Silk Road on the cusp of coming back to life
The lands of Italy and China have been connected for more than two millennia, thanks to the ancient Silk Road trade route.
Trade between the two nations began to blossom on an unprecedented scale in the first century BC after the Roman Empire expanded its territory to the east and south.
Citizens of the Roman Empire received luxuries such as silk ware from China, while Roman products like glassware were also exported to China.
The Silk Road was also central to cultural exchanges between the two nations.
Evidence of the exchanges was shown in Beijing’s National Museum of China in an exhibition called
last summer. Exhibits from museums in China and Italy, as well as the rest of Europe, were arranged side by side for comparison, showing similarities and inspirations from both cultures.
The most eye-catching was the wall painting of Flora, the goddess of flowers, standing at the entrance of the exhibition hall. It was unearthed in the ancient city of Pompeii, which was devastated by a volcano eruption in the first century.
The goddess wears a gown that appears to be silk, judging from the soft, fluffy pleats. This could be direct evidence for a silk trade between China and the Roman Empire.
Apparently, the Romans had no idea how silk was produced. Pliny the Elder, author of
who also lived in the first century, wrote in his book: “Seres (China) is famous throughout the world for its silk, which grows on trees in the forest ... Garments made of silk have been traded in Rome and are popular among the noble women ...”
From the book — a 1525 version from Rome was displayed in the Beijing museum — we know that the ancient Romans regarded silk similar to fruit.
Porcelain was another product that interested Westerners. In the exhibited oil painting,
by 16th-century master Bellini and his student Tiziano, the three fruit bowls were likely to be China-made blue-and-white porcelain. A Ming Dynasty (13681644) blue-and-white bowl was displayed below the painting for comparison.
A maritime Silk Road was developed during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which proved to be significant when the land route was blocked in later dynasties.
Maps were necessary for trade via the oceans. On a displayed map entitled a collection from a Paris library, a man wearing a crown and green robe stood central. This was Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Emperor Kublai Khan. Westerners’ knowledge about this figure is mainly from
Several collectors from Italy brought a number of items related to Marco Polo to Beijing. They included an illustrated copy of the travelogue and a porcelain vessel called the “Marco Polo jar”.
The latter is a Dehua, Fujianmade porcelain jar said to have been brought home by Polo. However, it was later proved to have been transported to Europe by a Byzantine merchant.
On a displayed coronation robe of the 14th-century Pope Benedictus XI, Chinese visitors could also see something familiar.
The embroidered part of the garment reminds one of a square patch on the official robe that represented the ranks of ancient Chinese officials.
was used on officials’ robes no later than the Yuan Dynasty. The pattern was said to be brought to Europe by Mongolians and was later copied by local noble men.
Western influence could also be seen in Chinese culture during the exchanges.
During the Tang Dynasty, there were quite a few believers in Jingjiao, an ancient religion with origins in Christianity. It was brought in by the Nestorians of Orthodox Christianity. A lotusbased cross is the symbol of the religion. One of such items, which was displayed at the exhibition, is a combination of both the Chinese and Western cultural elements.
Many Chinese people like to compare the portraits of Mary (Madonna, or Maria) the Virgin to Guanyin, or Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Mercy. Displays at the National Museum of China had included portraits of the two, which were strikingly alike.
Modern science from the West has influenced China for hundreds of years, thanks to missionaries like Matteo Ricci from Italy, who brought Christianity, science books and maps to China during the Ming Dynasty. Ricci and his friend Xu Guangqi, Ming official and scientist, translated the books together.
Their translations included Euclid’s Elements of Geometry. And a Ming Dynasty Chinese version of the book was exhibited. The geometric terms, concepts and axioms in this version are used till this day.
The Ricci-drawn world map — which is called
in Chinese — placed China at the center of the world for the first time. A lot of place names have remained unchanged, like North America and South America.
The Chinese and Romans used to see each other belonging to the realms of sunrise and sunset. During the past two millennia, however, the exchanges via the Silk Road had put the two great peoples together.
They learned from each other and inspired each other, bearing the fruits of the world’s greatest civilizations. This is shown in material evidence such as bronze wares, glass wares, silk, porcelain and paintings.