Silk Road Trade Network

Timeline

1. c. 1–220Hexi Corridor–Western Regions · GansuThe Han dynasty established frontier markets, mutual markets, and the Protectorate of the Western Regions to manage Western Regions trade; silk and lacquerware moved westward, grapes and gemstones eastward, forming a trade framework combining official licensing and private caravans.
2. c. 100–300Parthia–Anxi corridor · IranChinese silk was transshipped through Central Asian states and Parthian middlemen to the Roman Empire, forming long-distance trade practices of multi-layer resale and segmented settlement; Roman gold coins occasionally flowed into China.
3. c. 300–500Inland Eurasian trade routes · Central AsiaDuring the Northern and Southern Dynasties, northern regimes maintained commercial contact with Western Regions city-states; Buddhist art and luxury goods spread along the routes, and the Silk Road trade network continued operating through local merchant guilds and oasis city-states amid regime changes.