【国内文旅卷】世界文化遗产之丝绸之路:长安——天山廊道路网(中英双语)
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丝绸之路起始于古代中国的政治、经济、文化中心古都长安(今西安),是连接亚洲、非洲和欧洲的路上商业路线。丝绸之路跨越陇山山脉,穿过河西走廊,通过玉门关和阳关,抵达新疆,沿绿洲和帕米尔高原通过中亚、西亚和北非,最终抵达非洲和欧洲。它也是一条东方与西方之间经济、政治、文化进行交流的主要道路。它的最初作用是运输那些代表了拥有先进农业和手工业的发达中国古代文明的那些精致、细腻、优雅并且轻便的丝绸。因此,当德国地理学家、东方学家李斯霍芬于1877年将之命名为“丝绸之路”后,随即被世人广泛接受。世界遗产委员会认为,丝绸之路是东西方之间融合、交流和对话之路,近两千年以来为人类的共同繁荣作出了重要的贡献。
“丝绸之路:长安——天山廊道路网”于2014年被列入世界文化遗产名录。其申报点包含了中国、哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦三国境内33处遗址遗迹,其中中国段共计22处遗产点分布在陕西、河南、甘肃、新疆四省区。其在丝绸之路整个交流交通体系中具有起始的地位,不仅连接了多种文明地带,更展开了东西方之间持续而广泛的商贸、宗教、科技、文化等交流活动,见证了亚欧大陆于公元前2世纪以降的两千年时间里,人类文明与文化发展的主要脉络。其中展现出的多元文化特征,更促进了洲际间多种文明的交流、融合和共同繁荣。丝绸之路沿线遗址与出土的文物告诉世人,丝路沿线的国家和人民,曾极富活力,相互团结合作,他们还引领着世界潮流风尚,并推动了人类文明的共同进步,在全人类文明史上具有重大价值。
中西古道的民间沟通与交流早在先秦时期就已存在,但因受到部落政权更替与环境变迁影响,贸易线路非常不稳定。自从公元前2世纪晚期西汉张骞“凿空西域“后,丝绸之路由自发往来的民间线路转变为受政府保护的官方外交大道通,在中原各王朝的精心经营维护下,丝绸之路上的贸易发展迅猛,在唐代达到空前繁荣的鼎盛之势。中国的丝绸、瓷器、茶叶及四大发明等沿着丝绸向西方传播,随之而来的是西方的珠宝、玻璃、金银器皿以及动植物等物品传入中国。这些极大地促进了东西方文化的交流与融合,缔造出空前辉煌的文明成就。
The Silk Road starts in the old capital of Chang'an which is the present-day Xi'an city and the center of politics, economy, and culture in a long period of ancient China. It is an overland commercial route connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, which goes over the Longshan Mountain, follows Hexi Corridor, passes Yumenguan Pass and Yangguan Pass, reaches Xinjiang, stretches along the oasis and the Pamir Plateau, enters the Central Asia, crosses Central Asia, Western Asia and Southern Asia, and then leads to Africa and Europe. It also served as an important trunk road where the economic, political and cultural exchanges between the Orient and the Occident were taking place. In its very first beginning the function of the trade route is to transport silk, the fine, delicate, elegant and portable goods, representing the civilization of ancient China which enjoyed advanced agriculture and well-developed handicraft industry. Therefore, when the name of "Silk Road" was first given by the German geographer and Orientalist Ferdinand Freiherr von Richthofen in the 1870s, it was widely accepted immediately. The World Heritage Committee believes that the Silk Road, as the route for the integration, communication, and dialogue between the Orient and the Occident, has made significant contribution to the common prosperity of the humankind in over two thousand years.
"Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" was included into the World Culture Heritage List in 2014. In total 33 sites in China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are nominated. The 22 sites in China are located in Shaanxi, He'nan, Gansu, and Xinjiang. The corridor not only served as the beginning of the whole communication and transport system of the Silk Road but also linked multiple civilizations. Besides, it promoted the persistent and extensive communication between the Orient and the Occident in trade, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, technological innovation, and cultural practices, and witnessed the major course of the human civilization and culture development on Euroasia in over two thousand years from 2 century BC. The multicultural characteristics it demonstrated even promoted the exchange, integration, and common prosperity of different civilizations. The historical sites and culture artifacts along the Silk Road tell us that the countries and people along the route were of great vitality and solidarity in leading the trend of fashion in the world and promoting the common progress of human civilization, so they are of great value in the history of civilization of mankind.
The communication and exchange between China and western countries via the ancient route had begun in as early as the pre-Qin dynasties. However, the trade route was unstable for the change of tribal regime and the environment. After Zhang Qian completed his missions and explorations to the Central Asia in the late 2nd century BC during the time of the Western Han dynasty, the Silk Road was changed from a non-governmental route developed by the people into a major channel for official diplomatic exchange under the protection of the government. With the careful management of the dynasties in central China, trade had developed rapidly on the Silk Road and reached unprecedented prosperity in Tang Dynasty. The silk, porcelain, tea, and four great inventions of China were supplied to the West along the Silk Road, while the jewelries, glass, gold and silver wares, animals, and plants were introduced into China. These greatly promoted the exchange and integration of the Oriental and Occidental Culture and created unprecedentedly splendid achievements of civilization.