Silk Road spirit and culture
For me to stay connected with others, I need to be wired up with technology. A day without checking my email would mean voluminous unread messages. A day or two without checking the Facebook would mean missed updates and opportunities from friends and acquaintances. This is entirely what happened to me several days when I was in Fuzhou, China. I wanted to connect with my loved ones back home. But it was extremely difficult as the internet connection was either slow or none at all. Was it due to some regulations? I can't help but to think of a remnant or reminiscent of China that was far from the world's peek and scrutiny.
With the ongoing tension over territorial dispute between China and our country, I was at first apprehensive. But the holding of the 2nd Silk Road International Film Festival held last September 22-26, 2015 was a great manifestation of opening its doors to the world. A country that is accommodating and sensitive to our needs as festival participants.
Let me focus on the Silk Road spirit and culture. Historically, the Silk Road is a famous trade route that has contributed to the cultural exchange between China and the West. This great "Cultural Bridge" between Asia and Europe from the second century BC to the fifteenth century AD has provided exchanges of civilizations in China, India, Greece, Persia and Rome. Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheism, Nestorianism and Islam were cultural treasure of the ancient west, which were bestowed upon China during the old times. The cultural exchange between China and the West offered mutual benefit and achieved common progress.
The Chinese Four Great Inventions (paper making, printing, gunpowder and compass) as well as the skills of silkworm breeding and silk spinning were transmitted to the West, speeding up the development of the entire world.
Economic and political exchanges between the East and West, religions of the West were introduced into China via the world-famous route. Apart from Chinese exquisite goods, many Chinese advanced technologies were also exported to the west, such as the silkworms breading, silk spinning, paper making, printing with movable type and gunpowder.
Silk is natural protein filament produced a caterpillar of butterfly - silkworm. It is a strong, soft thread neither phytogenous nor animal which is produced by a caterpillar before turning into a pupa (chrysalis). Silkworm is the most widespread insect-manufacturer on the Earth. It produces filament for taffeta, atlas, sateen, organza, and chiffon. The noblest (and most expensive) silk is reeled off not boiled, its thread is pulled out from inside the cocoon. To receive 3 kg of silk thread it is necessary to provide caterpillars with leaves of approximately 30 mulberry trees.
The Silk Road stretched for thousands kilometers leading caravans across scorching deserts, picturesque oases, and mountain passes. The cities and entire civilizations prospered and decayed along the way. The cities of the Silk Road witnessed numerous devastating wars, destructions, fires, famine and death. For centuries multilingual Oriental markets buzzed, for hundreds of years the dusty caravan roads were traveled by merchants who carried to Europeans precious silks and stones, spices and dyes, gold and silver, exotic birds and animals.
One can call the Silk Road the grandiose trade route which connected the East and the West and became the reason of appearance of many unique cities, historical monuments, customs and even the entire states.
The story of that surprising route which later became the reason of cultural enrichment has indeed opened the doors for trade and cultural exchanges. China has provided an avenue for cultural exchanges of ideas and best practices for the world to share and appreciate.
The Silk Road provided an important link to bridge man's innovations. It paves the way for man to know what is taking place in the other parts of the world. It is a living chronicler of man's search for meaning and understanding.
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