Abstract
Abstract. Since the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the Tang-Tibet Road has been the only way from inland China to Qinghai and Tibet, and even to other countries such as Nepal and India. It ties and bonds various ethnic groups and regions, integrates cultural memories and cross-cultural communication achievements from ancient times to the present, and witnesses the dynamic propagation of the culture. Affected by the environment, climate, and wars, Tang-Tibet Road was often impossible to travel on or through intermittently during its progressive development in history. Routes and lines of each of its sections changed from time to time; eventually, an ancient road network was formed, consisting of one trunk road, two subsidiary roads in the north and south, several branches, and scattered auxiliary routes separated from the system, among which there were both outward-oriented international passages and inward-oriented passages. Nonetheless, research on Tang-Tibet Road is insufficient at the current stage. Regarding the problems summarized based on the review of the research situation, the present work probes deeper into the network structure of Tang-Tibet Road. How historical corridor is generated and evolved is understood from a regional perspective. In particular, strategies to design a space information system for the Tibet section of Tang-Tibet Road are explained to promote the exploration and use of cultural heritages in Tibet, in an effort to preserve these heritages while developing Tibet’s society and economy.
Highlights
The world-famous Silk Road served as a hub of political, economic, and cultural exchanges between China and other countries in ancient times
Relics and archaeological discoveries of various periods prove that the route between this plateau and the outside world has long existed since prehistoric times
Routes and lines of each of its sections changed from time to time; eventually, an ancient road network was formed, consisting of one trunk road, two subsidiary roads in the north and south, several branches, and scattered auxiliary routes separated from the system, among which there were both outward-oriented international passages and inward-oriented passages connecting inland China and the Tibetan Plateau with outside world based on different demands during different periods
Summary
The world-famous Silk Road served as a hub of political, economic, and cultural exchanges between China and other countries in ancient times. Routes and lines of each of its sections changed from time to time; eventually, an ancient road network was formed, consisting of one trunk road, two subsidiary roads in the north and south, several branches, and scattered auxiliary routes separated from the system, among which there were both outward-oriented international passages and inward-oriented passages connecting inland China and the Tibetan Plateau with outside world based on different demands during different periods. The present-available historical data and contemporary files about the routes of Tang-Tibet Road are mostly written records; the few illustrations are only demonstrations to the trunk road, without any marks of the subsidiary roads and branches, nor are these illustrations corresponded to the real topography For this reason, map translation, map drawing, and accurate positioning in the Geographic Information System (GIS) are required. The research on integrating historic corridors and historical cities and towns in Tibet provides theoretical and practical significances for consolidating the sense of community of the Chinese nation, promoting exchanges and blending of various ethnic groups, and carrying out ethnic works
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