East meets West — The First Roman Embassy in China, 166ADAround 160AD the both the Roman and H

East meets West — The First Roman Embassy in China, 166ADAround 160AD the both the Roman and Han Chinese Empires were at the height of their powers.  Perhaps the greatest superpowers of the age, ironically neither empire had direct contact with each other.  Rather, the only knowledge either side had of each came through stories and here-say from merchants who regularly traveled the Silk Road, a trade route from east to west that was the only contact between Asia and Europe.  To the Ancient Chinese the Romans were known as the DaQin (Great China) because it was an empire said to rival that of China.  To the Romans the Chinese were known as the Seres, a name derived from the Latin word for silk.While there were a few moments when Chinese or Roman explorers came close to discovering each others realms, and one possible time when a Chinese envoy visited the court of Emperor Augustus, the first proven contact between Rome and China occurred in 166 AD.  There is confusion as to whether the envoy was sent by Antoninus Pius or Marcus Aurelius (who also took the name Antoninus), but the envoy is clearly described in the Hou Honshu (Book of Han) in which “An embassy came to Emperor Huan of China from Emperor Andun (Antoninus) of DaQin (Rome)."  While the embassy’s mission was to make contact with the east and explore the world, the primary mission of the expedition was to establish trade, especial to quench their thirst for a soft textile called silk.For the Chinese Emperor the Romans brought gifts of rhinoceros horns, ivory, tortoise shells, and a treatise on astronomy.  In return the Romans brought back as much silk as they could carry.  Little else is known about the envoy, but it sparked a revolution in trade and commerce, as both sides sold their respective goods to each other for many centuries.  Roman luxury goods were highly prized in China, especially Roman glassware, gold embroidered rugs, and fireproof cloth.  The Chinese exported silk, by far the most popular and valuable trade good from the east which was traded long after the fall of the Roman Empire.  A least three other Roman embassies are recorded in history, while many more were conducted by Rome’s successor state; the Byzantine Empire.  Keep in mind, this was over a thousand years before Marco Polo was even born. -- source link

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