Gansu remains in vanguard of global trade

Green horse stuffed toys on sale at the museum in Lanzhou, Gansu. [Zhang Yi/China Daily]

Geography, climate

Throughout China's history, Gansu has been one of the key areas for horse breeding and trading as a result of its geography and climate. As such, the Shandan Army Horse-breeding Farm, the oldest royal horse farm in the world, is based in the province. It was founded sometime around 121 BC on the grassland of the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains in Gansu's Zhangye city to breed horses for the army by mixing the genes of local and Western species.

In around 139 BC, Emperor Wudi sent a convoy headed by a man named Zhang Qian on a westward journey that eventually took them to Central Asia. One of Zhang's tasks was to look for suitable horses.

"A lot of cultural relics relating to horses have been discovered in Gansu. Horses hold great significance in the province and were considered regional deities during the Silk Road period," Jia said. Like the galloping horse, many cultural relics found in Gansu reflect the absorption and innovative development of Central and West Asian cultures, illustrating a spirit of openness and inclusiveness. Even before the ancient Silk Road, Gansu played an important role in cultural exchanges between East and West, and extensive trade was conducted using camels and horses, he added.

Situated on the legendary trade route, Gansu served as a crossroads for China and Central Asia. Good horses, monks and caravans traveling between various countries greatly accelerated cultural exchanges, making Gansu one of China's most culturally rich provinces.

Zhao Shengliang, head of Gansu's Dunhuang Academy, said that during the Silk Road period, Chinese and Western cultures met in Gansu for about 1,000 years.

"People from various nations lived in Dunhuang, and from the content of murals in the ancient Mogao Caves, we can see that people from different countries communicated with each other," he said.

To this day, people still talk about the Silk Road as well as the Tea Horse Road, another popular horseback trade route. As time passed, the sound of hoofs on the Silk Road gradually faded away, but now their spirit is being replicated by the Belt and Road Initiative.