On July 22, Xi'an — where the Silk Road began — hosted the Digital Silk Road Development Forum.

7月22日，丝路起点的西安，世界互联网大会数字丝路发展论坛开幕。

About 800 guests from 52 countries showed up to talk "Silk Road e-commerce".

52个国家和地区，约800位代表，聊的都是“丝路电商”那些事。

And yet, standing on this thousand-year-old ground, you have to ask: Did ancient people have their own e-commerce?

可站在这千年古都的土地上，你忍不住想问：古时候的人，有“电商”吗？

Yes — they just did it differently.

有，只不过玩法不一样。

Instead of clicking a button, they wrote letters to friends — basically, “shopping requests”.

没有“立即购买”，他们就写信给朋友——说白了就是“代购请求”。

In 1990, archaeologists dug up a letter in Dunhuang called "Yuan to Zifang". It's basically an ancient shopping list.

1990年敦煌出土了一封《元致子方书》，说白了就是一张汉代“购物清单”。

The guy "Yuan" asked his buddy "Zifang" to buy him a pair of size 45 leather boots — and even specified the lining.

写信的“元”托好朋友“子方”帮忙买一双45码的皮鞋，连鞋里用什么料都交代得清清楚楚。

Some things never change — picky shoppers have always existed.

看来，挑剔的买家从来都不缺。

The Silk Road also had its own cross-border traders — the Sogdian merchants.

丝路上还有一群跨境贸易的专业户——粟特商人。

They carried Chinese musk all the way to Central Asia and brought back pepper, camphor, and other exotic goods.

他们把中国麝香一路运到中亚，再把胡椒、樟脑这些洋货带回中原。

And get this — they even had their own version of a "sharing economy".

更有意思的是，他们还玩出了“共享经济”。

Couldn't afford a camel? Just rent one.

买不起骆驼？租一头呗。

A contract from 931 AD shows two men renting a 10-year-old camel for six bolts of silk and a piece of fine brocade.

敦煌出土的《雇驼契》记载，公元931年，两个人租了头十岁的骆驼，租金是六匹生绢加一匹高档绫。

That's basically a 10th-century freight truck rental.

这不就是十世纪的“货运出租”吗？

By the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an's East and West Markets became the ultimate shopping destinations.

到了唐代，长安城的东西市就是顶级的“购物天堂”。

The Chinese word for "shopping" — "mǎi dōng xī",literally "buy east and west" — actually comes from these two markets.

我们今天说的“买东西”，词源就在这里。

The East Market was the upscale district, selling luxury goods to the royals and nobles.

东市靠近皇宫，是高端消费区，卖的是国内奢侈品。

The West Market was the global bazaar — open, bustling, and full of exotic finds.

西市面向世界，热闹非凡，到处是来自异域的稀奇玩意儿。

The West Market alone covered a square kilometer, with over 220 trades and more than 40,000 shops.

光西市就占了一平方公里，220多个行业，四万多家店铺。

Persian silver, Roman coins, Central Asian spices — you name it, they had it.

波斯银器、罗马金币、西域香料——你叫得上名的，那儿都有。

And those famous taverns with foreign waitresses in Li Bai's poems? Right there in the West Market.

李白诗里那些“胡姬酒肆”，就在西市，诗仙没少去。

They didn't stop at shops — they also built a canal straight to the West Market, so timber and grain could come in by boat.

光有店铺还不够，长安城还挖了条漕渠直通西市，木材和粮食直接走水路运到门口。

That's what you call a Tang Dynasty supply chain.

这就是唐代的供应链了。

Back to this year's forum. People talked about AI cutting costs and bringing African chili sauce to Chinese kitchens.

再说回今年的论坛，大家讨论的是怎么用AI省钱、怎么把卢旺达辣酱送进中国家庭。

But deep down, it's the same old story — merchants trying to sell their musk at a good price.

可说到底，和千年前那帮商人想把麝香卖个好价钱，没两样。

The ancient "guosuo" (travel pass) and camel contracts? They're today's payment systems and tracking numbers.

当年的“过所”和租骆驼的契约，就是今天的跨境支付和快递单号。

Technology changes the way we trade, but the core stays the same — getting great things to people who want them.

技术换了，核心没变——把好东西送到需要的人手里。

The Silk Road was never just a road; 

丝路从来不是一条路，

it was a desire to connect.

它是一种渴望——联通彼此的渴望。

From camels to 5G, 

从骆驼到5G，

speed has changed beyond recognition. 

速度早就天翻地覆。

But the dream behind it? 

可背后的那个梦想，

That's never aged a day.

一点都没老。

Author: Fly Niu, Xueqing, Ian, Zimo, An

Picture: Yui, VCG