Reasons for cultural exchanges between China and Europe in Ming and Qing Dynasties. What are the characteristics of the spread of western learning in China during this period?

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, before the formal cultural contact between Europe and China, in the long-term independent development, China and Europe formed two different languages, customs and religious systems. Multiple influences of China on Europe before Ming and Qing Dynasties. 14-16th century, China's scientific and technological level was in the leading position in the world, and it was exported to the world without reservation. At the beginning of the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern society, the shadow of Chinese civilization can be seen everywhere in Europe.

This paper expounds this influence from the aspects of silk trade, the introduction of four great inventions into the West and the influence of The Travels of Marco Polo. During the same period, European culture influenced China through Nestorianism and Yerikovian religion. The Silk Road and the Silk Trade in Han Dynasty The cultural exchange between Europe and China has a long and tortuous history. Between Chinese civilization and European civilization, all kinds of cultural, economic, religious and ideological exchanges can be traced back to China Han Dynasty through indirect or direct channels, land and sea, tangible and intangible channels. China had a history of planting mulberry, sericulture, reeling and weaving in the Qin Dynasty. By the Western Han Dynasty, there were millions of silk weavers all over the country, and various kinds of silk products had become daily necessities in all walks of life. It is the excellent texture and rich products of China silk products that make silk the earliest important economic link between the East and the West.

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions. According to Zhang Qian's report, silk is not produced in the western regions, so silk became the main gift that China's envoys carried when they went to the western regions. In return, China's court received rare items from these countries. This exchange created a habitual demand, and unofficial trade became popular. In the first century, silk spread from resting places to the Mediterranean. In Augustine's time, silk became a common commodity in Italy. Silk trade between China and Europe in history can be divided into two ways: land and sea. From the land, "Yumenguan (Gansu) has two commercial routes to the west: one is from the northern foot of Nanshan next to Shanshan to shache, and the other is from Qingji to Da Yue and other countries in the west, which is called South Road, and then to Daqin in the west. A large number of goods from China are mainly transported to the west through this road.

The other is westbound along the southern foothills of Beishan Mountain. The farther west the northern part of Qingji Mountain, you can go to Dawan, Kangju, Yanchai and other countries, which is called North Road, and then you can go to Daqin in the west. These two commercial routes were the arteries of economic exchanges between China and Central Asia and West Asia at that time. Because the goods shipped to the west were mainly silk and silk fabrics, this road was later called the' Silk Road'. "The other is by sea. Based on the Egyptian Red Sea port belonging to Rome, the coastline of India and even the whole South Asia is directly developed from the sea. First, sailors used the southwest wind to discover the route from the Red Sea to the main commercial center on the west coast of India. At the end of the first century, Roman merchant ships used the monsoon to cross the Bay of Bengal, bypass the Malay Peninsula and approach Tokyo, which is now Vietnam. In this way, in addition to land, China silk was also transported separately from the Red Sea by Roman ships.

However, since most of the imported silk has to be transported to Syria for processing, the natural route for the goods to be transported to Syria and even to Selesia is by land. Here, what we see through the silk trade is not only an economic belt connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, but also an important medium to promote cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between the East and the West. The trade of physical goods promotes cultural exchange, which can be illustrated by some Latin words. The word silk obviously evolved from the Latin word "Seres" referring to China people, and its adjective "seriecum" became "seri" after the suffix was removed, that is, goods from China. The text clearly records the process and results of cultural exchange here. With the development of silk trade, especially the opening of direct sea routes to the East.

Westerners have a more accurate geographical concept of China and its neighboring countries. There are also various European travel notes. "These travel stories are respected for their rich content and mathematical accuracy in determining the geographical locations of rivers, mountains, cities and tribes." Therefore, the charts and maps of Geography compiled by Ptolemy on the basis of these travels fully show the westerners' understanding of the East, which has made great progress compared with the predecessors. As long as "read some chapters about the Far East in Ptolemy's book, people will really be surprised by the great achievements of geographical knowledge in a century." Generally speaking, from 1 century to the 2nd century, westerners' understanding of China was in a hazy state, but the progress of silk trade was beneficial to Europe's profound understanding of China.

In the middle of the 6th century, with the introduction of sericulture into Europe, the six-century silk and raw silk trade between China and Europe came to an end. This kind of trade has played a positive role in improving the life taste and civilization of Europeans, developing the emerging silk industry, and paying attention to and understanding China.