The languages of many ethnic minorities that were active along the ancient Silk Road have been preserved in historical documents, the contents of which provide an abundance of first-hand historical research material. These records reflect the historical formation and development of the ancient Silk Road, as well as the contributions made by each ethnic group to the development of the Silk Road. The Silk Road also shaped many cultural figures important to each ethnic group, artists and thinkers who contributed greatly to the culture of the Silk Road and advanced the cultural exchanges between East and West. At the same time, these documents also indicate the blending of various peoples, the vanishing of languages, the extinction of written scripts, and the conversion of religions that resulted from these cultural exchanges. These documents reflect both the diversity of the Silk Road and the tendency toward localization experienced by each ethnic culture, as well as the indivisible relationships between various ethnic groups.
