The Silk Road was a route that connected people from the East to West for hundreds of years and allowed     1    (they) to trade valuable goods with each other. But there’ s more to the story. The Silk Road should     2    (real) be called the Silk Roads. The Silk Road,    3    started in China, went west and branched out into many routes.

The Silk Road has been around for nearly 3,000 years. Most people know that valuable goods traveled along the route: silk and spices from China; jewels and wood from India; gold and animals from East Africa. These goods     4    (trade) in cities along the route or ended up as far west     5     Europe.

But the people     6    (travel) along the Silk Road were carrying something far     7    (valuable) than their goods. They were carrying ideas and technology. European travelers returned home with stories of huge Chinese ships they had seen. The compass is an example of a(n)     8    (invent) that came west from China. Europeans learned from Korean maps, which were advanced for the 1400s.

    9     was the 11,000 km Silk Road that shaped the world we know today. The many routes were a way for different people     10     (meet) each other and talk about the developing world.

Against a backdrop of misty green forests and     1     its buildings on stilts (桩), which are above the River Tuo, Fenghuang is a picturesque place to spend a day or two. Its winding allays, lined with traditional shops and temples, lead to narrow wooden bridges and stepping-stones that cross the river.

Although the town can get extremely busy with continual tour groups,     2     has managed to preserve much of its traditional     3     (architect). Wandering off the main streets allows you to get a sense of     4     it would have been like before the tourists began to visit and taste the local delicacies including bamboo rat, frog and snake.

Fenghuang itself does have a section of rebuilt Ming city walls     5     (run) along its riverbank, but it’s the Miaojiang Great Wall     6     is the main draw here. Built in 1554 during the Ming dynasty defence against the Miao, the wall     7     (destroy) partly by Miao ethnic group and then rebuilt under the Qing rulers, who also     8     (seek) to strengthen their power through the control of China’s southern minorities. Nowadays only a section is     9     (access), but it’s still     10     impressive sight, offering great views of the surrounding countryside.