Historical background of the Belt and Road Initiative

The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), an integral part of the Belt and Road initiative of China, is a befitting title to the historical Silk Route. Traditionally, it was a network of trade routes, formally established during the Han Dynasty of China, which linked various regions of the ancient world.

Indeed, the Silk Road was an access linking east with west, the term ‘Silk Routes’ has become increasingly favoured by historians, though ‘Silk Road’ is the more common and recognized name. In some history books, the Silk Road has been prescribed as pre-dated to the

Han Dynasty.

From Herodotus to the Persian story tellers, there is huge variety of literature that mentions the grand silk routes.
The Greeks and Romans knew China with a name that meant a land where silk came from’. Another traditional story relates the name of the China, with the merchandise that was transported on camels and horses.
In ancient China, the Chinese silk was very popular with the west, especially in ancient Europe. As the ancient Silk Road routes stretched from China to Africa and Europe, the Belt and Road Initiative derives the inspiration from old grandeur of the Chinese trade.

The Arabian Peninsula region including the present-day Iran and Central Asian states were the neighbouring regions of the Silk route.
The earliest symbols of Old China’s industrial inventions are paper and the gun powder which were traded more frequently than the silk. The rich spices of the east, also, contributed more than the fashion which grew up from the silk industry.