The Origins of the Silk Road: Zhang Qian's Exploration and the Spread of Greco-Bactrian. #silkroad

The Chinese were unsure about what was to the west of them in the second century B.C.
Zhang Qian, the Han government's ambassador, was tasked with finding Central Asian kingdoms and creating new export customers for China.
When Qian arrived in Bactria , he saw the ruins of an intriguing culture that had been driven by nomads south into India.
Greek immigrants known as the Greco Bactrians arrived in the region after Alexander the Great's conquests.
They introduced European horses, grapevine cultivation, and historically skilled artists to the region all of which Qian reported to the Han government.
While on his travels, Qian developed commercial agreements with numerous people.
And Chinese traders were routinely using Qian's routes which connected the continents to exchange commodities within ten years of Qian's passing.
These paths came together to form the Silk Road, one of the most extensive commercial networks in history.