• Title/Summary/Keyword: Silk-Road

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MUHAMMAD IQBAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

  • OZDEMIR, IBRAHIM
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.89-112
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    • 2017
  • Today, we face many problems at the planetary, national, local, and personal level. What is interesting and important is the fact that the environmental crisis that we have been facing since the 1960s is seen by many environmentalists as a crisis of Western civilization, a slow collective suicide, and "the defining challenge of our age." This fact has encouraged many environmentalists, thinkers, and activists to turn to the wisdom of the East for a better and deeper understanding of nature and humanity for a sustainable future. Moreover, environmental, social, and economic threats are aimed at everyone without discrimination, be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, or Buddhist. Therefore, the very nature of the environmental crisis and challenge requires a cooperative, global response. In this context, this study suggests that Eastern societies may re-discover the richness of their own traditions in the light of pressing environmental problems and offer new insights to respond to these problems. This paper will explore the possibility and relevance of Sir Muhammad Iqbal's (1877-1938) ideas for an attitude of reverence and care for nature. It will suggest that his ideas could enlarge and enrich our perspective of ourselves vis $\grave{a}$ vis nature, and raise our "ecological consciousness" and moral responsibility to take action for the environment. It will be argued that Iqbal, as a great and towering son of the Silk Road and a bridge between East and West, is still relevant for us.

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF MUSLIMS AND THE HUI HUI COMMUNITY OF KOREA IN MEDIEVAL TIMES

  • LEE, HEE SOO
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.85-108
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    • 2017
  • This paper details the advance of the "Hui" (回) people to Korea and their socioeconomic activities in forming their own community during the late Goryeo and early Joseon period. Hui (回) or Hui Hui (回回) is generally recognized as representative of Muslim culture in Chinese and Korean sources. From the $8^{th}$ century, Korean-Muslim cultural relations accelerated as an outcome of ancient Chinese-West Asian commercial transactions along the Silk Road. These contacts between Muslims and Koreans on the Korean peninsula are borne out by references to Korea found in 23 Islamic sources written between the $9^{th}$ and $16^{th}$ centuries by 18 Muslim scholars, including Ibn Khurdadbih, Sulaiman al-Tajir, and Mas'ud1 i. Ibn Khurdadbih was the first Arab who wrote of Muslims' residence in the Unified Silla Kingdom (661-935CE). However, in the period of Silla, we could not find any reliable written documents in Korea to show encounters between Korea and the Muslim world. In the Goryeosa (GS) chronicle, Muslim merchants who came to Korea were described as "Daesik" (大食: Tashi). Daesik (Tashi) is most probably derived from "Tajir", which means "trader" in Muslim language. Muslims' mass influx and their wide ranging influence on Korean society manifested from the late $13^{th}$ century when the Goryeo Dynasty first came under Mongol control and afterward in the early $15^{th}$ century with the new dynasty of Joseon in Korea.

Ancient Human Parasites in Ethnic Chinese Populations

  • Yeh, Hui-Yuan;Mitchell, Piers D.
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.54 no.5
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    • pp.565-572
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    • 2016
  • Whilst archaeological evidence for many aspects of life in ancient China is well studied, there has been much less interest in ancient infectious diseases, such as intestinal parasites in past Chinese populations. Here, we bring together evidence from mummies, ancient latrines, and pelvic soil from burials, dating from the Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty, in order to better understand the health of the past inhabitants of China and the diseases endemic in the region. Seven species of intestinal parasite have been identified, namely roundworm, whipworm, Chinese liver fluke, oriental schistosome, pinworm, Taenia sp. tapeworm, and the intestinal fluke Fasciolopsis buski. It was found that in the past, roundworm, whipworm, and Chinese liver fluke appear to have been much more common than the other species. While roundworm and whipworm remained common into the late 20th century, Chinese liver fluke seems to have undergone a marked decline in its prevalence over time. The iconic transport route known as the Silk Road has been shown to have acted as a vector for the transmission of ancient diseases, highlighted by the discovery of Chinese liver fluke in a 2,000 year-old relay station in northwest China, 1,500 km outside its endemic range.

