The Cape Route and the Silk Roads

Did you know that the fan, which was used in Japan by men, became transformed into a female European accessory when it was adopted by the Portuguese Queen in Lisbon? The Cape Route was opened in 1499 to bring spices to Europe, but the Portuguese vessels also brought other products from the lands of Asia, while European technology and science, Christianity and American silver reached every corner of Asia. The Cape Route enabled products and ideas to circulate within the Silk Roads system, involving Eurasia from West to East, and transformed Lisbon into the hub that spread new patterns of consumption and new fashions in Europe. It also introduced new forms of warfare, new scientific knowledge and a new religion throughout Asia.