WI Gan Ying reach rome ?

[Undeadmuffin]

In 97 AD an official chinese envoy by the name of Gan Ying was sent by the general Ban Chao to explore the ''far-west'' region. He never went further then Mesopotamia because Parthian officials convinced him that reaching Rome (already known by the chinese as the distant Daqin) would take two more years.

I always imagined that the Parthian lied to him about the trip duration to avoid contact between what could become its two biggest rivals.

What if Gan Ying didn't listen to the Parthian and reach Rome ?

Would it only resulted to an anecdotal meeting or it could have forged more deeper relations ?

 

[Practical Lobster]

What sort of rivalry existed between Parthia and China?

It would have been as successful as the Mauryan missions to the Diadochi, I expect.

 

[Alex Richards]

I suspect that it would, at best, lead to intermittent visits from one or the other and perhaps a small uptick in trade along the Proto-Silk road of the time.

 

[Richard V]

It could lead to a profound change in how China perceives itself and the outside world. The two empires would not be able to coordinate, but intermittent contact over centuries would have lasting divergence. I expect the later Tang and Song dynasties would maintain some level of diplomacy with the eastern empire after the fall of Rome.

One wonders what Gan Ying would make of the Great Library of Alexanderia, and what if he took home a few volumes that would later be lost to the various destructions of the library.

 

[XFE]

From what I can gather, it was less of a fear of coordination against Parthia, and more of the Parthian monopoly on tariffing Han-Roman trade.

 

[Undeadmuffin]

It could lead to a profound change in how China perceives itself and the outside world. The two empires would not be able to coordinate, but intermittent contact over centuries would have lasting divergence. I expect the later Tang and Song dynasties would maintain some level of diplomacy with the eastern empire after the fall of Rome.

One wonders what Gan Ying would make of the Great Library of Alexanderia, and what if he took home a few volumes that would later be lost to the various destructions of the library.

I wonder what knowledge would ended up be exchanged between the two culture

 

[Arkenfolm]

One wonders what Gan Ying would make of the Great Library of Alexanderia, and what if he took home a few volumes that would later be lost to the various destructions of the library.

I'd be most interested if he grabbed the Epic Cycle and thus introduced the eight epics on the Trojan War into China. Even more amusing if it isn't the Iliad or the Odyssey which finds some audience in China, but one of the other pieces of it. The West will not likely discover whatever remains of what Gan Ying grabbed until later. Overall, an interesting idea as to preserving those pieces of the Epic Cycle.

 

[Avrorrange]

I wonder what knowledge would ended up be exchanged between the two culture

Next to none.Why do I say so?Because a number of Roman embassies did reach China iotl.

 

[Undeadmuffin]

Next to none.Why do I say so?Because a numberof Roman embassies did reach China iotl.

From what i could get it was not official embassies but ambitious merchants that tried to create commercial ties

 

[Lord Of Tacos]

I doubt that many things would have change. Both empires were really far away from each other making it difficult to engage in extensive diplomatic or cultural exchange, the Silk road probably will remain in Partian Control and it's unlikely that both empires would team up against Partia; they could still keep in touch using the Indian Ocean trade routes but China wasn't that interested in trade to make Gan Ying the Chinese Marco Polo.

Political history might probably continue as OTL: Rome would probably fall to the Barbarians and China continue its dynastic cycle, Christianity becoming a rising and dominant religion.

Netherless probably the notion of the Middle Kingdom being the centre of the world could disappear or at least weaken if the Han realize that there's another large and advance nation across the Continent. And perhaps more traders would try to visit the other side of the world, and some inventions could travel across like paper and glass making, if you want massive butterflies the POD would need to be tech-exchange like for example give Romans paper and the printing press.

 

[XFE]

Netherless probably the notion of the Middle Kingdom being the centre of the world could disappear or at least weaken if the Han realize that there's another large and advance nation across the Continent.

But they did realize there was a large and immensely powerful Empire across the continent. Daqin, referring to Rome is supposed to be an equally powerful counter-China on the other side of the world.

 

[Lord Of Tacos]

But they did realize there was a large and immensely powerful Empire across the continent. Daqin, referring to Rome is supposed to be an equally powerful counter-China on the other side of the world.

Not that It mattered, They still acted like every nation in the world ought to acknowledge China as the center of the world and pay tribute.

 

[XFE]

Not that It mattered, They still acted like every nation in the world ought to acknowledge China as the center of the world and pay tribute.

And that really wouldn't change unless China is given a massive, continuous beating like, well, OTL.

 

[Indicus]

If you really want a stronger proto-Silk Road, I think you're going to want the Kushan Empire to conquer Sogdiana. Then, you have a trade route between Rome and the Kushan going across or along the Black Sea - just about reaching the Roman Empire at its maximum extent.