Ancient Roads of China

China’s ancient roads mainly refer to the roads built before the late Qing Dynasty, when modern road building techniques were not known in China. At the site of the Shang Dynasty ruins, traces of road pavement with pottery pieces and gravel have been discovered. During the Warring States period, the roads became important. The erection of boardwalks on steep terrain was a major characteristic of road construction at that time. After unifying China, Emperor Qinshihuang began building an extensive road network that radiated from the capital Xianyang to the rest of the country. The Han Dynasty inherited this road system and improved the management of the transport system and the associated postal stations. The Sui Dynasty built one thousand miles of imperial roads. The Tang Dynasty put much effort into managing the courier stations along the roads. Suburban roads had smooth traffic, and the urban roads inside the cities also had a prominent design. The road network in the capital city of...