Silk, Spice and Everything Nice: Tang Dynasty Along the Silk Road, 750 CE
The year is 750 CE, and the Silk Road is alive now more than ever. Under the Tang dynasty, merchants, monks, diplomats, and soldiers travel across deserts and mountains, carrying silk, spices, ideas, and secrets between the East and the West. But with wealth comes risk: rival powers, shifting alliances, bandits, and imperial ambitions threaten to disrupt the fragile balance of trade.
The Silk Road is also becoming a battlefield as the Tang dynasty, Abbasid Caliphate, and Turkic tribes vie for influence over the lucrative routes of the Silk Road. Bandits threaten the safety of the route, while smugglers attempt to grow rich through the chaos. Cities on the route grow richer and more powerful through their strategic locations, but because of this, they also have to balance the interests of greater powers or risk total annihilation.
As delegates, you will navigate the intersection of empire, commerce, and culture. You may broker alliances, protect caravans, expand influence, or exploit the chaos for your own gain. Every deal could build prosperity or spark conflict across the route.
The fate of the Silk Road rests in your hands. Whether you lead with diplomacy, strategy, or deception is up to you. The road is open, if you can survive the journey.
Rachel Avery
chair
Rachel Avery is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Economics with a specialization in Data Science. She’s originally from Philly and did Model UN in her junior and senior years of high school. This will be her second year chairing at ChoMUN, after serving as an assistant chair for the Guns Out, Suns Out: A Very Uncivil War in Downtown Galveston, 1924 committee at ChoMUN XXIX last year.
Outside of MUN, Rachel serves as VP of Education for Kappa Alpha Theta and a member of BlackGen Capital.
Rachel can’t wait to be your chair for ChoMUN XXIX!. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rachel at rzavery@uchicago.edu.
Mark Boland
crisis director
Mark is a third-year at UChicago and a Chicago local who’s proud to call this city his home. Mark is studying Political Science and a lot of his work has driven his to think about history and politics in various contexts. Hence, Mark was drawn towards ChoMUN, where he’s ecstatic to serve as a Crisis Director for this committee!
Feel free to reach out to Mark with any questions or concerns at mboland1@uchicago.edu!
Alya Hasan
crisis director
Ayla Hasan is a junior at the University of Chicago majoring in Economics and Cognitive Science. She is from Houston, Texas, and enjoys reading, running, and trying new restaurants. Ayla is very excited to be leading a committee this year, after previously serving as an Assistant Chair on the Ambani Wedding committee.
Feel free to reach out to Ayla with any questions or concerns at aylahasan@uchicago.edu!
Secretariat oversight:
Elizabeth zeilman, under-secretary-general