Multi-Layer Bitcoin Clustering through Off-Chain Data of Darkweb (다크웹 오프체인 데이터를 이용한 다계층 비트코인 클러스터링 기법)

  • Lee, Jin-hee;Kim, Min-jae;Hur, Junbeom
    • Journal of the Korea Institute of Information Security & Cryptology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.715-729
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    • 2021
  • Bitcoin is one of the cryptocurrencies, which is decentralized and transparent. However, due to its anonymity, it is currently being used for the purpose of transferring funds for illegal transactions in darknet markets. To solve this problem, clustering heuristic based on the characteristics of a Bitcoin transaction has been proposed. However, we found that the previous heuristis suffer from high false negative rates. In this study, we propose a novel heuristic for bitcoin clustering using off-chain data. Specifically, we collected and analyzed user review data from Silk Road 4 as off-chain data. As a result, 31.68% of the review data matched the actual Bitcoin transaction, and false negatives were reduced by 91.7% in the proposed method.

Central Asian Carpets, Assyrian Stone Thresholds, and Greco-Roman Mosaics - Cultural Exchange and Integration on the Silk Road

  • He, ZHANG
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.1-38
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    • 2022
  • Many knotted carpets from western China and Central Asia from 700 BCE to 700 CE demonstrate strong resemblances to the Assyrian-Persian stone reliefs and Hellenistic-Romanmosaics. Egypt reveals the earliest samples in plain linen fiber and carpets with colorful designs in the mural paintings. The Egyptian wall decoration in faience shows the motifs of waterlily in two variations in the design, both of which appear in the Assyrian floor thresholds designs. The same waterlily or four-petal design in the Egyptian and Assyrian stonework also appear in the Pazyryk knotted carpet in the same manner. The Assyrian thresholds show a composition with a central area and borders in a square or rectangular overall design, which again parallels the Pazyryk carpet. The ideas of composition and motifs commonly seen in the Hellenistic and Roman mosaics appear in the carpets of Central Asia and western China. The similarities between the stone mosaic works and carpets demonstrate clearly that the remote places and peoples in ancient times learned from, and exchanged with, each other the ideas and artistic styles, and integrated to create some local artistic traditions, thanks to the roles the easy-to-carry textiles played throughout the Silk Road. The carpets played their roles: as practical material for daily use, and as carrier of cultural information through their designs.

Study on wind-induced vibration response of Jiayuguan wooden building

  • Teng Y. Xue;Hong B. Liu;Ting Zhou;Xin C. Chen;Xiang Zhang;Zhi P. Zou
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.37 no.3
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    • pp.245-254
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    • 2023
  • In this paper, the wind-induced response of Jiayuguan wooden building (world cultural heritage) in Northwest China was studied. ANSYS finite element software was used to establish four kinds of building models under different working conditions and carry out modal analysis. The simulation results were compared with the field dynamic test results, obtaining the model which reflects the real vibration characteristics of the wooden tower. Time history data of fluctuating wind speed was obtained by MATLAB programming. Time domain method and ANSYS were used to analyze the wind-induced vibration response time history of Jiayuguan wooden building, obtaining the displacement time history curve of the structure. It was suggested that the wind-induced vibration coefficient of Jiayuguan wooden building is 1.76. Through analysis of the performance of the building under equivalent static wind load, the maximum displacement occurs in the three-story wall, gold column and the whole roof area, and the maximum displacement of the building is 5.39 cm. The ratio of the maximum stress value to the allowable value of wood tensile strength is 45 %. The research results can provide reference for the wind resistant design and protection of ancient buildings with similar structure to Jiayuguan wooden tower.

International Trade and Logistics of Kazakhstan and Its Trading Partners: Contribution to Economic Growth and Distribution of Trade Flows

  • Zhanarys RAIMBEKOV;Zhibek RAKHMETULINA;Tana ABYLAIKHANOVA;Bakyt SYZDYKBAYEVA;Aigerim RAKHMETULINA
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.21 no.9
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    • pp.67-79
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    • 2023
  • Purpose: To investigate the intensity of bilateral international trade of the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) countries with Kazakhstan, its relationship with logistics (LPI), to assess their contribution to economic growth and distribution of commodity flows. Research design, data, and methodology: The method of analyzing the bilateral trade flow was applied by using the trade intensity index (TII) and a multidimensional regression model describing the relationship between LPI and its components, TII, the volume of exports and imports, GDP. Results: The nature and directions of the relationship between TII and the key components of logistics, the positive impact of LPI on the intensity of trade are established. It is revealed that the intensity of trade between the countries in the direction of the EAEU-Kazakhstan has a greater impact on the growth of LPI than in the opposite direction. At the same time, the higher the level of trade integration and the volume of GDP, the stronger their impact on the efficiency of logistics and distribution of commodity flows. Conclusions: Effective distribution of commodity flows will require the development of logistics components based on the direction of bilateral trade and the size of countries, the intensification of state reforms in the field of international trade and distribution logistics.

