Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.s3.t2.134

v2.c13.s3.t2.134

The trade passing through Ladakh gave it an economic importance and self-sufficiency for many centuries and also ensured that this region was well connected with a much larger global economy. However, numerous political and technological changes in the middle decades of the 20th century negatively affected the trade through this region and brought an end to its important role as a bridge between northern India, Tibet and Xinjiang.