One of the titles of our articles is "Talk about Ancient and Modern Times". Here we will talk about the ancient supply chain. We can think about HE Tuber what the supply chain looked like ten years ago, what management tools were available, and how goods were shipped.

Think again about how those predecessors "played" the supply chain a hundred years ago, or even a thousand years ago. The ancient Silk Road and Zheng He's voyages to the West are all typical supply chains and the wisdom of the ancients. Let’s take the ancient Silk Road to analyze what the ancient supply chain was like.

1. Ancient Silk Road
If you study history, you will know that the ancient Silk Road was actually divided into two parts, land and sea. The land is the one we usually talk about. It was also promoted by Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions. It started from the ancient capital Chang'an (or Luoyang) and passed through Eurasia, reaching Rome.
This road connected ancient Eastern and Western civilizations. From the transportation methods of the ancient Silk Road, including camels, horses, carriages and manpower, we can see that it mainly relied on human and animal power. This shows that in terms of logistics, it was very backward compared to modern times.
At the same time, in terms of communication conditions, it can only be passed by flying pigeons or fast horses, and it is difficult to guarantee the timeliness.
There are also many restrictions on commodities, regions, productivity, etc.

2.Ancient supply chain
From the previous introduction, we can summarize the characteristics of ancient supply chains.
There will be many restrictions. Due to geographical conditions and transportation restrictions, the ancient supply chain used some human and animal power. These transportation methods are very restricted by geographical conditions, weather conditions, etc., and are inefficient and have long transportation cycles.
Management is relatively simple. This is due to limited information transmission and poor information exchange in all links of the supply chain. For some coordinated management and decision-making, we can only rely on experience and judgment. The lack of timely communication will lead to inconsistent management. Ability to adopt simple management.
The scope of trade was not large. Although the ancient Silk Road connected the Eurasian continent, it was actually just a line, and it was difficult. It did not cover the surrounding areas, mainly some important cities and trade centers, such as Urumqi in the northwest. At that time Many surrounding areas have not participated, which makes the market size of the ancient supply chain relatively small, slow to expand, and limited in number of participants.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of ancient supply chains
It is said that everything has two sides, and everything is relative. It has advantages and disadvantages. I think the advantage of the supply chain is not only to promote the economic development at that time, but more importantly, to carry out some cultural and ideological exchanges and do some exploration through the supply chain in that relatively closed era.

1) Summarize the advantages:
Promoting economic development must be the first priority. The supply chain itself is a business and economic exchange. All regions can optimize the allocation of resources and promote economic growth. The circulation of products between regions is trade. The supply chain promotes trade exchanges between regions, allowing specialty products from each region to circulate to other regions, allowing people to enjoy these benefits and enrich their lives.
Cultural exchange and inheritance, the supply chain is not only the circulation of goods, but also promotes the exchange and inheritance of culture, technology, and ideas from various places. In this process, the collision and integration of different cultures injected vitality into the development of ancient civilization.
Promoting geographical exploration, ancient supply chains also promoted the development of geographical exploration. In order to meet trade needs, caravans and explorers continued to open up new trade routes, promoting the accumulation and expansion of geographical knowledge.

2) The shortcomings are still due to the underdevelopment of some information and backward methods, such as:
Due to inconvenient transportation and low efficiency, limited by the transportation and technical conditions at the time, the transportation efficiency of the ancient supply chain was low, and the logistics speed and transportation capacity were limited, resulting in long commodity circulation cycles and slow market response.
Information is opaque and difficult to transmit. In ancient times, there was a lack of modern communication means, and information transmission was inconvenient. Information communication among supply chain participants was not smooth, which could easily lead to an imbalance between supply and demand and increase transaction costs and risks.
Affected greatly by the natural environment, the ancient supply chain was highly dependent on the natural environment. Factors such as weather changes and natural disasters may have a greater impact on the supply chain and cause poor stability.
Lack of standardization and standardized management. Ancient supply chain management lacked standardized and standardized means, resulting in uneven product quality and chaotic market order, which is not conducive to the long-term development of the supply chain.
4. The value of ancient supply chains
In other words, the meaning is actually a bit like the advantages of the supply chain, which is its sublimation. We can talk about it from several aspects.

Economic value: The ancient supply chain promoted the production, circulation and trading of commodities, and promoted the development of the ancient economy. Through the operation of the supply chain, goods from various places can be exchanged, meeting people's diverse needs and promoting market prosperity.
Cultural value: Along with the circulation of commodities, ancient supply chains also promoted the spread and exchange of culture. Culture, art, technology, etc. from different regions are spread through the supply chain, enriching the cultural connotation of various places and promoting the progress of civilization.
Social value: The development of ancient supply chains also promoted social changes and progress. Take our ancient Silk Road as an example. Its opening promoted exchanges and cooperation between the East and the West, deepened people's understanding of the outside world, and promoted social progress and openness.
Historical value: As an important carrier of historical development, ancient supply chains provide valuable historical materials for our study of ancient economies and societies. By studying ancient supply chains, we can gain a deeper understanding of the economic status, cultural development, social life and other aspects of ancient society.