The Complete History of the Silk Road

The Complete History of the Silk Road (Si chou zhi lu quan shi / 丝绸之路全史) is a comprehensive historical work originally written in Chinese that traces the origins, development, and cultural impact of the ancient Silk Road from its earliest beginnings up to more recent historical contexts. First published in 2018 in China, the book by Wu Bin offers a panoramic narrative of one of the world’s most influential networks of trade and cultural exchange. The author approaches the Silk Road not merely as a commercial route for goods such as silk, spices, and ceramics, but as a dynamic corridor of civilizations, ideas, religions, technologies, and artistic currents that connected East and West across Eurasia for centuries. The narrative combines archival sources, historical chronicles, official documents, and classical texts to reconstruct the complex interplay of peoples, cultures, empires, and economic forces that shaped the Silk Road’s evolution. Throughout the book, Wu Bin emphasizes how this network facilitated cultural dialogues between distant societies—spreading Buddhism from India into China, transmitting artistic and literary motifs, as well as fostering exchanges in science, philosophy, and theology. This perspective underscores the Silk Road as a bridge of civilizations rather than only a route of commerce. The work is structured to guide the reader chronologically and thematically through different eras of Silk Road history—from the earliest caravan paths that crisscrossed deserts and mountain passes, to the maritime routes that linked China with the broader world, and on to more modern reinterpretations of Silk Road connectivity in global history. In Chinese academic and public discourse, the book has been regarded as part of a broader resurgence of interest in the Silk Road’s historical and cultural significance, which also resonates with contemporary initiatives such as China’s Belt and Road framework.