eTransformation of the Silk Road: Rejuvenating a Historical Trade Network

The Silk Road was a historical trade route that was most active in the 7th-9th centuries. The old Silk Road is little more than history now, but the cities and countries spread out across the old networks have not entirely disappeared. Contemplating a new Silk Road oriented around electronic commerce invokes a paradigm shift in terms of the societal framework for changes to be enacted. In this paper we seek to describe the current status and identify opportunities for the cities of the Silk Road to build on the successes of the past, thus creating e-commerce opportunities for the future. Through research in progress, we aim to discover if the former glory and success of the historical Silk Road can be reborn in a new eSilk Road. We draw on data gathered from published academic and government sources as well as from academic, government and business leaders in key Silk Road cities in Western China and Central Asia. In addition, we contribute our own personal findings and reflections based on site visits to key localities and interviews with local residents. We explore how a socio-technical approach to e-commerce development might be undertaken so as to maximize sensitivity to local norms and simultaneously involve local participants. Conclusions on the viability of an eSilk Road are drawn.