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Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road
A gripping account of three dramatic journeys that changed history.
The fabled Silk Road conjures up the sights, smells and sounds of faraway lands. But traveling the Silk Road took years, and those who set out encountered bandits, starvation and treacherous storms.
"Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road" introduces readers to three great historical figures:
Chinese Buddhist Xuanzang, whose 16-year journey from China to India and back (629-645 AD) is the only source we have for huge chunks of the history and geography of this time. His successful search for Buddhist scriptures changed the course of two great nations.
Genghis Khan, bred from infancy to be a warrior, brought the Mongol clans together. He established the greatest empire the world had seen, which ruled the Silk Road from 1201 to 1227.
Italian merchant Marco Polo journeyed through China from 1271 to 1295. He changed the way Europe saw the world, and his book even inspired Columbus to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of China.
Beautiful photographs and art depicting the ancient routes and peoples bring the stories to life. Maps, sidebars and an afterword that updates the story of the Silk Road are also featured.
The fabled Silk Road conjures up the sights, smells and sounds of faraway lands. But traveling the Silk Road took years, and those who set out encountered bandits, starvation and treacherous storms.
"Adventures on the Ancient Silk Road" introduces readers to three great historical figures:
Chinese Buddhist Xuanzang, whose 16-year journey from China to India and back (629-645 AD) is the only source we have for huge chunks of the history and geography of this time. His successful search for Buddhist scriptures changed the course of two great nations.
Genghis Khan, bred from infancy to be a warrior, brought the Mongol clans together. He established the greatest empire the world had seen, which ruled the Silk Road from 1201 to 1227.
Italian merchant Marco Polo journeyed through China from 1271 to 1295. He changed the way Europe saw the world, and his book even inspired Columbus to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of China.
Beautiful photographs and art depicting the ancient routes and peoples bring the stories to life. Maps, sidebars and an afterword that updates the story of the Silk Road are also featured.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published August 20, 2009
About the author
Priscilla Galloway
32 books1 followerPriscilla Galloway is an award-winning Canadian children's literature author and former English teacher. She received a PhD from the University of Toronto in 1977 with her dissertation titled "Sexism and the senior English literature curriculum in Ontario secondary schools."
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 5, 2010
Very interesting. I really wish, though, that a modern map would have been included so that the points on the individuals' journeys could be identified. Many of these places now exist with different names, so it was confusing trying to figure out where the journeys were taking them. Otherwise, it is a very intriguing topic, and the combination of Chinese monk, Mongol leader, and Italian explorer is unique and satisfying.
August 1, 2010
Tracing the map at the beginning of the book, one sees that the Silk Road stretched from the banks of the Ganges in northern India along a path toward the northwest circling and then cutting through some of the tallest mountains in the world. Exiting the mountains, one would travel eastward through what is now Mongolia, through Sichuan and end at Louyang on the Yellow Rive in China. Gallaway and Hunter take readers down this path several times following the footsteps of Xuanzang, Genghis Khan and finally Marco Polo. These historic figures lived in completely different times, used the road for completely different purposes and yet each changed history in such a way to make it possible for his predecessors to travel the road. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who had to negotiate with a variety of leaders (and bandits) to accomplish his journey on the road. Khan used the road to conquer neighboring kingdoms and Polo travelled as a merchant. Adventures of the Ancient Silk Road indicates that each man was successful because he took the time to understand cultures other than his own. As they travelled, the book indicates that they learned the language, tasted the foods and simply observed what was taking place around him.
People of every description crammed themselves into Kashgar’s lively bazaar, and Marco was there with them. Local merchants competed with traders from India, China, Persia and other far-flung countries to shout the loudest and make the best deals. They haggled over livestock, beautiful fabrics and rich furs, lumps of jade, woven rugs and daggers and knives encrusted with jewels. Marco eagerly made deals while munching on the sweet and fragrant local melons. He sold the mirrors from Cominan and bought nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon from India and the Spice Islands. He felt a little thrill each time he made a good trade. (p.130)
While intricate details such as this are often provided, we never know the source of this information. Direct quotes appear in the writing, but they’re never credited. The authors make reference to Polo’s journal in the text and briefly discuss their research that University of Toronto’s library, but they never tell how they were able to incorporate so many nuanced details into the story. Were they provided for effect, or taken from primary source documents? Such information is important for several reasons. First, it validates the information provided. It tells us whether we’re reading fact or fiction. Second, it models the use of bibliographic information to students as important for ethically crediting sources. Finally, it shows our readers that we honor their intelligence.
