[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.70,0:00:09.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A banker in London sends the latest stock info
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.44,0:00:12.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to his colleagues in Hong Kong in less than a second.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.46,0:00:14.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With a single click, a customer in New York
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.76,0:00:16.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,orders electronics made in Beijing,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.85,0:00:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,transported across the ocean within days
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.08,0:00:21.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by cargo plane or container ship.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.60,0:00:23.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The speed and volume at which goods and information
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.65,0:00:27.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,move across the world today is unprecedented in history.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.49,0:00:30.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But global exchange itself is older than we think,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.58,0:00:34.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reaching back over 2,000 years along a 5,000 mile stretch
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.17,0:00:36.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,known as the Silk Road.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.52,0:00:39.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Silk Road wasn't actually a single road,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.06,0:00:41.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a network of multiple routes
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.13,0:00:43.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that gradually emerged over centuries,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.49,0:00:45.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,connecting to various settlements and to each other
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.93,0:00:47.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thread by thread.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.31,0:00:51.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first agricultural civilizations were isolated places
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.04,0:00:52.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in fertile river valleys.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.62,0:00:54.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their travel impeded by surrounding geography
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.90,0:00:56.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and fear of the unknown.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.52,0:00:57.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as they grew,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.74,0:01:00.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they found that the arid deserts and steps on their borders
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.54,0:01:02.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,were inhabited, not by the demons of folklore,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.87,0:01:05.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but nomadic tribes on horseback.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.23,0:01:08.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Scythians, who ranged from Hungary to Mongolia,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.26,0:01:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had come in contact with the civilizations of
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.12,0:01:13.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Greece, Egypt, India and China.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.13,0:01:15.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These encounters were often less than peaceful.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.52,0:01:17.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But even through raids and warfare,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.89,0:01:20.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as trade and protection of traveling merchants
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.72,0:01:22.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in exchange for tariffs,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.26,0:01:25.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the nomads began to spread goods, ideas and technologies
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.78,0:01:28.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between cultures with no direct contact.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.58,0:01:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the most important strands of this growing web
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.59,0:01:33.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was the Persian Royal Road,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.16,0:01:36.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,completed by Darius the First in the 5th century BCE.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.99,0:01:41.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Stretching nearly 2,000 miles from the Tigris River to the Aegean Sea,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.40,0:01:43.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,its regular relay points allowed goods and messages
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.94,0:01:48.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to travel at nearly 1/10 the time it would take a single traveler.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.25,0:01:50.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.96,0:01:54.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and expansion into Central Asia through capturing cities like Samarkand
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.70,0:01:57.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and establishing new ones like Alexandria Eschate,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.99,0:02:01.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the network of Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian culture and trade
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.56,0:02:04.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,extended farther east than ever before,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.46,0:02:07.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,laying the foundations for a bridge between China and the West.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.98,0:02:11.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This was realized in the 2nd century BCE,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.03,0:02:13.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when an ambassador named Chang Chian,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.31,0:02:15.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sent to negotiate with nomads in the West,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.52,0:02:17.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,returned to the Han Emperor with tales of
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.60,0:02:20.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sophisticated civilizations, prosperous trade
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.71,0:02:23.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and exotic goods beyond the western borders.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.91,0:02:26.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ambassadors and merchants were sent towards
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.31,0:02:29.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Persia and India to trade silk and jade for horses and cotton,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.94,0:02:32.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,along with armies to secure their passage.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.86,0:02:35.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Eastern and western routes gradually linked together
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.36,0:02:38.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into an integrated system spanning Eurasia,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.32,0:02:40.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enabling cultural and commercial exhange
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.24,0:02:42.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,farther than ever before.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.51,0:02:44.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chinese goods made their way to Rome,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.74,0:02:48.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,causing an outflow of gold that led to a ban on silk.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.28,0:02:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While Roman glassware was highly prized in China.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.43,0:02:53.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Military expeditions in Central Asia
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.89,0:02:57.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also saw encounters between Chinese and Roman soldiers.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.27,0:02:59.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Possibly even transmitting crossbow technology
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.55,0:03:01.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the Western world.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.81,0:03:04.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Demand for exotic and foreign goods
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.19,0:03:05.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the profits they brought,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.39,0:03:07.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,kept the strands of the Silk Road in tact
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.70,0:03:09.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even as the Roman Empire disintegrated
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.99,0:03:13.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Chinese dynasties rose and fell.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.26,0:03:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even Mongolian hoards, known for pillage and plunder,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.15,0:03:19.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actively protected the trade routes, rather than disrupting them.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.59,0:03:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But along with commodities, these routes also enabled
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.64,0:03:27.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the movement of traditions, innovations, ideologies and languages.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.09,0:03:30.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Originating in India, Buddhism migrated to China and Japan
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.64,0:03:32.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to become the dominant religion there.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.99,0:03:36.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Islam spread from the Arabian Penninsula into South Asia,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.28,0:03:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,blending with native beliefs
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.89,0:03:40.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and leading to new faiths like Sikhism.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.70,0:03:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And gunpowder made its way from China to the Middle East
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.43,0:03:48.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forging the futures of the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughul Empires.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.26,0:03:51.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a way, the Silk Road's success led to its own demise
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.21,0:03:54.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as new maritime technologies, like the magnetic compass,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.27,0:03:57.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,found their way to Europe making long land routes obsolete.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.99,0:04:00.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Meanwhile, the collapse of Mongol rule
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.62,0:04:04.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was followed by China's withdrawal from international trade.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.03,0:04:06.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But even though the old routes and networks did not last,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.85,0:04:08.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they had changed the world forever
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.94,0:04:10.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there was no going back.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.85,0:04:13.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Europeans seeking new maritime routes
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.02,0:04:15.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the riches they knew awaited in East Asia
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.64,0:04:17.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,led to the Age of Exploration
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.38,0:04:20.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and expansion into Africa and the Americas.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.49,0:04:24.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, global interconnectedness shapes our lives like never before.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.29,0:04:27.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Canadian shoppers buy t-shirts made in Bangladesh,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.56,0:04:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Japanese audiences watch British television shows,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.50,0:04:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Tunisians use American software to launch a revolution.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.44,0:04:38.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The impact of globalization on culture and economy is indisputable.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.58,0:04:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But whatever its benefits and drawbacks,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.56,0:04:43.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is far from a new phenomenon.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.25,0:04:45.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And though the mountains, deserts and oceans
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.50,0:04:46.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that once separated us
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.69,0:04:49.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are now circumvented through super sonic vehicles,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.45,0:04:51.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cross-continental communication cables,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.58,0:04:53.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and signals beamed through space
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.79,0:04:56.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than caravans traveling for months,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.12,0:04:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,none of it would have been possible
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.86,0:04:59.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without the pioneering cultures
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.38,0:05:01.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whose efforts created the Silk Road:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.84,0:05:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,history's first world wide web.