Silk Road Religion

“Prostitution, Religion, and the New Silk Road” Robb Gifford of National Public Radio takes the roads of China and uncovers information from the locals within China on a wide variety of subjects. This web series manages to capture the perspectives of the local people, which in turn provides a fresh perspective straight from the source itself. Focusing on the prostitution market, Christianity, and the changing markets along the Silk Road, what do all of these subjects have in common? Each subject is ever changing and developing. Prostitution in China is quite the interesting topic. Communism attempted to keep prostitution at bay, as it was once highly frowned upon. In more modern times, prostitution has become more popular. Young women

For these services she is paid twelve dollars an hour. It is these jobs that can lead to her fourth accompaniment, which costs three times more than her standard hourly rate. As to be expected, a third of her income must go to the owner of the bar, also known as her pimp. What is sad about this interview is that this young girl displays that she is ashamed of what she does. She was in a sense left with few options to help support her family, amid her parent’s financial struggles. These stories are not unheard of even within other countries, as the industry is usually flooded with girls who feel that they lack options. Finding themselves, trapped within this industry, the girls enter a cycle they are unable to escape. Upon concluding his interview with this young girl Gifford more forward with his road

Within the Gobi Desert is the Silk Road, known for its trade markets as well as transmission routes. Originally, spices, silks, and porcelain dominated the trade markets, however, the markets have expanded and now sells a wide variety of goods. Technological devices are considered a status symbol and therefore, remain in high demand. One of Gifford interviewees explains that cell phones are highly valued in the region. This displays the increasing desire for technological advances within China, which could lead to political and even economical breakthroughs in the future, assuming the heavy restriction regarding technology become lifted or infracted