silk
商品 – shāng pǐn – commodity, goods
沙漠 – shā mò – desert
流通 – liú tōng – to circulate, flow
传播 – chuán bō – to spread, disseminate
繁荣 – fán róng – prosperous, flourishing
丝绸之路的故事
大约两千一百年前，中国汉朝的皇帝派一个叫张骞的人去西方。张骞的任务是和西方国家建立联系。这次旅行非常危险，他走了十三年才回到中国。
张骞带回来很多关于西方的消息。从那以后，中国商人开始沿着这条路去西方做生意。他们用骆驼运送丝绸、茶叶和瓷器。西方商人则带来玻璃、香料和宝石。
这条路后来被叫做”丝绸之路”，因为丝绸是最重要的商品。丝绸之路不只是一条路，而是很多条路连在一起。商人们要穿过沙漠、翻过高山，旅途可能需要好几年。
丝绸之路不仅让商品流通，还让不同国家的文化互相交流。佛教就是通过这条路从印度传到中国的。音乐、艺术和科学知识也沿着这条路传播。
今天，丝绸之路已经成为历史，但它的精神还在。
The Story of the Silk Road
About 2,100 years ago, the emperor of China’s Han Dynasty sent a man named Zhang Qian to the West. Zhang Qian’s mission was to establish connections with Western countries. This journey was very dangerous, and it took him thirteen years to return to China.
Zhang Qian brought back a lot of news about the West. After that, Chinese merchants began to travel along this route to do business in the West. They used camels to transport silk, tea, and porcelain. Western merchants brought glass, spices, and gems in return.
This route was later called the “Silk Road” because silk was the most important commodity at the time. The Silk Road was not just one road, but many roads connected together. Merchants had to cross deserts and climb over high mountains, and the journey could take several years.
The Silk Road not only allowed goods to flow, but also let cultures from different countries exchange with each other. Buddhism was spread from India to China through this route. Music, art, and scientific knowledge also spread along this road.
Today, the Silk Road has become history, but its spirit remains.
