Hi, I’m Johnny! I’ll be your guide for the day!

1. Hi, I’m Johnny! I’ll be your guide for the day!

2. I know you have all gone through an exercise on the Silk Road. Allow me just to summarize your journey….

3. The Silk Road • is the longest ancient caravan route that linked China in the East with Europe in the West • Over 8,000 km in all • How did it come about? It was largely thanks to Zhang Qian whose adventures you have already read and share among yourselves!

4. Unfortunately, the Silk Route was sometimes unsafe for travel You have also found that out through Nanivandak! Remember him? The merchant from Samarkand? There are other dangers ……

5. You know me? Do I look familiar? I’m Skully! My XXX-files will tell you there are more dangers than that which meets the eye Beware of the dangers of the Silk Road…

6. Because of these dangers, people started searching for an alternative route Thus came the founding of the sea route The ancient sea routes refers to a network of sea routes that linked the East with the West 15,000 km in all Have a look at the map on pg 84

8. Southeast Asia was a good stopover for ships Your teacher will explain more Over to you, sir ……..

9. Hmm… I also don’t know why? Good morning #@$%#$%# ….. I was not quite prepared for this “arrowcation of task”! Ermmmmm …… can anyone enlighten us on why Southeast Asia was a good stopover for ships?

10. Wah… Ah Huay’s making me look really bad! Right, Ah Huay! SEA lies on the crossroads between India and China Makes it a good stopover for ships It is also the meeting place of the monsoons Can anyone tell me what’s so great about the monsoons?

11. Lucky there’s Ah Lian to redeem me! Er…no…Ah Lian…Monsoons are not the female counterparts of Monsters!! Right, Ah Ter! Ships sail with the help of the monsoons Ships from India stopped over in SE Asia with the help of the southwest monsoons and then sailed on to China The northeast monsoons guided ships from China to SE Asia and on to India

12. Let’s have a look at contacts established between India and the rest of the world!

13. Psssst! Skully! India is really nice But I really need the loo now! And I don’t know which Indian sign says “LOO”!

14. While he’s at his business, let’s return to ours You wanna know more from the XXX-files? Let’s look at the Indian traders from the Indus Valley They traded with the Geeks …. Sorry, I mean Greeks …. during the …… eh … the ... Hey Mader! What’s that period called?

15. #@#%^$% cannot find any loo….. AND who’s calling me MOTHER again? For the last time, it’s Mulda!!! MUL-DA!! And it’s the Mauryan period ….. You Greek! ….I mean GEEK!!!

16. Ah so! And in time to come, they also acted as middlemen between the Roman Empire and China They traded in silk, spices and precious metals along the Silk Route And do you remember Asoka? You looking for me?

17. I do, I do! I remember Asoka. Some of the travel also occurred during Asoka’s time. To spread Buddhism, he sent missionaries around India, namely Tibet, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and even to Greece where the Geeks… I mean… Greeks are! The result was that Buddhism thrived outside India

18. By the 1st century A.D., traders and pilgrims from India used the sea route to come to SE Asia They contributed to the rise of Indianised kingdoms such as Funan and Srivijaya Some Indian traders also continued on their sea voyage to China

19. Hey Mader! Let’s go over to China now! Many Chinese pilgrims travelled to India to learn about Buddhism 399 A.D. Faxian, a Buddhist monk from China, wrote that on his way to India, he went through some dangerous terrain Faxian studied at many Buddhist monasteries in India He returned to China after 15 years Imagine…15 long years! I’d be a grandmother in 15 years’ time!

20. You’ll be dead in 15 years’ time. Mother! Mother! One day I’ll strangle that woman! She’ll be dead in 15 minutes then! Oh well… another pilgrim who visited India was Xuanzang in 630A.D. Wanna see the route they took?

21. Xuanzang lived through many adventures in his travels, including a murder attempt He visited many Buddhist holy places and collected many Buddhist scriptures It was said that he needed 20 horses to carry them back On his return in 645 A.D., he was greeted by Emperor Taizong Xuanzang spent the rest of his life translating the scriptures and writing an account of his travels HEY, Skully (snigger… what a name!) over to you!

22. What did you say? You don’t like my name, MADER?? Men! Ignore that Mader! Now, support from emperors who commissioned the voyages also helped explorers The third Ming emperor, Yongle (A.D. 1403-1425) wanted places outside China to know of her military might He commissioned Admiral Zheng He to carry out a huge programme of sea exploration Listen to the Admiral yourself!

23. I am Admiral Zheng He. Between 1405 and 1433, I made 7 sea voyages to places like Thailand, Malaya, Java and India. I travelled as far as the east coast of Africa. Thank Shang-ti that I didn’t fall off the edge of the earth! My visit was one of the factors which led to the rise of the Melaka Sultanate. Good old Para Wara (my pet name for Parameswara!) owes me one for that! That name sounds familiar, kid? Where do you think Aaron Kok got his inspiration from? Did I get his name right? He was inspired by our victory dance, of course – the one Para Wara did with me!

24. I had as many as 50 ships and 30,000 men in my fleet – Big, right? Mine was the largest fleet in the world at that time My ships had masts and were constructed with water-tight compartments There were rudders for steering too

25. Finally, let’s look at contacts established with Southeast Asia!

26. In the 15th century, the Europeans found it more difficult to travel freely along the Silk Road They had to buy eastern goods from the Muslim middlemen They felt that this wasn’t a very ideal situation and decided to find a new route to the East Vasco De Gama, a Portugese, discovered a sea route around Africa and the Indian Ocean to India in 1498

27. Er…no…Ah Lian… he didn’t fall off the edge of the earth! This new sea route was linked up with the ancient sea route to the Far East With this discovery, the Europeans stopped using the Silk Road As a result, the Silk Road lost its importance for trade Let’s have a look at the route – you can find the map on page 88

29. Today, the sea routes still serve as highways for transportation of goods between East and West But now, the goods are carried in giant tankers and container ships

30. It is now faster to travel from China to Europe In the past, this would have taken many months

31. What were some of the results of trade? Firstly, there was an increase in products available Then there was the exchange of ideas Finally, there was the spread of religion and culture

32. Increase in Products Through trade, many products were made available to people in the East and West Exchange of goods from different regions was also made possible China : Silk and porcelain West : Precious stones and ivory SE Asia : Spices and sandalwood India : Cotton, glassware and precious stones

33. Exchange of Ideas From India : language, the arts, religion, medicine and mathematics From China : 4 important inventions – paper, printing, compass, gunpowder From the Middle East : Culture

34. Spread of Religion and Culture Buddhism and Hindusim made their way from India to SE Asia and China Islam spread to SE Asia from the Middle East Well, that just about wraps up the whole chapter Let me just irritate someone one more time. Hey Mader, are you ready to go?