The Silk Road
In order to make trade possible, the Emperor Wudi began to develop what has been called in modern times, the Silk Road. Following this route, merchant traders brought silk from China westward, and glass, linen and gold from the West back into China.
The Silk Road consisted of trails, roads, bridges, and pathways that stretched across nearly 5000 miles (8046km) of land and water. The Silk Road is not one long road, but rather many smaller roads and pathways that were connected, and worn by the use of thousands of travelers over a period of hundreds of years.
The Silk Road would become instrumental in the development and expansion of trade and the accumulation of wealth in both China and Rome as well as in Egypt and other nations.