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Southern Silk Road Route

Type Object Region China Time c. -200–1600

The southern Silk Road route was an overland passage through southwest China linking the interior with South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Indian Ocean t…

Timeline

  1. c. -122–600Chengdu–Dali–Myanmar corridor · DaliIn the Han dynasty a route led from Shu via the Yongchang road to Shendu (India), with Dali as a key midway town. From the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties through the Sui and Tang, the southern Silk Road served as an alternative bypassing the Hexi Corridor.
  2. c. 1291–1300Yunnan Province · Yunnan ProvinceAfter Kublai Khan pacified Yunnan, a province was established and relay roads were repaired to connect the Central Plains with Dali and toward Myanmar. In this period southern-route mule caravans carried salt, tea, silk, and precious metals, linking with trade at Indian Ocean ports.
  3. c. 1380–1600Southern section of the Yunnan-Tibet Tea-Horse Road · LijiangBuilding on Yuan relay stations, the Ming developed tea-horse exchange markets, and the southern route's trade networks toward Tibet and South Asia continued, becoming an important vehicle for economic and cultural exchange in the southwest frontier.

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