Silk Road Research Articles

Flatbreads in Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uighur Groups and its Role in Sustainable Food System

Abstract Background Flatbreads are various types of comparably thin bread and are widespread in a large region. People embed flatbreads with special cultural meanings and adapted local ingredients for baking flatbreads. More attention has been focused on flatbreads in recent years. However, how the cross-border Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uighur groups use flatbreads is understudied. Methods To understand how the cross-border Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uighur groups use flatbreads, the current paper reviews existing English, Mandarin, and some Russian literature to summarize how the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uighur groups use flatbreads. Results The results show that these three ethnic groups prepare and use flatbreads in multiple aspects. The Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uighur people use 23, 9, and 17 types of flatbreads respectively. The flatbreads used by the Kazakh and Kyrgyz people have more overlapping than those of the Uighur people while the relevant studies of Kyrgyz people are more understudied. This resemblance may be because of the closer nomadic lifestyle and the similar influences of Russia and the USSR. The ingredients of flatbreads are aligned with the local ecosystems and have been evolving consistently in the past centuries because of the changes in technology, politics, lifestyles, health perceptions, acculturation, and globalization. Conclusions Because of the eco-friendly features of flatbreads and the widespread use of these foods, flatbreads have a high potential to support a regional strategy for sustainable food system transformation and planetary health along the Silk Road countries. To achieve this goal, more studies should be conducted to contribute missing information about ingredients, cooking methods, features, and regional differences in using flatbreads; more nutritious and bio-diverse recipes of flatbreads and the most eco-friendly cooking energy resources for baking flatbread should be identified; new meanings should be given to flatbreads to promote the use. Key messages • The first study to summarize how Kazakh, Uighur, and Kyrgyz peoples use flatbread. • Justify a potential to use flatbread for sustainable food system transformation.

Application of Traditional Chinese Culture in Cross-Cultural English Education: A Case Study of the Maritime Silk Road in Guangdong Province

The phenomenon of aphasia in Chinese culture is serious. The existing English teaching materials emphasize too much Western culture education and lack traditional Chinese cultural elements. Therefore, this paper takes the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road as an example to study the specific application of traditional Chinese culture in cross-cultural English education. This paper first summarizes the significance of cross-cultural integration into college English education and then points out the serious phenomenon of Chinese cultural aphasia. Next, the paper focuses on English education, using English textbooks as a starting point to explore and integrate strategies related to excellent traditional Chinese culture from the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road. By integrating traditional Chinese culture into business English classes (with the Guangdong Maritime Silk Road as an example), the study explores the influence of such cultural integration on students’ cross-cultural communication skills, cultural identity, and learning effects. The results showed that the P value of the experimental group and the control group was < 0.05, that is, cultural integration had a positive effect on improving the effect of cross-cultural English education. The overall scores and cultural confidence of the experimental group are higher than those of the control group, which proves that cross-cultural teaching has a positive effect on the improvement of students’ scores.

Large-scale medieval urbanism traced by UAV-lidar in highland Central Asia.

Aerial light detection and ranging (lidar) has emerged as a powerful technology for mapping urban archaeological landscapes, especially where dense vegetation obscures site visibility1,2. More recently, uncrewed aerial vehicle/drone lidar scanning has markedly improved the resolution of three-dimensional point clouds, allowing for the detection of slight traces of structural features at centimetres of detail across large archaeological sites, a method particularly useful in areas such as mountains, where rapid deposition and erosion irregularly bury and expose archaeological remains3. Here we present the results of uncrewed aerial vehicle-lidar surveys in Central Asia, conducted at two recently discovered archaeological sites in southeastern Uzbekistan: Tashbulak and Tugunbulak. Situated at around 2,000-2,200 m above sea level, these sites illustrate a newly documented geography of large, high-altitude urban centres positioned along the mountainous crossroads of Asia's medieval Silk Routes (6th-11th centuryCE (Common Era)4,5. Although hidden by centuries of surface processes, our pairing of very-high-resolution surface modelling with semiautomated feature detection produces a detailed plan of monumental fortifications and architecture spanning 120 ha at Tugunbulak, thereby demonstrating one of the largest highland urban constellations in premodern Central Asia. Documentation of extensive urban infrastructure and technological production among medieval communities in Central Asia's mountains-a crucial nexus for Silk Road trade networks6-provides a new perspective on the participation of highland populations in the economic, political and social formation of medieval Eurasia.