While Xaunzang takes care to learn Sanskrit to prepare for his journey to India, we never learn what language he speaks. This could easily lead a student in the US to think Xuanzang spoke English. Numerous side boxes are provided with very interesting facts related to the story, however I have to admit to finding them a bit annoying after a while.
I appreciate that the authors provide North American MG or YA readers with an informative, approachable text on men they might not otherwise know. Following the road exposes us to the rich diversity of this region and to the different ways men change societies. I would love to be able to provide teachers a set of this book to study Asian history. The book is fully indexed and contains a list of print and non-print sources for students to use for further study.
People of every description crammed themselves into Kashgar’s lively bazaar, and Marco was there with them. Local merchants competed with traders from India, China, Persia and other far-flung countries to shout the loudest and make the best deals. They haggled over livestock, beautiful fabrics and rich furs, lumps of jade, woven rugs and daggers and knives encrusted with jewels. Marco eagerly made deals while munching on the sweet and fragrant local melons. He sold the mirrors from Cominan and bought nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon from India and the Spice Islands. He felt a little thrill each time he made a good trade. (p.130)
While intricate details such as this are often provided, we never know the source of this information. Direct quotes appear in the writing, but they’re never credited. The authors make reference to Polo’s journal in the text and briefly discuss their research that University of Toronto’s library, but they never tell how they were able to incorporate so many nuanced details into the story. Were they provided for effect, or taken from primary source documents? Such information is important for several reasons. First, it validates the information provided. It tells us whether we’re reading fact or fiction. Second, it models the use of bibliographic information to students as important for ethically crediting sources. Finally, it shows our readers that we honor their intelligence.
While Xaunzang takes care to learn Sanskrit to prepare for his journey to India, we never learn what language he speaks. This could easily lead a student in the US to think Xuanzang spoke English. Numerous side boxes are provided with very interesting facts related to the story, however I have to admit to finding them a bit annoying after a while.
I appreciate that the authors provide North American MG or YA readers with an informative, approachable text on men they might not otherwise know. Following the road exposes us to the rich diversity of this region and to the different ways men change societies. I would love to be able to provide teachers a set of this book to study Asian history. The book is fully indexed and contains a list of print and non-print sources for students to use for further study.
February 7, 2012
Reviewed by Gillian O’Reilly
The ancient Silk Road – actually a series of trade routes across Asia – is the setting for a fascinating tale from Priscilla Galloway and Dawn Hunter. For about 2,000 years, intrepid travellers journeyed through this fabled route, spending years on the road and facing danger from the elements, animals and other humans.
To tell their story, Galloway and Hunter present three biographies. The Buddhist monk Xuanzang (c.602 664 CE) travelled from China to India to find and copy original Buddhist texts, but he also spent years teaching and learning from the people he met along the way and acquiring plants and other items to take back to China. Besides translating the scriptures he had brought home, he also wrote a record of his trip that is an invaluable account of life in the many lands he visited.
Their second figure is Genghis Khan (1162-1227) who united the Mongol tribes, conquered northern China and eventually ended up with a kingdom that stretched to the edges of eastern Europe. Though he could not read or write himself, he established a system of law and governance, offering more rights to woman and allowing religious freedom, and his “Mongol Peace” ensured that the Silk Road was safe and profitable for more than 100 years.
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo (c.1254-1324) was a teenager when he went on a trading trip to China with his uncle and father. He spent decades in the Chinese court, becoming fast friends with the Emperor Kubilai Khan (grandson of Genghis) before returning home as a middle-aged man. His record of his adventures was popular with European readers. Although many thought it was complete fiction, mapmakers valued his descriptions. Over 100 years later, Christopher Columbus carried his own copy of Marco Polo’s book as he set out to reach China by travelling west.
