BOOK REVIEW: THE SILK ROAD

The Silk Road, a marvel of the trade of the past, is a very well explored facet of Chinese history. Spread far and wide, it brought in trade and culture from across the world to China and vice versa. The trade route had such a profound impact on cultures across Asia, that even in contemporary times China is attempting to revive it in a modern way through its Belt and Road Initiative. Valerie Hansen’s book, “The Silk Road: A New History” debunks prevailing myths and misconception surrounding the history of the Silk Road, provides evidence-based logical inferences about this historical phenomenon and provides a reasonable historical account of trade, religion, and language along its expanse.

Valerie Hansen’s “The Silk Road: A New History” offers a captivating and well-researched account of the historical route that facilitated trade between the East and the West. Her account illustration is academically sound and draws from a plethora of archaeological evidence – documents, tombs, coins, and even well-preserved food. Through a nuanced tracing of the Silk Road’s history, she offers a multifaceted overview of trade exchanges and cultural networks along the route over time.

“The Silk Road: A New History” is divided into seven chapters which cover the evolution of the Silk Road in a fairly linear timeline. The book builds itself around seven major sites that acted as important points on the Silk Road. Six of these places lie in Northwest China (near and in modern-day Xinjiang), and one lies to the east of Samarkand (a city in modern-day Uzbekistan). The historical timeline covered in the book spans nearly nine centuries, from the second century CE to the 11^th century CE.

Hansen focuses on three main themes throughout her chapters – trade, language and religion. She explains that over this timeline, trade and cultural flow was not carried out along a single long route. That is, the Silk Road was not an actual road or a long route running through Central and South Asia as is commonly believed. Hansen further contends that most trade along the route was regional in nature. Goods from Europe or Iran often changed several hands before reaching their Chinese consumers and vice versa. Furthermore, the book explores local dynamics of these oases kingdoms, their relations with the dynasties of China and Mongolian rulers.

The first chapter focuses on the initial exchanges between China and the West on the Silk Road as early as the second century CE. This includes the ancient sites of Niya and Loulan in Chinese Turkestan (modern-day Xinjiang). This is followed by the Kucha kingdom in Chapter 2 which was a consolidated settlement that had absorbed migrants from Gāndhāra. There is a special focus on the evolution of language and script through Kumārjīva’s works. Following this, Chapter 3 focuses on the largely Sogdian settlement Turfan. This was a contemporary of the Kucha kingdom which also formed a major trade point along the Silk Road. The next chapter considers the Sogdian homelands nearby Samarkand in greater detail. The chapter relies on the record of the travels of a Chinese monk Xuangzang. Chapter 5 details upon the Sogdian migrants and the influx of Zoroastrianism in the Tang-dynasty capital of Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an). The Dunhuang caves, considered a time capsule, are discussed in the penultimate chapter. These wonderfully preserved Buddhist sites of China provide a deep insight into the mid-eighth century China. Finally, Chapter 7 concludes with the story of Khotan which was conquered in 1006 CE and was the first settlement to convert to Islam. 

Hansen’s methodology for piecing together a plausible historical narrative is commendable. Her interdisciplinary approach includes a variety of material evidence, from coins, unearthed archaeological artefacts, and most importantly, retrieved paper documents. She considers evidence in combination with prevailing theories and contentions. Hansen draws logical inferences and confirms or dismisses prevailing conceptions and myths. The heavy reliance on credible evidence makes for a highly plausible account of the Silk Road history.

The book relies heavily on paper records and documents as evidence. Most of the Silk Road sites were situated in the Central Asian Taklamakan desert. Due to the absence of moisture and other weathering elements, a large volume of bureaucratic and household documents has been unearthed in brilliantly preserved conditions. This has allowed historians like Hansen to collate details about the cultural, political, and economic atmosphere of the regions in great detail. An example of this is the consideration of a record of a court verdict, which includes a man suing a merchant for a listed amount of goods. This offers insights not only into the volume of trade, but also how the governments in the region facilitated trade through permits and government spending.

The study of coin evidence also uncovers the entities involved in trade. For instance, Chinese rulers operated in bronze coins, so the discovery of silver coins indicated a foreign presence.  Archaeological excavations from sites in Xinjiang provides insights into the cultural fabric of the regions, revealing how multiple traditions (Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Chinese, Iranian, Gāndhāri and more) converged. Findings like the mummies of Niya also function as anthropological evidence of migrations and other cultural and trade exchanges. Hansen also reviews the sheer difficulty of travel within the region, from the dangerous passes of Chinese Turkestan (Xinjiang) and the Gāndhāra region to the arid, inhospitable Taklamakan desert. This forms a particularly compelling pillar of her main argument - trade was largely regional than across continents. 

The book transgresses beyond the conventional views of the Silk Road to produce a nuanced understanding of it. Hansen’s approach of tracing the timeline is convincing, although there exist some grounds for contention. For instance, her inference, that people migrated in bouts of hundreds to Chinese Turkestan has been subject to debate in the academic community. Nevertheless, her arguments provide for a plausible explanation that remains difficult to challenge. It becomes possible to conclude that the Silk Road was a scatterplot of locations and settlements across regions, joined together by travelling merchants, military forces, migrants and spiritual teachers who enabled exchanges. Hansen’s reconstruction of the Silk Road history prompts thought provoking perspectives on contemporary Chinese policies like the Belt and Road Initiative and cultural claims on regions like Xinjiang. Upon reading, one may come to the realisation that Central and East Asian history is something radically different from the general perception. To a layman, the book offers a clearer understanding of economic and cultural exchanges along the silk route.

Overall, the main focuses of the book - the nature of trade, cultural exchange and evolution of religion along the Road - are covered in significant detail and are supported by significant material evidences. This makes its contemporary relevance clearer with the role of China’s Belt and Road Initiative’s in reviving the Silk Road.

Hansen’s study of Silk Road history is objective and focused. It sets itself apart from its peers due to its academically sound methodology and a cohesive and logical reconstruction of history. While it is possible to go deeper into the matter considering in depth the evidences listed, the book still provides a succinct introductory crash course on the Silk Road history.  This book is a must read for scholars, students and for anyone interested in exploring how the Silk Road has shaped Chinese culture throughout the history alike.