Xiaohan Ancient Path of the Silk Road

The Silk Road is a land route opened in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) to link China with Central Asia, West Asia, and the Mediterranean area. Initially serving to transport silk, the Silk Road became a busy trade route in the Ming Dynasty.

The Xiaohan Ancient Path is the Henan section of the Silk Road. The "Xiao" refers to the Xiaoshan Mountain and the "Han," the Hangu Pass. Through the deep valley between them there is a narrow passage that stretches from Xin'an and Yiyang counties of Henan Province in the east to the Tongguan Pass of Shaanxi Province in the west, with the main part running through Sanmenxia of Henan for about 200 kilometers.

The Xiaohan Ancient Path was a vital passage on the Silk Road. Given the unique geography, this natural strategic traffic route connected the Central Plains in the east with the Guanzhong region in the west. With the Heluo Plain in the east, the Guanzhong Plain in the west, and the Jinnan Plain in the north, the area nearby was at the very center of the origin of the Chinese civilization.

The Xiaohan Path was once the only route for the Central Plains people to travel to the Western Regions, which thus significantly boosted the economic, trade and cultural ties between Asia and Europe. In June 2014, the Silk Road, including the Xiaohan Ancient Path, was included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

絲綢之路河南段崤函古道

絲綢之路是西漢時期開辟的中國通往中亞、西亞、地中海各國的陸上通道。它最初的作用是運輸絲綢，在明朝時期成為綜合貿易之路。

絲綢之路河南段崤函古道是陜西潼關至河南省新安縣、宜陽縣之間的一段古代絲綢之路遺址，其主體部分位于河南省三門峽市。據古書記載，崤函古道有東西兩段，在今三門峽境內，就長達400華里（200千米）。

崤函古道中的“崤”和“函”分別指古崤山和函谷關。崤函古道是絲綢之路上的鎖鑰要塞。一方面，其獨特的地理地貌形成了一條天然的交通通道，成為古代中原地區通往關中地區的要道，戰略意義重大。另一方面，其東端是河洛平原，西端是關中平原，北面是晉南平原。這個地區是中華文明發源的核心地區。

在世界史上，絲綢之路崤函古道是中原通往西域的唯一通道，推動了中原與西域、亞歐的經貿往來與人文交流。2014年6月，聯合國教科文組織正式將包括崤函古道在內的絲綢之路列入“世界遺產名錄”。