Silk Road, a trade route from west China to the continents of Europe and Africa since China's Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220) that got its name from the export of China's silk. But have you ever heard of a silk road on the sea, which can be dated back even further than the overland one?

During the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), Emperor Wudi exerted himself to the utmost in developing marine transportation and friendly relations with foreign countries. With the relentless efforts from the Imperial Court, three important sea routes were opened: The first one was a coastal route, from today's Dandong of Northeast China's Liaoning Province to the Bailunhe River bayou in the South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; the second was from coastal Shangdong in East China to South Korea and Japan via the Yellow Sea; and the third one was the marine Silk Road, referring to the Xuwen (South China's Guangdong Province) and Hefu (East China's Zhejiang Province) routes.

Chinese silk has been world-famous since ancient times. Ancient Greeks called the silk “ser”, which was similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character for silk. Seres (silk maker) were therefore referred to as China -- the birthplace of silk.

Following the opening-up of the Silk Road, Chinese silk was sold to the Roman Empire through the Anxi (possessing today's Iran Plateau and the Tigris & Euphrates River valleys). The Romans, therefore, sought to find a marine route to China.

The Han sailboats succeeded in opening up a route to the Indian Ocean through the South Sea, marking the first oceanic route as well as the earliest marine trading route in the world.

Han Shu Record (also known as TheHistory of the Han Dynasty) kept the first complete vivid record on China's boats sailing into the Indian Ocean from the South Sea via the Malacca Strait in Southeast Asian waters. Han ships would leave from Xuwen in South China's Guangdong Province, or Hepu in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and via the South Sea, would arrive in India and Sri Lanka-- a transfer station, where pearls, colored glazes, and other exotic things could be bought. Chinese silk was transported to Rome hereafter. Such was the marine Silk Road.

In 166 of the Han Dynasty, the Roman Emperor sent envoys to China, presenting various such gifts as ivory and hawksbill turtles to the Imperial royal Court, which marked the earliest friendly relations between China and European countries. A direct route from the East to the West was therefore opened up..

In 1402, after Emperor Cheng Zu of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) ascended the throne, he dispatched Zheng He and Wang Jinghong to lead a giant fleet to the Western Sea (today's Southeast Asia), carrying members of soldiers and large quantity of goods. The fleet reached the countries of Southeast Asia, east Africa and Arabia, initiating a feat in the history of navigation and regarded as an unprecedented great historical period in Chinese history of trade and cultural exchanges.

From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He led his fleet to voyage to the Western Sea for seven times. The number of ships of his fleet was from 40 to 63 each time, taking many soldiers and sailors on the voyage, with a total party over 27,000 people. Their ships navigated the wide sea area from Ryukyu Islands, the Philippine Islands and Maluku Sea to the Mozambican Channel and the costal areas of South Africa, developing mutual trade, exchanging culture and technologies, communicating traffic on the sea and promoting social and economic development in such countries and areas. The mighty fleet voyaged on the Indian Ocean, not only astonishing the Arabian navigators, but also amazing the Venice businessmen coming and going between Hormuz and Aden, hence providing a new enlightenment to the European navigation. Zheng He's voyages are 87 years earlier than that of Columbus, 93 years earlier than that of Gama, and 116 years earlier than that of Magellan.

Chinese treasure ships carried a great deal of special Chinese products to foreign countries. As to craftwork, there were brocade, gauze, and skein; as to china, there were newly developed celadon, Xiulihong, as well as the enamelware with Chinese characteristics. By the way, during the Tang Dynasty Chinese people had grasped the technology of sintering glass, but only after Zheng He's voyage, Chinese had grasped the technology of adding borax in glass to resist heat. The Arabian glass artisan came to China with Zheng He's fleet and imparted the new technology to sinter new kinds of glass vessel resistant to sudden changes of temperature. Since then, this kind of glass was produced in large quantities in China and became a common utensil.

Through the marine Silk Road, Chinese also brought back building materials, fuels and exotic articles. It was at this time that the so-called kylin and Fulu (African giraffe and zebra) became decorative animals for the Chinese imperial garden.

After Zheng He's travel, his subordinates wrote the books as Travel Notes of Foreign Countries, Chorography of Western Countries, etc., introducing the geographic and natural conditions, local customs, as well as production and living of those foreign countries and regions, widening Chinese people's vision and enlarging their knowledge on foreign countries.

The marine Silk Road, like the better-known overland Silk Road stretching from Central Asia to Europe, became a bridge that linked Eastern and Western civilizations in the past. But, so far, the evidence that has been found to prove its existence has been rare, experts say.