Notes

merchants were a distinct social group, were viewed suspiciously since they had wealth without producing anything themselves
the silk roads linked the people of eurasia from china to europe
goods were carried in large camel caravans that traveled the harsh enviornemnt of deserts
these caravans stopped at inns / guesthouses known as caravanserai, located along the rout from eastern mediterraneon to china
some caravanserai developed into major central asian commercial cities such as Bukhara, Samarkand, Khotan, Kashgar, and Dunhung

Most goods that went across the silk road were meant for elite or wealthy market
silk was the most important (hench the name) and by the sixth century CE knowledge and technology for producing raw silk had spread beyond china to Korea, Japan, India, Persia, and the Byzantine Empire
In central Asia silk was used as currency / means of accumulating wealth
silk came a symbol of high status in china and byzantine empire, with governments that passed laws restricting silk clothing to members of the lite
silk became associated with the sacred in the expanding world religions of buddhism and christianity
Chinese Buddhist pilgrims who traveled to India seeking religious texts and relics took with them large quantiies as silk as gifts to the monasteries they visited
silk wall hangings, altar covers, and vestments became highly prestiogus signs of devotion and piety in the world of christendom
by the 12th century, the west african king of ghana was wearing silk
silk circulated in egypt, ethiopia, and along the east african coast as well

yokes, saddles, and stirrups + camels, horses, and oxen = effective means of transportation across the silk road
frame mattress saddle (arab invention probs) allowed camels to carry heavier loads in a stable fashion
paper money, called flying cash in china (originally) because of its tendency to fly away in the wind, made it unncessary to carry heavy metal coins
bills of exchange, a kind of contract promising payment
banking practices allowed urban based banking houses to offer credits to merchants

peasants in the yangzi river delta of southern china sometimes gave up the cultivation of food crops and instead focused on producing silk, paper porcelain, lacquerware, or iron tools, which many were destined for marktes of the silk road
security conditions prevailed when roman and chinese empires anchored long distance commerce at the western and eastern end of eurasia (200 BCE - 200 CE)
Silk road trade flourished during the 7th and 8th centuries C.E. as the byzantine Empire (powerful muslim empire of the abbasid dynasty) and tang dynasty china created a continuous belt of strong states across Eurasia
in the 13th and 14th cenutry the mongol empire briefly encompassed almsot the entire route of silk roads in a single state

Buddhism spread across the Silk Roads from India to Central Asia, China, and more
the religion shunned the material worlds, but buddhist monasteries along the silk road were rich and received constant gifts
begging bowls of the monk becamse a symbol rather than part of a dialy activity
sculptures and murals in the monasteries depicted musicians and acrobats, women applying makeup, and even drinking parties
Mahayana form of Buddhism (Buddha as a deity, numerous bodhisattvas, emphasis on compassion, and earning merit) flourished on the silk road
the use of zoroastrian fire rituals apparently became a part of the buddhist practice

buddhism initially entered china via the silk road trading network during the first and second centuries C.E and by the 8th century C.E had become widely accepted
Pure Land Buddhism became a highly popular and authemtically chinese version of the indian faith (repeat Amitabha ensured rebirth in a heavenly relam, the pure land)
growth of Chinese Buddhism accompnied by a persistent underuurrent resistance and criticism
Several decades later, the chinese state took direct action against the buddhist estbalishment and other foreign religions
a series of imperial decrees between 841 and 845 ordered some 260000 monks and nuns to return to normal tax paying citizens
destoryed thousands of monasteries, temples, and shrines or turned to public use
land, money, metals, and serfs belonging to monasteries were confisicated
Buddhists were forbbiden to use gold, silver, copper, iron, and gems for their images
neo -Confucianism (buddhist philosophical ideas that reformed confucian thinking during the song dynasty) - rejected the religious aspect of both buddhism and doaism but appreciated the high moral standards of buddhist teachings, returning to classical texts of confucianism
buddhism in china becamse assimiliated into chinese culture alongside its other traidtions
"Every black haired son of Han" the chinese have long said "wears a confucian thinking cap, a daoist robe, and buddhist sandals"
temples frequently included states of confucius, laozi, and the buddha

A new capital city of Kunsong was modeled directly on the chinese capital of Chang an (Korea)
Tribute missions emabled both official and private trade, mostly in luxury goods like ceremonial clothing, silks, fancy teas, confucian and buddhist texts, and artowrks
korea became more and more chinese, thousands of korean students were sent to china to study confucinaims but also science and thea rts
buddhist monks visited the centers of learning and pilgrimage in china and brought back popular forms of chinese buddhism, which quickly took root in korea
schools for the study of confucianism, using texts in the chinese language, were established in korea
korea became a part of the expanding world of chinese culture
By 1200, the Chinese Chan school of Buddhism had become Zen in Japan, it was highly popular among the samurai warrior class.
Chinese Neo-Confucian teachings arrived in Japan around 1240 and proved highly influential among intellectuals.
By the seventeenth century Neo-Confucianism had become the official ideology of the Japanese Tokugawa regime.
The Chinese writing system — and with it an interest in historical writing, calligraphy, and poetry — likewise proved attractive among the elite.