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During theHan 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'sLiaoning Provinceto the Bailunhe River bayou in the South China'sGuangxiZhuang 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 marineSilk Road, referring to the Xuwen (South China'sGuangdong Province) and Hefu (East China'sZhejiang Province) routes.

Emperor Wudi twice sentZhang Qian(? - 114 B.C), a great Silk Road traveler, to areas west of Yumenguan (including present-day West China's -XinjiangUygur Autonomous Region and parts of Central Asia), opening up a trade channel - the Silk Road -- between China and Western countries.

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) was 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.