Dlhá hodvábna cesta

Kedysi dávno obchodníci podnikali veľmi dlhú cestu naprieč Áziou. Túto starú trasu ľudia nazývajú Hodvábna cesta. Viedla z Číny až do Európy, cez vysoké hory a suché púšte. Celá cesta bola dlhšia než šesťtisíc kilometrov.

Long ago, traders made a very long journey across Asia. People call this old route the Silk Road. It went from China all the way to Europe, across high mountains and dry deserts. The whole road was more than six thousand kilometres long.

Obchodníci vozili hodváb z Číny na chrbtoch tiav a koní. Predávali aj čaj, koreniny a krásne kamene. Na spiatočnej ceste vozili do Číny sklo, kone a zlato. Cesta bola pomalá a náročná a mohla trvať mnoho mesiacov.

Merchants carried silk from China on the backs of camels and horses. They also sold tea, spices, and beautiful stones. On the way back, they brought glass, horses, and gold to China. The trip was slow and hard, and it could take many months.

Hodvábna cesta prenášala viac než len tovar. Prenášala aj myšlienky, umenie a nové slová medzi Východom a Západom. Ľudia v Ríme milovali hodváb, ale nevedeli, ako sa vyrába. Niektorí si dokonca mysleli, že hodváb rastie na stromoch ako listy.

The Silk Road moved more than goods. It also moved ideas, art, and new words between East and West. People in Rome loved silk, but they did not know how it was made. Some of them even thought that silk grew on trees like leaves.