Culture Corner
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The Silk Road
丝绸之路
The routes
通道
For centuries, the Silk Road was the most important line of communication connecting East and West.
几个世纪以来，丝绸之路是东西方交流的最重要的线路。
Although the Silk Road covered a huge distance linking modern day Xi'an with the Middle East and Europe,
虽然丝绸之路覆盖了经现在的西安通往中东和欧洲的很长一段距离，
today one area in particular is associated most closely with the name of the Silk Road.
但是，一个特别地区与丝绸之路的名字有着最紧密地联系。
This area is Xinjiang in Northwest China,
这个地区是中国西北部的新疆，
through which two major routes of the Silk Road passed on the northern and southern side of the Taklamakan desert.
经过这里，丝绸之路的两个主要通道通往塔克拉玛干沙漠的北边和南边。
The name
名称
The Silk Road got its name in the 19th century
丝绸之路这一名称得于19世纪，
when a German geographer identified it as the route through which the Romans got their silk from China.
当时，一位德国地理学家把它看作罗马人从中国获得丝绸的通道。
However, silk wasn't the only thing that passed along the Silk Road;
然而，经过丝绸之路的不仅仅有丝绸；
anything that had buyers was traded along the road.
买家交易的任何东西都可以经过此路。
Goods were traded from market to market passing through many hands before they reached their final destinations.
交易的货物到达终点前，从一个市场到另一个市场要转很多次手。