Galloway and Hunter offer readers an easily comprehensible, yet entertaining and intriguing, narrative. Each chapter is enriched with sidebars covering a panorama of topics – geographical, historical, scientific and religious – such as the unknown location of Genghis Khan’s grave; the use of silk as armour; the effects of thin air in high mountains and the astounding statues of Buddha at Bamiyan (first described by Xuanzang and recently destroyed by the Taliban).
The text is enlivened by a handsome design with photographs of many places and items connected with the Silk Road and painting and drawings of people and scenes from a variety of artistic sources. Maps by Tina Holdcroft allow us to compare the routes of the three adventurers. There is a detailed index and a section for further reading.
This book has been a longstanding project of noted author Priscilla Galloway and, as she writes, is her last. Kudos to her and to her colleague Dawn Hunter who ably continued the book. Their excellent partnership has resulted in a rich and fascinating read.
Canadian Children's Book News (Spring 2010, Vol. 33, No. 2)
The ancient Silk Road – actually a series of trade routes across Asia – is the setting for a fascinating tale from Priscilla Galloway and Dawn Hunter. For about 2,000 years, intrepid travellers journeyed through this fabled route, spending years on the road and facing danger from the elements, animals and other humans.
To tell their story, Galloway and Hunter present three biographies. The Buddhist monk Xuanzang (c.602 664 CE) travelled from China to India to find and copy original Buddhist texts, but he also spent years teaching and learning from the people he met along the way and acquiring plants and other items to take back to China. Besides translating the scriptures he had brought home, he also wrote a record of his trip that is an invaluable account of life in the many lands he visited.
Their second figure is Genghis Khan (1162-1227) who united the Mongol tribes, conquered northern China and eventually ended up with a kingdom that stretched to the edges of eastern Europe. Though he could not read or write himself, he established a system of law and governance, offering more rights to woman and allowing religious freedom, and his “Mongol Peace” ensured that the Silk Road was safe and profitable for more than 100 years.
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo (c.1254-1324) was a teenager when he went on a trading trip to China with his uncle and father. He spent decades in the Chinese court, becoming fast friends with the Emperor Kubilai Khan (grandson of Genghis) before returning home as a middle-aged man. His record of his adventures was popular with European readers. Although many thought it was complete fiction, mapmakers valued his descriptions. Over 100 years later, Christopher Columbus carried his own copy of Marco Polo’s book as he set out to reach China by travelling west.
Galloway and Hunter offer readers an easily comprehensible, yet entertaining and intriguing, narrative. Each chapter is enriched with sidebars covering a panorama of topics – geographical, historical, scientific and religious – such as the unknown location of Genghis Khan’s grave; the use of silk as armour; the effects of thin air in high mountains and the astounding statues of Buddha at Bamiyan (first described by Xuanzang and recently destroyed by the Taliban).
The text is enlivened by a handsome design with photographs of many places and items connected with the Silk Road and painting and drawings of people and scenes from a variety of artistic sources. Maps by Tina Holdcroft allow us to compare the routes of the three adventurers. There is a detailed index and a section for further reading.
This book has been a longstanding project of noted author Priscilla Galloway and, as she writes, is her last. Kudos to her and to her colleague Dawn Hunter who ably continued the book. Their excellent partnership has resulted in a rich and fascinating read.
Canadian Children's Book News (Spring 2010, Vol. 33, No. 2)
August 17, 2010
A topic I haven't seen done before for kids and very well done too! Galloway took 3 famous (or infamous) travelors of the Silk Road and tells their stories. Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk who travelled to India to get original sources for Buddhist literature and who has become a staple of Chinese adventure stories, Genghis Khan, and Marco Polo. What a great way to introduce kids to nonfiction and careful research!
June 3, 2013
From an educator perspective, this book was awesome. It had a great story-telling aspect to tell the nonfiction story. There are great non-fiction text features that go in depth into pieces of each person's journey that adds interest to the topics.
January 12, 2012
I highly dislike non fiction books. they are so boring!
March 7, 2016
Fascinating and brief. Used in homeschooling and the teens loved it to!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews