The “New” Silk Road

HIS246: The Silk Road in History and the 21st Century

The historical Silk Road extended over 4,000 miles across land and sea, connecting China, India, Central Asia, Persia, and Rome. The ongoing “One Belt, One Road” initiative, unveiled in 2013, is part of Beijing’s ambitious plan to girdle the globe. In this class we juxtapose the past and present routes of the Silk Road, and muse over the familiar travelogues of “made-in-China” goods. Then we take one step further, using ArcGIS to translate our book knowledge into creative digital maps.