China Silk Road Stock Footage
The Chinese Silk Road was a series of trade routes linking the ancient Chinese civilization with India, Persia and the Mediterranean. Its name came from China’s most important export, silk, although it was used to transport a wide variety of goods.
Still used for trading today, it has also become a popular tourist destination as many traditional customs and historical landmarks are still to be found in the cities and locations along the route, as well as some stunning mountain and desert scenery.
Click here to see our selection of Chinese Silk Road stock footage clips.
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| Xinjiang Mountains | Camels in Desert | Uyghur Man | Dry Desert Lake |
Famous Silk Road Cities
The main Chinese Silk Road begins in Chang’an (now called Xi’an) in Shaanxi Province then goes northwest through Gansu Province to Kashgar in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and then leaves Chinese borders and leads to Samarkand in what is now Uzbekistan.
Our Chinese Silk Road stock footage includes clips of the following famous cities and locations along the Silk Road:
- Xian: including the Xian Muslim Quarter founded originally by Muslim merchants, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Jiayuguan Pass, the westernmost section of the Great Wall of China in the Gobi Desert in Gansu Province
- Dunhuang, Gansu Province: the Mogao Caves in the Gobi Desert
- Hetian, also known as Khotan, or Hotan: traditional crafts such as jade carving and spinning silk from silkworms
- Turfan, or Turpan: home of the Emin Minaret Mosque
- Kashgar, also known as Kashi, ancient oasis city at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert: including shots of the Kashgar Grand Bazaar, Abakh Hoja Tomb and Id Kah Mosque
To see our Chinese Silk Road stock footage selection, click here.
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| Emin Minaret Mosque | Abakh Hoja Tomb | Kashgar Grand Bazaar | Tuyoq Oasis Village |
Chinese Silk Road Landscapes
Scenery along the Chinese Silk Road various from the snow-capped Pamir Mountains to the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts. Our Chinese Silk Road stock footage collections includes the following landscapes:
- Taklamakan Desert and the Flaming Mountains
- Aiding Lake, a dry desert lake in Xinjiang
- Lake Karakul in Xinjiang
- Rural Xinjiang: fields of cotton and red chilli pepper crops
Click here to see our selection of Chinese Silk Road stock footage clips.
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| Rural Xinjiang | Karakul Lake | Taklamakan Desert | Field of Red Chili Peppers |
Silk Road Culture
Traditional crafts and life is still very evident along the Silk Route, especially among ethnic minority people, like the Uyghurs. Our Chinese Silk Road stock footage includes the following shots of traditional Chinese culture:
- Uyghur muslim ethnic minority people in traditional costume
- Traditional crafts like spinning silk from silkworms, handmaking paper and carving jade
- Busy markets and bazaars
- Harvesting crops in rural fields
- Kashgar Livestock Market, with cattle, sheep and Uighur ethnic minority farmers
To see our selection of Chinese Silk Road stock footage clips, click here.
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| Traditional Silk Road crafts | Uyghur Music | Kashgar Livestock Market | Harvesting crops |
For more information on the contents of our China Stock Footage Library, click on the following links:
CHINESE SILK ROAD SHOTREELS
A selection of shotreels featuring some of our Chinese Silk Road stock footage:
| Uyghurs in Xinjiang | Rural Xinjiang | Emin Minaret Mosque | Kashgar Old Town | Kashgar Livestock Market |
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| Silk Road Crafts | Taklamakan Desert | Great Wall at Jiayuguan | Xinjiang Mountains | Hetian, Xinjiang |
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