丝绸之路

两liǎng千qiān一yī百bǎi多年duō nián以前yǐ qián，汉hàn武wǔ帝dì派pài一yī个gè叫jiào张zhāng骞qiān的de人rén出chū使shǐ西xī域yù。他tā的de任务rèn wu，是shì去qù找zhǎo一yī个gè叫jiào大dà月yuè氏shì的de民族mín zú，联合lián hé起来qǐ lai对付duì fu匈xiōng奴nú。

Over twenty-one hundred years ago Emperor Wu of Han sent a man named Zhang Qian west. His mission was to find the Yuezhi people and ally with them against the Xiongnu.

张zhāng骞qiān出发chū fā的de时候shí hou带dài了liǎo一yī百bǎi多duō人rén。走zǒu到dào半路bàn lù，他们tā men被bèi匈xiōng奴nú抓住zhuā zhù，一yī关guān就是jìu shì十shí年nián。匈xiōng奴nú给gěi他tā娶qǔ了liǎo妻子qī zi，希望xī wàng他tā留下líu xià来lái，可是kě shì他tā一直yī zhí没有méi yǒu忘记wàng jì自己zì jǐ的de任务rèn wu。

He set out with over a hundred men. Halfway there the Xiongnu captured them and held them ten years. They gave him a wife, hoping he would stay, but he never forgot his mission.

十shí年nián后hòu，张zhāng骞qiān逃táo了liǎo出来chū lái，继续jì xù往wǎng西xī走zǒu，终于zhōng yú找到zhǎo dào了liǎo大dà月yuè氏shì。虽然suī rán大dà月yuè氏shì不bù愿意yuàn yì打仗dǎ zhàng，但是dàn shì张zhāng骞qiān这zhè一路yī lù，把bǎ西xī域yù的de山川shān chuān、国家guó jiā、物产wù chǎn全都quán dōu记jì在zài了liǎo心里xīn li。

After ten years he escaped and pushed west, finally finding the Yuezhi. They would not fight, but along the way he had memorized the mountains, states, and goods of the Western Regions.

又yòu过guo了liǎo几jǐ年nián，张zhāng骞qiān才cái回到huí dào长zhǎng安ān。去qù的de时候shí hou一yī百bǎi多duō人rén，回来huí lai的de只有zhǐ yǒu两liǎng个人gè rén。汉hàn武wǔ帝dì听tīng他tā讲jiǎng西边xī biān的de事情shì qing，听tīng得děi入rù了liǎo迷mí。

Years more passed before he reached Chang'an. Of the hundred who left, only two returned. Emperor Wu listened to his tales of the west, entranced.

从cóng那nà以后yǐ hòu，汉hàn朝cháo的de商人shāng rén开始kāi shǐ往wǎng西xī走zǒu，西xī域yù的de商人shāng rén开始kāi shǐ往wǎng东dōng来lái。这zhè条tiáo路lù后来hòu lái有yǒu一yī个gè响亮xiǎng liàng的de名字míng zi：丝绸sī chóu之zhī路lù。

From then on Han merchants walked west and western merchants east. The road later earned a famous name: the Silk Road.

路上lù shang最zuì重要zhòng yào的de商品shāng pǐn是shì丝绸sī chóu。罗luó马mǎ的de贵族guì zú为了wèi le穿chuān一yī件jiàn中国zhōng guó的de丝绸sī chóu，愿意yuàn yì花huā等děng重chóng的de黄金huáng jīn。除了chú le丝绸sī chóu，还有hái yǒu瓷器cí qì、茶叶chá yè、纸张zhǐ zhāng往wǎng西xī去qù；葡萄pú tao、石shí榴liú、核桃hé tao、良liáng马mǎ，从cóng西边xī biān来lái。

Its most precious cargo was silk. Roman nobles paid its weight in gold for a Chinese silk robe. Besides silk went porcelain, tea, and paper westward; grapes, pomegranates, walnuts, and fine horses came east.

但dàn丝绸sī chóu之zhī路上lù shang运输yùn shū的de不bù只是zhǐ shì商品shāng pǐn。佛教fó jiào从cóng印yìn度dù沿着yán zhe这zhè条tiáo路lù走进zǒu jìn了liǎo中国zhōng guó，中国zhōng guó的de造纸术zào zhǐ shù也yě沿着yán zhe这zhè条tiáo路lù传zhuàn到dào了liǎo西边xī biān，最后zuì hòu改变gǎi biàn了liǎo整个zhěng gè世界shì jiè的de文明wén míng。

But more than goods moved along it. Buddhism traveled it from India into China; Chinese papermaking traveled it west, eventually changing the world's civilization.

这zhè条tiáo路lù很hěn长zhǎng，从cóng长zhǎng安ān一直yī zhí到dào地dì中zhōng海hǎi，中间zhōng jiān要yào翻fān过guo雪山xuě shān，走过zǒu guò沙漠shā mò。敦dūn煌huáng、喀kā什shén、撒sā马mǎ尔ěr罕hǎn、巴bā格gé达dá，一yī个gè个gè城市chéng shì在zài路lù的de两边liǎng biān兴起xīng qǐ，成chéng了liǎo东西dōng xi方fāng文明wén míng的de十字路口shí zì lù kǒu。

The road ran from Chang'an to the Mediterranean, over snow mountains and deserts. Dunhuang, Kashgar, Samarkand, Baghdad, cities rose along it, crossroads of civilizations.

商人shāng rén们men牵qiān着zhuó骆驼luò tuo，一yī走zǒu就是jìu shì几jǐ个gè月yuè。沙漠shā mò里lǐ有yǒu风暴fēng bào，有yǒu强盗qiáng dào，也yě有yǒu在zài绿lǜ洲zhōu里lǐ等děng着zhuó他们tā men的de集jí市shì。走zǒu在zài这zhè条tiáo路上lù shang的de人rén，把bǎ勇气yǒng qì写xiě进jìn了liǎo历史lì shǐ。

Merchants led camels for months at a stretch. In the desert were storms, bandits, and the markets waiting in the oases. Those who walked it wrote courage into history.

几jǐ百bǎi年nián后hòu，海hǎi上shàng航háng线xiàn兴起xīng qǐ，丝绸sī chóu之zhī路lù慢慢màn màn冷清lěng qīng了liǎo。沙漠shā mò把bǎ很hěn多duō古gǔ城chéng埋mái在zài了liǎo沙子shā zi下面xià miàn，只zhī留下líu xià莫mò高gāo窟kū的de壁画bì huà，还huán记jì着zhuó当年dāng nián的de热闹rè nao。

Centuries later sea routes rose and the road went quiet. Sand buried many of its old cities; only the murals of Mogao remember the bustle.

两liǎng千qiān多年duō nián后hòu的de今天jīn tiān，这zhè条tiáo路lù又yòu以yǐ新xīn的de方式fāng shì活huó了liǎo过来guò lái。火车huǒ chē从中cóng zhōng国guó的de城市chéng shì一直yī zhí开kāi到dào欧洲ōu zhōu，人们rén men叫jiào它tā新xīn丝绸sī chóu之zhī路lù。

Two thousand years later the road has come alive again in a new form: trains run from Chinese cities all the way to Europe, and people call it the new Silk Road.

丝绸sī chóu在zài罗luó马mǎ贵guì到dào什么shén me程度chéng dù？据说jù shuō罗luó马mǎ元老yuán lǎo院yuàn曾经céng jīng下令xià lìng禁止jìn zhǐ男人nán rén穿chuān丝绸sī chóu，因为yīn wèi买mǎi丝绸sī chóu花huā掉diào的de黄金huáng jīn太tài多duō，国guó库kù都dōu快kuài掏tāo空kòng了liǎo。

How costly was silk in Rome? The Senate reportedly once forbade men to wear it, for the gold spent on silk was emptying the treasury.

玄xuán奘zàng取经qǔ jīng走zǒu的de也yě是shì这zhè条tiáo路lù。唐táng朝cháo贞zhēn观guàn年nián间jiān，他tā一yī个人gè rén从cóng长zhǎng安ān出发chū fā，走zǒu了liǎo十shí九jǐu年nián，带dài回huí六lìu百bǎi多duō部bù佛经fó jīng。后来hòu lái他tā的de故事gù shi被bèi写xiě成chéng了liǎo《西xī游yóu记jì》，可是kě shì真实zhēn shí的de玄xuán奘zàng，比bǐ小说xiǎo shuō里lǐ更gèng了不起liǎo bu qǐ。

Xuanzang's journey for scriptures took the same road. In the Zhenguan era he left Chang'an alone, walked nineteen years, and brought back over six hundred sutras. His story became Journey to the West, but the real Xuanzang was greater than the novel.

敦dūn煌huáng的de鸣míng沙shā山shān下xià有yǒu一眼yī yǎn月yuè牙yá泉quán，两liǎng千qiān年nián了liǎo，泉quán水shuǐ从来cóng lái没有méi yǒu干gàn过guo。商shāng队duì的de骆驼luò tuo在zài这里zhè lǐ喝hē水shuǐ，今天jīn tiān的de游客yóu kè还huán在zài这里zhè lǐ拍照pāi zhào。沙漠shā mò会huì流动líu dòng，可是kě shì有些yǒu xiē地方dì fāng，时间shí jiān好像hǎo xiàng停tíng住zhù了liǎo。

Beneath Dunhuang's Singing Sand Dunes lies Crescent Spring, unfailing for two thousand years. Caravan camels drank here; today's tourists photograph it. Deserts shift, yet in some places time seems stopped.

今天jīn tiān，一yī列liè列liè货运huò yùn火车huǒ chē沿着yán zhe差不多chà bu duō同样tóng yàng的de路线lù xiàn，把bǎ中国zhōng guó的de东西dōng xi运yùn到dào欧洲ōu zhōu。人们rén men给gěi它们tā men起qǐ了liǎo个gè名字míng zi，叫jiào中zhōng欧ōu班bān列liè。两liǎng千qiān年前nián qián骆驼luò tuo走zǒu的de路lù，现在xiàn zài火车huǒ chē还huán在zài走zǒu。

Today freight trains follow much the same route, carrying Chinese goods to Europe. They are called the China-Europe Railway Express: the road the camels walked two thousand years ago is still being traveled.

张zhāng骞qiān当年dāng nián走过zǒu guò的de路lù，今天jīn tiān还huán在zài。只不过zhǐ bu guò，当年dāng nián的de骆驼luò tuo，换成huàn chéng了liǎo火车huǒ chē和hé飞机fēi jī。

The road Zhang Qian walked is still there. Only the camels have become trains and planes.