F E AT U R E
ONE BELT ONE ROAD
- A historical perspective
By Ruby Tsao
ecent news on “One Belt One Road” initiative proposed by China are plans for the Silk Road
Economic Belt on the land and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road on the sea, is an infrastructure
investment that will take decades to build involving 65 countries and 4.4 billion people or 63% of
the world’s population.
R
The land route development will include financial cooperation, high speed rails, development and
transportation of energy, oil and gas pipe lines, cross border telecommunication cables, electric grids, and
green energy of solar power and wind power. High speed rails will link China and Europe through Central
Asia and the Middle East, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.
The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road will start from the south of China for building of ports
connecting Asia through the sea routes all the way to Africa.
Infrastructure needs in Asia and Africa have not been met by the World Bank, IMF, or the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) established by Japan. Projects will be financed with funds from the Silk Road
Fund and from AIIB— Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank— just launched in March, 2015.
So far, 57 countries have joined including most Asian countries except Japan, major countries in
the West except the US. AIIB will be in cooperation and complementary to World Bank and ADB to fill
infrastructure needs.
Three routes on land are planned:
1. Northern route:
Germany-Northern Europe.
Beijing-Russia-
2. Middle route: Beijing-Xi’an-UrumqiKazakhstan-Hungary-Paris.
3. Southern route: Beijing-KashiPakistan-Iran-Iraq-Turkey-Italy-Spain.
Two routes of the Maritime Silk Road are
planned:
1. Starting from south China ports west
to Indian Ocean, Europe and Africa.
2. Fujian ports south to South Pacific.
This grand plan will propel China into a
leadership role in economic, diplomatic and
strategic relations in Asia and countries in
Europe. But China will not have veto power in
spite of its major dollar contribution. The goal is
to strive for equality in decision-making.
All founding members who signed up
before March 31, 2015 will get together to set the
rules. The organization is non-political with no
political
alliance but
managed like
a corporation
in the spirit of
cooperation
and
mutual
benefits.
LEAN,
CLEAN,
GREEN will
be
the
guidelines in governance for control of cost,
corruption, and environmental protection.
Developed nations and developing
countries will all benefit from participation in the
building of infrastructure for prosperity and
economic development. The long term outlook is
for regional stability to form a community of
common destiny in Asia and a new style of
international relations among big countries in the
West.
To explore this subject, a historical
perspective is appropriate to provide background
information.
The term “Silk Road” was coined by a
German scholar in the 19th Century. The land
route of the SILK ROAD stretched from China’s
Xi’an to the Mediterranean Sea for some 4000
miles (6437 KM). It started during the Han
Dynasty (206 BC—220 AD). In 138 BC, the
great emperor Han Wudi sent imperial envoy
Zhang Qian on a trade route across the border to
the west. Camels and horses were used to
transport silk from China coveted by Romans
who considered silk as precious as gold.
The land route had always consisted of a
network of routes separated by major topological
landmarks such as the majestic Tianshan
mountain range which stretches more than
1500km from China well into Kazakhstan. Thus
the Middle route mentioned above basically
follows the Northern Tianshan Route, and the
Southern Route the Southern Tianshan Route.
In fact,
the Southern
Route (which
traverses the
redoubtable
Khyber Pass
connecting
Pakistan
to
Afghanistan)
further forks
into
two
routes,
one
towards the west, as stated, and eventually arrives
in Turkey. The other passes south into Pakistan
and India, with possibility of transferring to sea
routes from these countries to go to the west.
The well-known monk Tang Seng, made
famous by the novel Journey to the West, took
that passage to India to receive the Buddhist
scriptures. In real life, his name was Xuanzanga
Buddhist monk in the Tang Dynasty (618-907)
who traveled for 19 years (626645) in countries
in the west and dictated to his disciple the book
Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.
This book documented the geography,
transportation, climate, local people and produce,
languages, customs and culture of some 110
countries from Xinjiang to Persia, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, etc.
It is still an important document for
scholars of Central Asia in the early 7th Century
and as a guide for excavations of archeological
sites. This book is important in India’s history
due to lack of written records in India at the time.
He also made great contributions in the
translation of Buddhist scriptures and the spread
of Buddhism in China.
Over the years, this network of routes
was established in different directions for trade in
silk and tea in exchange for horses and spices as
well as gold, precious metals, jade and ivory. The
Chinese were known for their love of jade.
Yumen Guan (Gate of Jade) was established in
the Han Dynasty to collect taxes on jade imports.
Perhaps more significant than trade,
cultural interaction flourished along the routes.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the capital
Changan (today’s Xi’an) was an international
metropolis teeming with thousands of foreigners:
Turks, Iranians, Japanese, Koreans, Malays…etc
who learned Chinese culture. Another important
period was when the Mongols led by Genghis
Khan swept through Asia and Europe and
reinforced the Silk Road in the vast empire. His
grandson Kublai Khan was influenced by
Chinese culture. With the help of Han officials,
he established the Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368)
with the capital in Beijing.
Venetian merchant and explorer Marco
Polo (1254-1324) was one of the first Europeans
to travel on the Silk Road. He overcame hardships
over mountains including the Pamir range and
Taklimakan deserts on the land route to reach
China. He stayed in China for 17 years and
returned to Europe on the maritime Silk Road via
Sumatra and India to reach Hormuz and then by
land to Constantinople (today’s Istanbul).
Reportedly he held a position in Kublai Khan’s
court. He became a prisoner of war when he
returned to Italy.
Of the early travelers to China, he was the
most famous because his book “Travels of Marco
Polo”— penned by his cellmate, introduced a
mysterious and fabulously rich China to the
Europeans for the first time. Columbus was
greatly influenced by this book when he set out in
his voyage to find China. When he reached
America, he thought he landed in India. Thus he
called the natives “Indians”.
The land routes were not suitable to
transport the large quantities of ceramics which
mainly went on the maritime routes. During the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), boatloads of
ceramics were shipped to Europe. Royal palaces
in Europe today are still proudly displaying their
prize pieces. Soon porcelain-making technology
was acquired in Holland making Delft the major
china-producing center in Europe.
During various periods of war and unrest,
numerous Chinese migrated to locations in the
South China Seas. Sizable Chinese population
spread Chinese culture in countries like
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore,
Thailand, the Philippines, etc. Japan and Korea
embraced Chinese culture and along with it the
Chinese written language which is still used
today even after they adopted national alphabets.
China had the most advanced naval
technology since the ancient times. But the farreaching Maritime Silk Road was established
mainly during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Emperor Yongle sent Admiral Zhenghe who was
a Muslim on peaceful naval expeditions to the
South China seas to reach as far as Africa.
Imperial map of the Ming Dynasty already
showed islands, ports and mountains along the
route. There were 300 named places. China
claims islands in the East and South China Seas
based on historical records.
years. There were no plundering and colonizing
activities, only activities of trade and cultural
exchanges. Paper making, printing, silk textiles,
porcelain making….were exported from China
while spices, fruits and vegetables like
watermelon, tomatoes, potatoes and onions were
introduced to China.
Notably, religions began to flourish
along the Silk Road. Buddhism entered China in
the 1st Century. It spread to Korea and Japan
from China. Subsequently, Islam, Judaism and
Christianity spread across Eurasia. Confucius
(551 BC-479 BC) has had a profound influence
in China. Not professing to understand the afterlife, his concerns were to serve humans in this
life. He preached love and respect and learning
from others without acknowledgement of the one
exclusive God required in Christianity or Islam.
Because Confucianism preceded these religions,
all religions have co-existed in China peacefully
throughout history.
Zhenghe led a fleet of over 20,000
men on ships the size of a football
field on 7 expeditions beginning in
1405 predating Columbus’ discovery
of America in 1495 by 90 years.
There were no plundering and
colonizing activities, only activities
of trade and cultural exchanges.
For example, “Diaoyu Islands” were in
the 15th Century records of Ming Dynasty
whereas the Japanese name “Senkaku Islands”
was not found in documents in Japan before 1900
until after its invasion of China in 1895. At the
end of World War II, Japan was to return to China
all occupied territories including Taiwan and the
extended Diaoyu Islands.
Zhenghe led a fleet of over 20,000 men
on ships the size of a football field on 7
expeditions beginning in 1405 predating
Columbus’ discovery of America in 1495 by 90
Today, China is leading the efforts of
peaceful developments of an economic belt with
countries along the land route of the Silk Road
connecting China with Central and South Asia as
well as Europe and the 21st Century maritime
Silk Road from South China Seas west to Indian
Ocean and to Europe and south to the South
Pacific.
In 1992, the Eurasian Continental Bridge
was established by rail starting from Lian Yun
Gang on China’s east coast westward across
China to connect to Kazakhstan, Byelorussia,
Poland and Germany to end at Rotterdam of the
Netherlands for a total length of 11,000
kilometers.
Today, high speed trains and new ports
are planned to fulfill many countries’ need for
modern infrastructure. We look forward to
increasing stability and prosperity in Asia as well
as peace, trust and cooperation with the great
powers of the West. One Belt One Road initiative
is a blueprint for world peace and prosperity to
expand and build on the historical connections in
the spirit of cooperation and win-win for all.
###
Ruby Tsao, born in China, went to Taiwan with family in
1949; received BA from National Taiwan University;
awarded full scholarship from an international education
foundation to study in the US, received MS from the
University of Michigan; worked in libraries before switching
to investments after 4 children arrived. At the same time, she
has served as President of General Resource Technology, Inc.
and treasurer of Tsao Foundation -both organizations to
promote utilization and research of renewable resources
technology developed by her husband Professor George Tsao.
Her interests include travel and writing. She writes on history
and culture in the hopes to promote understanding of China
for better US-China relations.