The Geopolitics of Chinese Overseas Investment in Ports Under the 'One Belt One Road' Initiatives ('일대일로' 이니셔티브하의 중국 해외항만투자의 지정학적 접근)

  • Lee, Choong-Bae
    • Korea Trade Review
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    • v.44 no.1
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    • pp.285-299
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    • 2019
  • The 'One Belt One Road (OBOR)' initiative, which was promulgated as part of the enlargement policy along with the advent of Xi Jinping in 2013, is a policy to expand China's political and economic power externally through linkages with neighboring countries. China's overseas port investment plays an important role in the promotion of the 'OBOR' policy from the coast of China through maritime transportation routes from S.E Asia to Mediterranean and Europe. Since China's overseas port investment has been made from several factors such as political, economic, and military motives, it differs in purpose and character from investments made by private companies, such as Global Port Operators(GTO) which consider profitability first. This study aims to address future prospects and implications by analyzing the geopolitics of China's overseas port investment under the 'One Belt One Road' initiative. According to the results, China's overseas port investment is dominated by state-owned enterprises and political and security factors are more important than profitability. China's overseas port investment has been on a large scale in a short period of time, and China has faced with various problems both domestically and internationally. such as debt default, environmental problems, subordination problems from recipient countries and political and military confrontation with great countries such as United States, Japan and India etc.

Carpet Weaving on the Territory of Kazakhstan as a Reflection of the Traditional Worldview of Nomads

  • Aigul AGELEUOVA
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.31-54
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    • 2023
  • The article deals with issues related to the tradition of carpet production on the territory of Kazakhstan where, for the most part, tribes engaged in nomadic livestock raising lived. Analyzing the technological component of this traditional craft, the author focuses on the main factor that influenced carpet weaving along with arts and crafts-the nomadic method of production of the Kazakhs. The study of the ideological component that accompanies the process of making various types of carpets allows us to conclude that it has a sacred meaning and subordination to myth, rite, and ritual. At the mythmaking level, the process of making carpets, like any other activity among nomads, personified the process of creating the world, the marriage of Kok-Tengri (Heaven) and Zher-Su (Earth), and the creation of the Cosmos from Chaos. The process of carpet weaving, as well as the process of making felt, symbolized the act of creation, the marriage of Heaven and Earth, and male and female principles. The study of various types of ornaments that Kazakhs and their ancestors used to decorate carpets allows us to conclude that the ornament applied to carpet products was the bearer of the most valuable information about the mythological worldview of the people. Carpets in their structure reproduced the structure of the Universe, which has a binary, ternary, and quaternary system. The ornament has turned into a kind of coded text, reflecting ideas about the cosmogonic structure of the Universe and an awareness of the harmony of the world. The location of Kazakhstan on the northern routes of the Sogdian Road (Great Silk Road) allowed the spread of various ideas, due to which carpet weaving was influenced by other peoples in technical and stylistic design.

Indirect Edification through Trans-Eurasian Travelogues: Focus on the Episodes of Carpets in the Journeys of Different Religions

  • Jin Han JEONG
    • Acta Via Serica
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.55-70
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    • 2023
  • Carpets are a useful tool for highlighting the cultural uniqueness of a region because their characteristic usage often reveals distinctive natural features of the place or the unique cultural identity of a group. Investigating anecdotes and associated patterns found in three medieval trans-Eurasian travelogues, this paper focuses on observations made by the Chinese Buddhist monk, Faxian, the Sunni pilgrim and scholar, Ibn Battuta, and Marco Polo, the Venetian merchant examining their thoughts, observations, and perspectives on carpet-related customs in their experienced contexts. In particular, this manuscript touches on the controversies, impacts, and narratives associated with carpet practices observed in each travel writer's context respectively, concluding that each traveler shows several things in common rather than showing different patterns depending on the characteristics of their religion. Overall, they observed the uses of carpets according to their jobs and travel purposes and appropriately detailed related episodes if the intended purpose and context matched the uses.