At the end of the 19th century, German geogeographer Richthofen named "the Western Regions transportation road between China and Central Asia and between China and India from 114 BC to 127 AD with silk trade as the medium" in his book China. This term was soon accepted by the academic community and the public, and was formally applied. Later, German historian Holman published the Ancient Silk Road between China and Syria in the early 20th century, according to the newly discovered archaeological data, further extended the Silk Road to the west coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Asia Minor, determined the basic connotation of the Silk Road, That is to say, it is the ancient Chinese through Central Asia to South Asia, West Asia and Europe, North Africa land trade communication channel.
The traditional Silk Road stretches 6,440 kilometers from the ancient Chinese capital Chang 'an to the Mediterranean Sea through Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria, and ends in Rome. The road is believed to have been the intersection of ancient Eastern and Western civilizations that connected the Eurasian continent, and silk is the most representative cargo. For thousands of years, nomads or tribes, traders, churchmen, diplomats, soldiers and academic explorers moved along the Silk Road.
