The Silk Road is one of the greatest and most important trade routes. It is the overland route that connects China and Europe, the East and the West. The Silk Road began in the 2nd century BCE when Han Emperor gave Zhang Qian the diplomatic missions of visiting the Western regions. The Silk Road was largely scattered and very few merchants ever crossed the whole route. Most of the areas along the road were rugged or with hostile forces, which made the route quite dangerous. Therefore, the supply of silk and other goods was often limited.
絲綢之路（the Silk Road）是世界上最偉大、最重要的貿(mào)易通路之一。它是連接中國和歐洲、東方和西方的陸路通道。絲綢之路始于公元前2世紀，漢高祖（Han Emperor）派遣張騫出使西域的時期。絲綢之路極其分散，很少有商人走過整個道路。大部分地區(qū)地形崎嶇或有敵對勢力的存在，使得絲綢之路非常危險。因此絲綢和其他商品的供應經(jīng)常受到限制。
