Have you ever walked along the Silk Road? Do you know the famous Silk Road? The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes（贸易路线）connecting the East and the West.
People used to do business with others from different countries along these routes. Scientists and archaeologists（考古学家）believe people began to travel along the Silk Road centuries ago. By the time the Chinese silk trade became important in the world, the Silk Road had covered almost 6,500 kilometers. It started from China and finally got to Rome.
Merchants（商人）traveling along the Silk Road carried silk, of course. They also carried and traded in tea, cloth, gold, jewels and other things. During its busiest time, the Silk Road attracted（吸引）people from many different countries, such as China, Iraq, Turkey and Greece. All those people traveled along the Silk Road to share goods, stories, ideas, languages and cultures.
In modern times, the old Silk Road is still useful, but now people use trains instead of camels and horses to travel. They have realized the Silk Road is becoming more and more important among countries. So they, especially Chinese people, are trying to make better use of it. There is even a Silk Route Museum in Jiuquan, Gansu Province. It has over 35,000 objects about the Silk Road. In this way, China protects the history of many countries.
