The Silk Road is generally divided into three sections, namely the eastern, the middle and the western sections.

　　The eastern section starts from Chang'an that is today’s Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, to Dunhuang and many well-know ancient cities were located here. The middle section of the Silk Road runs from Yumen Pass to Conglin, an ancient place in today’s Pamirs. The area west to the Conglin is the weastern section of the Silk Road.

　　It is worth mention that the Silk Road is not a single route but a number of trade routes.