New DreamssBiloom on the Ancient Ik Road——China and Central Asia： Bright Prospects for Economic Cooperation

IN 138 BC, the royal court of the Western Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian on a mission to the Western Regions, thus assigning the ancient Silk Road for trade and business exchanges between China and Central Asia, West Asia, as well as Europe and Africa. Since that time, this route saw China＇s papermaking technology, compass, gunpowder, printing techniques, silk, tea and porcelain spread to the world, while spices and gems came into China.