The Ancient Silk Road And The Rise Of Chinese Spirit Of Capitalism

THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD AND THE RISE OF CHINESE SPIRIT OF CAPITALISM
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September 2, 2017
Ancient Silk Road and the rise of the Chinese Protestant Ethic
When people speak of Chinese these days, one of the first words that would come to one’s mind is “business-orientedness”. This is due to the fact that in almost any part of the world, Chinese people have established their own markets and provided tireless manpower, in order to produce and cater to almost every commodity that the world needs. Although this trait of the Chinese has existed centuries before, with some of their mercantilist principles bounded to their oldest teachings, when viewed through a Western perspective, one could argue that this China is where The Protestant Work Ethic exist today. In fact, some thinkers have even discussed that these days – when the value of Protestant Work Ethic is in decline around the world – one could find it “Alive and Well… In China”. However, one of the most common misconceptions among people was that the rise of The Spirit of Capitalism in mainland China only started after the fall of communism and the rule of Mao Zedong, scholars knew that the evolution of “Chinese’s mercantilist” pursuits has existed and developed centuries ahead. More particularly scholars believe while having its beginnings rooted with the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese Protestant Work Ethic has been shaped by the with the existence of the Ancient Silk Road which provided avenues of practice for Chinese.[Weber, Max. The Protestant ethic and the" spirit" of capitalism and other writings. Penguin, 2002.]
Following from what has stated above, the author would like to focus on the effects of the Ancient Silk Road in cementing together Chinese mercantilist culture as we know of today. He believes that because of this once popular trade route – which extended across continents – as well as the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism China, Ancestors of Modern day Chinese were able to establish a culture defined by intense work ethic, that was then passed down through generations until today. This culture, in turn, relieved the spirit of Capitalism and allowed China to become one of the major superpowers in terms of economy and growth today. In the latter section of this article, the author would expound on the importance of the Ancient Silk Road as well as the practices of Taoism and Confucianism in the development of the Chinese culture and philosophy. In the succeeding sections, particular importance would also be given to how an “eastern culture” like that of China, could be placed into comparison with a western concept of the Protestant Work Ethic.
Trade Routes as Lifeline of Civilizations
Throughout the history of mankind, plenty of infrastructures have been noted as ‘milestones’, which denoted mankind’s progress and its natural affinity towards growth. Some of these infrastructures that the world knows are the Cave dwellings in Spain, the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Great Wall in China, The Big Ben in London, and even the towering Burj Khalifa in Dubai. While all of this represents the achievements of humanity across different time periods, most of them would not exist without the growth of civilizations. Nevertheless, even great civilizations would not grow without access to ‘tangible’ vital resources (waterways and intensive agricultural lands), such as the Mesopotamia, which is deemed as the ‘Cradle of Civilization’. These natural resources were indeed required in order to support a growing capacity for bigger and bigger populations which is an inevitable characteristic for any civilization that existed. Aside from tangible (and definable resources), however, other external factors are required in order for a civilization to flourish. An example of this external factor would be trade routes which are even considered as a “life lines” for almost every society since it provides not only the people’s needs but also their wants. Throughout history, some of the major trading routes that have defined human history include, The Indian Ocean routes, Spice Route, Incense Route, Amber Road, Tea route, and Salt Route, amongst others. Nonetheless, among all of these routes used by mankind, the Silk Road is the most well-known, for the quantity of trades being done every day, its unique history, as well as its span of thousands of kilometers, connecting every town, city, and empire from the East to the West.[Trivellato, Francesca, Leor Halevi, and Cátia Antunes, eds. Religion and trade: cross-cultural exchanges in world history, 1000-1900. Oxford University Press, 2014.] [Liu, Xinru. The Silk Road in world history. Oxford University Press, 2010.]
History of the Silk Road
Because the Silk Road is an interconnection of different trade routes – that has existed even before its recognition – it has no physical and tangible boundaries and thus, knowing the actual beginning of the famed route is still debated until today. Nevertheless, the most commonly accepted year is during the 130 BCE, when the Han Dynasty proclaimed the use of the route officially, up until 1453 BCE when conflicts with the Ottoman Empire that led to its closure. However, the origins of the Silk Road did not even begin with the recognition of a single network of interconnected trade routes, rather the vagueness of its histories could be attributed to its roots from different major trade routes which used to travel (e.g. Persian Royal Road). During those days, this interconnected network was not even called as such, even by travelers and merchants. It was only during the Middle Ages when the term was first coined, as the Venetian Marco Polo decided to name the route to ‘Silk Roads’, whereas its fame would not even come until the late 1800s, when the “German Historian Ferdinand Richthofen coined the term the Great Silk Road in his fundamental work, “China”, in 1877.[Xinru, 1.] [Hansen, Valerie. The silk road: a new history. Oxford University Press, 2012.]
Aside from its scope, the diversity of the commodities being traded in the Silk Route is also another reason for its fame. During those times when it was used, the route has been the channel for each and every product which has existed during those times, ranging from spices, fragrances, jewelry, weapons, and almost everything that could be traded such as pictures, fine art, leopard dogs, and even slaves. Other notable inventions which would shape the course of history years after their discoveries, such as gunpowder and paper, would also be introduced to the world due to the famed route. Nonetheless, it was Silk products which were regarded as the most traded commodities during those times due to their lightweight and high price in the West, wh...