The west route of the Southern Silk Road starts from Chengdu through Yunnan and India to Central Asia, West Asia and the Mediterranean region of Europe. It is the earliest Sino-West traffic route recorded in the historical documents. The middle route of the Southern Silk Road starts from Sichuan through Yunnan to Vietnam and Indo-China Peninsula. It was recorded as Butou Road or Jinsan Road in the historical documents. The eastern route of the Southern Silk Road is called Yelang Road starting from Sichuan through Guizhou, Guangxi and Guangdong to the South China Sea.

Dating back to 4,000 years ago, there were several passages in the Sichuan Basin from the south to the coast, and to the present Myanmar and India. Some important archaeological discoveries, such as sea shells and ivories unearthed in Sanxingdui, Chengdu, conch and ivories in Daxi culture, glass beads unearthed in Maoshan and Tushan in Chongqing. All the articles were not produced locally, but from the South China Sea in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. All of them fully prove that the Bashu ancestors have had exchanges with the people in the southern world.

The Bashu culture, the Yunnan culture, the Yelang culture and Buddhist culture, the Bimo culture, the Dongba culture and other colorful minority cultures along the Southern Silk Road are all important parts of the Southern Silk Road cultural heritage. Along the road, you could explore the not only old ruins but also the local culture, such as Sanxingdui and Dujiangyan Irrigation System in Chengdu, Erhai Lake and Old Town in Dali, Shizhong Mountain Grottoes in Jianchuan and Sichuan Museum, etc.