During the time period when the Silk Road was most prevalent, there were goods of all varieties being transported. These included ones other than just physical, there were ideas and new religions that traveled through the people moving along the towns and cities. These ideas included Judaism being integrated into Chinese culture.[1]
Jewish peoples traveled along various parts of the Silk Road and subsequently lived in certain places, mixing their culture with others along the Eurasian routes. Jewish peoples traveled to China from the Silk Road and established their presence there as merchants.[3]
In 2600 BCE, the Akkadian Empire was established, also known as the empire of the Semites. Semites were named as such to describe people who spoke Semetic language, and the Akkadians were a subset of the Semites. In 3000 BCE, the Akkadians migrated north and contributed greatly to the Mesopotamian civilization that developed in that area. As well as helping with the development of Mesopotamian civilization, they also contributed to the trade and culture of ancient Eastern Asia.[1]
During the time period of the Tang Dynasty, between the 8th and 9th century, there were a number of campaigns led by Gao Xianzhi Talas that introduced ideas and material goods to the Islamic countries as well as China from the Western Regions. The material goods included wool products, jade, high quality horses, medicines. The ideas that were introduced were the religions from the Western Regions such as Buddhism, and the advancement of already introduced religions such as Islam, Nestorianism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism.[1]
The Jewish people around the 8th century became a well-established group of traders along the Silk Road.[4] They operated a monopoly over trading routes for years. These merchants were multilingual and were knowledgeable of different cultures and customs since their profession required frequent travel across the Silk Road.[4]
Jewish merchants brought with them silk, spices, and fruits from China back to Europe after having established small communities along the Silk Road in China.[5]
During the 8th and 9th century and on, the Jewish people traveled to China but did not settle. According to the inscribed stelae, the Jewish people arrived in China’s capital, Kaifeng, around 1120. The first concrete evidence of Jewish communities in Kaifeng, China was included in the stelae with the earliest stela dated 1489. It is mentioned in the stelae that the Jewish people who first arrived here were most likely cotton merchants from India. The first synagogue was built in 1163, which lasted until the 1850s due to constant repair that was needed for the damage done by floods and other destructive weather events. These merchants were then followed by immigrants who traveled over land and sea from Persia, eventually totaling between 1000-2000 from the 16th to the 18th century.[2]
[2][1]Su-il, J. (2017).
[2]Eber, Irene. ‘Jews’.
[3]Rubin, Aaron and Lily Kahn (2021).
[4]Wexler, Paul (2021).
[5] Levenson, Gabe (2008).