From very early times, China was known as an exporter of silk. The Arthashastra, a text from the the 3rd century BCE mentions China as the producer of silk (this is also where the name cina comes from). The Silk Road is the most famous symbol of trade from China around the world. The part of the Silk Road which connects to India was initiated by the Buddhist monks who first traveled to China. Thus this part of the road was called the Dharmaratna marg. While it was used for intellectual and cultural contact, it was also used to carry perfumes, jewels, spices and cotton. Thus India is deeply connected to the heritage of the Silk Road, now being revived as the Belt and Road initiative.
India and China were also connected by sea from ancient times. This connection is particularly reflected in South East Asia which has unmistakable influence from both India and China deriving from trade and cultural contact over sea. This maritime trade flourished during the Tang dynasty in China.
Sugar and Cotton are two of the commodities that were traded. Indians earlier would export jaggery to China, which was treated there as a luxury. The Chinese became a major exporter of sugar during the Song Dynasty and the Indian name for sugar is chini. Cotton was greatly desired in China and was imported from India. Tea and porcelain were exported back to India. The Indian Ocean region became a focal points of the flourishing trade and economic relationship between India and China which developed over the years till it was interrupted by colonialism.
Further Reading:
China, a 5000 year Odyssey, Tan Chung
Re-ORIENT: Global Economy in the Asian Age, Andre Gunder Frank
Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750, K. N Chaudhuri
India and China were also connected by sea from ancient times. This connection is particularly reflected in South East Asia which has unmistakable influence from both India and China deriving from trade and cultural contact over sea. This maritime trade flourished during the Tang dynasty in China.
Sugar and Cotton are two of the commodities that were traded. Indians earlier would export jaggery to China, which was treated there as a luxury. The Chinese became a major exporter of sugar during the Song Dynasty and the Indian name for sugar is chini. Cotton was greatly desired in China and was imported from India. Tea and porcelain were exported back to India. The Indian Ocean region became a focal points of the flourishing trade and economic relationship between India and China which developed over the years till it was interrupted by colonialism.
Further Reading:
China, a 5000 year Odyssey, Tan Chung
Re-ORIENT: Global Economy in the Asian Age, Andre Gunder Frank
Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean: An Economic History from the Rise of Islam to 1750, K. N Chaudhuri
