Conversations on the Global South – Implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on the Philippines

• Main Author: Roxas-Lim, Aurora
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/socialtransformations/vol7/iss2/2; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/socialtransformations/article/1111/viewcontent/ST_207.2_202_20Conversations_20on_20the_20Global_20South_20__20Roxas_Lim.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Excerpt: The ancient Silk Road had numerous way stations on land and sea that were trading hubs, such as Dunhuang in Gansu and Melaka on the Malay Peninsula, where merchants and travelers could stop over, proceed further, or return home. No single government dictated the flow of goods and services. Neither was there one powerful institution that monopolized the world’s commercial transactions. There were many different players and most of them were non-governmental entities. The ancient Silk Road ushered in advances in technology together with the larger scale production of silk and other textiles, ceramics, paper, metallurgy, animal husbandry (as food and as beasts of burden), weaponry, standards of weights and measures, currency, medicine, writing systems, and literature. A wide variety of people engaged in the Silk Road trade. Of course, merchants and diplomatic contingents were most prominent, being organized and well-equipped. But there were those who travelled on their own—armed men who hired themselves out as mercenary soldiers, craftsmen, transporters, priests and monks on pilgrimages to holy shrines, interpreters, amanuenses, story tellers, musicians, dancers, acrobats, healers, and thieves.