For two thousand years, the Silk Road connected Xi'an to the Middle East and Europe, establishing the first trade relations. China opened up to the Western world for the first time. The year 138 BC marked the sending of an envoy by Emperor Han Wudi to the West, not for trade but to seek allies in China's struggle against the Huns.
From then until the 14th century, caravans traversed deserts laden with spices, fruits, and other goods from the West in search of silk. China's border cities developed into cosmopolitan trade centers.