Integrating carbon reduction and ecological resilience strategies in the silk road economic corridor

The Silk Road Economic Belt has become a pivotal region for China's sustainable development, focusing on the balance between carbon emissions and ecological resilience. Understanding the coordination between these factors is crucial for advancing China's westward economic shift and optimizing urban and demographic structures. This study investigates the coupling and coordination dynamics between carbon emissions and ecological resilience across 15 key cities in the Silk Road Economic Belt, using data from 2008 to 2018. By applying a "pressure-state-response" framework, the ecological resilience of the region is quantitatively assessed. Spatial disparities and the dynamic evolution of coupling coordination are analyzed through the Gini coefficient and kernel density estimation. The findings reveal significant regional variations in ecological resilience and a decline in coupling coordination over time. Shifts in the patterns of coordination indicate opportunities for enhancing resource utilization and environmental management. This research provides theoretical insights for policymakers to improve green development strategies, optimize industrial structures, and plan urban green spaces more effectively within the Silk Road Economic Belt.

ТРАНСПОРТНЫЕ КОРИДОРЫ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ В СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОМ ИЗМЕРЕНИИ

The article examines the socio-ecological aspects of creating transport corridors in Central Asia in the modern context. The region's unique geographical position has long attracted attention, becoming a key link between East and West, particularly along the historical Silk Road. In this regard, the environmental optimization of transport corridors is crucial for sustainable regional development. However, the increase in freight traffic amplifies human impact on the environment, leading to air, water, and soil pollution, as well as changes in the soil's chemical composition and microflora. The article offers recommendations to minimize the negative effects of multimodal transport corridors on the region’s ecosystem, a necessary step toward balancing economic growth with environmental preservation.

Explore to Mantai, the Ancient Port-city and the International Trade-hub of Maritime Silk Road in Northern Coast of Sri Lanka

Abstract. Mantai Ancient Port City is located in Mannar, Northern Coast of Sri Lanka, archeological reserves declared by the Department of Archeology in Sri Lanka. In concern with historical international trades for almost 2000 years, Mantai had been an excellent port city as discovered by 1980s investigations. Today, this historically valued archeology reserves are being covered by various unauthorized constructions. The artifacts found in 1980s excavations figured out in further research directives to unveil the ancient cultural and social relations that had been experienced over two millennium around the globe. This research paper elaborates change detection of temporal aspects of unauthorized constructions within the respective geographical domain. Change detection researches are based on the historical maps, aerial photographs, satellite images and recent spatial data sources played over the application software. The investigation mission deployed in 1980 had unveiled evidences of civilization history and artifacts from many countries. However the archeological research and investigations were disrupted in 1983 with escalation of civil war in Northern Province. The Research elaborates visual facts and figures of the constructions erected after 1980 against their chronological measures. The research team further discusses about the tremendous variety of fields that Mantai opens to collaborate with the international research organizations.

Extraction of deterioration and analysis of vegetation impact effects on the south palace wall of Weiyang Palace

Weiyang Palace, the royal palace of the Western Han Dynasty, is a part of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor on the World Heritage list. The south palace wall of Weiyang Palace is a well-preserved earthen heritage site within the palace, but it is undergoing continuous deterioration due to the influence of vegetation and external environmental factors. This study pioneers the integration of high-resolution three-dimensional LiDAR scanning with multi-source data analysis, including unprecedented on-site botanical surveys, to explore the subtle effects of different vegetation types on the structural integrity of the south palace wall. Through contour line analysis and facade grid analysis, we extracted the deterioration locations of typical sections of the earthen heritage sites. And we classified the overlying vegetation types on the wall using an object-oriented classification algorithm. Our findings reveal a complex interaction between vegetation and earthen structures: paper mulberry exhibits protective qualities against erosion, while Ziziphus jujuba significantly exacerbates structural vulnerabilities. The methodologies applied in this study for extracting deterioration at earthen heritage sites and integrating multi-source spatial data can serve as a technical application model for monitoring and analyzing the driving forces of earthen heritage sites along the entire Silk Road network, thereby better guiding the conservation of earthen heritage sites.

Explaining Countries’ Formal Engagement with the People’s Republic of China’s Digital Connectivity Plan: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis

ABSTRACT Under what conditions do countries formally engage with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Digital Silk Road (DSR)? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) highlights two main findings: first, a comprehensive strategic partnership with the PRC, individually and in combination with China being a leading importer, is a necessary condition to explain countries’ formal commitment to DSR; second, as expected, no single condition turns out to be sufficient; rather, an interplay of several factors is required. The results point to the empirical importance (though not always sufficient) of the absence of an alternative foreign-backed initiative with other major powers, the existence of a comprehensive strategic partnership with the PRC, and its presence as a leading importer. This suggests that, in the absence of alternative connectivity plans, countries’ existing economic and strategic relationships with the PRC predispose them to formally engage in the DSR. This is particularly the case for Southeast Asian countries.

Application of a GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach to the Siting of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Plants: A Case Study of the Xisha Sea Area, China

In order to achieve the goals of carbon neutrality and reduced carbon emissions, China is increasingly focusing on the development and utilization of renewable energy sources. Among these, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) has the advantages of small periodic fluctuations and large potential reserves, making it an important research field. With the development of the “Maritime Silk Road”, the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea will see a growing demand for electricity, providing the potential for OTEC development in this region. Optimal site selection of OTEC power plants is a prerequisite for developing thermal energy provision, affecting both the construction costs and future benefits of the power plants. This study establishes a scientific evaluation model based on the decision-making frameworks of geographic information systems (GISs) and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, specifically the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for assigning weights, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to reclassify the factors, and weighted linear combination (WLC) to compute the suitability index. In addition to commonly considered factors such as temperature difference and marine usage status, this study innovatively incorporates geological conditions and maximum offshore distances of cold seawater based on cost control. The final evaluation identifies three suitable areas for OTEC development near the Xuande Atoll and the Yongle Atoll in the Xisha Sea Area, providing valuable insights for energy developers and policymakers.

Amir Temur's State and It’s Department

This study explores the governance system and administrative reforms implemented by Amir Timur, drawing from historical texts that highlight his consolidation of power and state-building efforts. Initially adopting Mongol administrative structures, Timur gradually reformed these systems to create a highly centralised state apparatus. Amir Timur’s state-building initiatives merged traditional Central Asian governance models with the Mongol administrative legacy. Initially adopting the Mongol structure, Timur later implemented extensive reforms to centralise authority and strengthen his empire. He established a complex administrative system divided into seven ministries, each responsible for functions such as taxation, trade, and justice. Timur's governance was deeply influenced by Islamic principles, emphasising sharia law and council deliberations to ensure stability. The "suyurgol" system allowed Timur to distribute land holdings among his descendants while retaining centralized control over key resources and military power. Through a blend of military conquests and diplomatic alliances, Timur expanded his empire, integrating vast territories and securing vital trade routes along the Silk Road, contributing to a unified and prosperous state.

Analysis on the Evolution Characteristics of Rural Tourism Public Service System from the Perspective of Digitalization—Empirical Evidence from the Silk Road Economic Belt

The integration of digitalization with public tourism services has emerged as a new model for the development of the rural tourism public services. The Silk Road Economic Belt is a crucial area for the future development of the tourism industry. Exploring the coupling of the digitalization and the development trends of the rural tourism public services is significant for advancing rural tourism in this region. This study applies Complex Adaptive Systems theory and Synergy theory to the development of the digitization of rural tourism public services, clarifying the structure of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system. Based on this, a collaborative development evaluation system for the digitization of rural tourism public services is constructed, focusing on the Silk Road Economic Belt. By using the SMI-P evaluation model, ArcGIS spatial visualization, Gini coefficient, and kernel density methods, the collaborative development of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system was measured and analyzed in this paper. The findings reveal the following: (1) The collaborative development of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system in the Silk Road Economic Belt shows a gradual upward trend, yet the overall level of the collaboration is transitioning from a state of imbalance. (2) Compared to the Southwest, the Northwest exhibits a lower overall level of collaboration, with growing disparities in collaborative development indices among provinces, although there is a trend toward higher levels of aggregation. (3) The development of the rural tourism public services is trending toward a favorable state of multi-dimensional collaboration, characterized by significant regional features, including multi-polarization and unbalanced development. Finally, optimization paths for the digital development of the rural tourism public services were proposed in this study, which can provide guidance for improving the construction of the digitization of the rural tourism public service system and exploring clear development pathways.

The application of Xinjiang safflower extract on Aidelaisi silk fabric

Purpose This study aims to explore the traditional plant dyeing of Xinjiang Atlas silk fabrics, providing references for the comprehensive utilization of plant dyes in intangible cultural heritage.Design/methodology/approach The focus of this study is on dyeing experiments of Atlas silk fabrics using safflower extracts, constrained by regional resources. Safflower dry flowers grown in Xinjiang were selected, rinsed with pure water and rubbed. Yellow pigments were removed by adding edible white vinegar. Red pigments from safflower were extracted using an alkaline solution prepared with Populus euphratica ash, a special product of Xinjiang. The extraction rate was analyzed under varying material-to-liquor ratios, pH values, times and temperatures. Direct dyeing process experiments were conducted to obtain different colorimetric L, a, b and K/S values for comparison. Samples with good color development were selected to test the impact of dyeing immersions on color development, and their color fastness, UV protection and antibacterial effects were verified.FindingsThe dyeing experiments on silk fabrics confirmed their UV protection capabilities and antibacterial properties, demonstrating effectiveness against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. As a major producer of safflower, Xinjiang underscores the significance of safflower as an essential plant dyes on the Silk Road. This study reveals its market potential and suitability for use in the plant dyeing process of Atlas silk, producing vibrant red and pink colors.Originality/valueThe experiments indicated that after removing yellow pigments, the highest extraction rate of red pigment from safflower was achieved at a pH value of 10–11, a temperature of 30°C and an extraction time of 40 min. The best bright red color effect with strong color fastness was obtained with a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:20, a temperature of 40°C and three immersions. The best light pink color effect with strong color fastness was a material-to-liquor ratio of 1:80, a temperature of 30°C and two immersions.

China’s BRI in Central Asia & Its Impact: An Appraisal of the 10 Years

The year 2023 marked the ten-year anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurating the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during his state visit to Kazakhstan. This article discusses China’s approach towards Central Asian countries under the BRI and their responses. While China has evidently profited from expanding connectivity along the ancient silk road and meeting its strategic interests, it is essential to understand whether Central Asian states have equally benefited from this initiative. Furthermore, the concern of debt-trap diplomacy has been prevalent in low-income countries where BRI has been operational. In this context, the article seeks to locate Central Asia in BRI, evaluating its impact on the region to determine if the BRI is a win-win for both the parties involved as touted by China. This article argues that despite differing interests and concerns about potential debt-traps, the BRI has been largely beneficial for both China and Central Asia given that BRI investments and projects remain crucial for the growth and development of these states and the region.

Central Asia as a Continental Bridge or Thucydides Trap?

When the Western press and media report on Xinjiang, they tend to focus on the situation of the Uyghurs in this autonomous region of China. The fact that Xinjiang is of the highest strategic importance for China as a raw materials base, gateway to Central Asia and starting point of the New Silk Road, which is orientated towards Europe, and that real geopolitics is all about precisely these things, is often neglected. Of course, the starting point of the New Silk Road is in the strategists' crosshairs and it goes without saying that Central Asia and the South Caucasus are also targeted. After all, the shortest transport corridors to Europe run through these areas, now that the transport routes via Russia have been cancelled by Russia's war in Ukraine. This is where the Chinese New Silk Road and the European Global Gateway meet. What is the situation in Central Asia? What role does the International Trans-Caspian Transport Route play? How are China, the USA and Europe acting where the future of the New Silk Road is ultimately at stake? This article aims to provide a few answers to these questions, which should therefore only be understood as an approach to the topic of "Central Asia as a continental bridge or Thucydides' trap?".

Satellite Reveals a Coupling between Forest Displacement and Landscape Fragmentation across the Economic Corridor of the Eurasia Continent

Jointly building the Economic Corridor of the Eurasia Continent (ECEC), which is one of the most important parts of the Silk Road Economic Belt, is a pivotal initiative for fostering regional development. Forests, which serve as a green foundation of economic resilience, underpin this effort. However, there is an imbalance in ecological status due to differences in natural resources and the social economy along the economic corridor. This imbalance has led to alterations in landscapes, yet the specific changes and their underlying relationships are still much less understood. Here, we quantitatively detected changes in the forest landscape and its ecological efforts over the ECEC via widespread, satellite-based and long-term land cover maps released by the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). Specifically, the coupling between changes in forest coverage and landscape patterns, e.g., diversity, was further examined. The results revealed that forest coverage fluctuated and declined over the ECEC from 1992 to 2018, with an overall reduction of approximately 9784.8 km2 (i.e., 0.25%). Conversions between forests and other land cover types were widely observed. The main displacements occurred between forests and grasslands/croplands (approximately 48%/21%). Moreover, the landscape diversity in the study area increased, as measured by the effective diversity index (EDI), during the study period, despite obvious spatial heterogeneity. Notably, this pattern of landscape diversity was strongly associated with forest displacement and local urban development through coupling analysis, consequently indicating increasing fragmentation rather than biological diversity. This study highlights the coupled relationship between quantitative and qualitative changes in landscapes, facilitating our understanding of environmental protection and policy management.

The King’s Road: Diplomacy and the Remaking of the Silk Road, written by Xin Wen

The King’s Road: Diplomacy and the Remaking of the Silk Road, written by Xin Wen

Exploration of Historical Sites of Art and Culture Exchange on the Silk Road of Pre-Qin and Han Dynasties

Abstract The pre-Qin and Han Silk Road opened up the Central Plains Dynasty to the Eurasian- African continent, not only having extraordinary political, economic and cultural exchanges complementary strategic significance, but also becoming an irreplaceable important window and way for the Central Plains Dynasty to gain cognitive knowledge of the broader world. In particular, the exploration of the artistic and cultural relics and historical background of the Silk Road is a deep excavation and collation of historical materials of exchanges between the East and the West, especially between China and the nationalities in the Western regions in the fields of traditional politics, commerce, economy, art and culture. This depth of excavation and collation of historical materials, so as to clarify the origin of the Silk Road under different historical conditions and the background of its political, economic, art, and cultural significance in forming the civilisation of the countries along the route. This mutual understanding among various nationalities inevitably promotes the shared development of Eastern and Western civilizations. Therefore, the topic discussed in this paper is a retrospective and complementary approach to the Silk Road as a distant civilisation. This exploration is also another purposeful search for the roots of this road, which was known as the “Journey of Adventure” and “Journey of Intercommunication” from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the two Han Dynasties. Accordingly, this paper promotes the discussion from three aspects: the long historical context of the Silk Road, the channel of multi-ethnic art exchange constituted by Silk Road, and the exchange and dissemination of handicraft culture on the Silk Road, excavating these three rich historical materials is more in order to reveal the historical values of the Silk Road.

The Digital Silk Road between National Rhetoric and Provincial Ambitions

Abstract The Digital Silk Road (DSR) is usually described as the digital component of the Belt and Road Initiative that is reshaping the digital world order. Most existing research is concerned with the possible long-term consequences of the DSR rather than on what the DSR encompasses, how it developed and how it has changed since it was announced in 2015. We address this gap by reconstructing the origins of the DSR within China, with a focus on both rhetoric and concrete plans as they developed between central and provincial actors. We collected and analysed a corpus of 31 national and 130 provincial DSR-related plans. In contrast to prevailing views of the DSR as a unified, outward-facing strategy, we show that after an initial surge of related documents, the central government ceased to discuss the DSR in a meaningful way. Provincial governments then appropriated its rhetoric to legitimize their own digitization agendas, including upgrading infrastructure in poorer provinces and remaining plugged into export markets for those with an IT industry. Rather than reshaping the digital world order, the DSR has been appropriated by some provincial governments to attempt, mostly unsuccessfully, to shore up their own digital ambitions.

Fluctuations in the relationship between the Silk Road Pattern and the summer North Atlantic Oscillation

Fluctuations in the relationship between the Silk Road Pattern and the summer North Atlantic Oscillation

Assessing the Impact of New Silk Road Initiatives on Kazakhstan's Business Environment

This study conducts a comprehensive evaluation of four major regional economic integration initiatives along the New Silk Road in Eurasia: The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB), the New Silk Road (NSR), and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program. By employing an expert-based analysis method, the research assesses the initiatives from the perspective of the Kazakhstani business environment, identifying critical criteria for successful economic integration, including intra-union trade, market expansion, supply chain optimization, regulatory harmonization, and access to financing. Drawing parallels with the historical Silk Road's focus on trade and economic prosperity, this research employs an expert-based analysis method to assess these modern initiatives from the perspective of the Kazakhstani business environment. Through structured expert panel assessments and statistical analysis, the study determines which initiatives offer the most tangible benefits to businesses in Kazakhstan and the broader region. The findings indicate that the SREB initiative scored highest overall, particularly in fostering regional economic development and business growth, with a total score of 197, followed by the EAEU with 181. The findings reveal that the SREB initiative scored highest overall, followed by the EAEU, indicating their strong potential for fostering regional economic development and business growth. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and businesses navigating the complex landscape of Eurasian economic integration. It offers a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of new Silk Road initiatives in promoting regional prosperity and cooperation, with particular relevance to Kazakhstan's position in Central Asia.