@Fasces @Potemkin
Okay here is some but not everything. Just some context before I give out the videos, the silk road existed for a very long time but in general there are 2 timeframes that i personally consider noteworthy.
1) During Roman times when both China and Rome were large and strong that was around Ceasar and then later Augustuses time at its peak until first China collapsed and then Rome collapsed. This is perhaps the first time silk road severely peaked.
2) During the late middle ages when the Mongols re-opened the silk road to a large extent by creating a safe empire between Europe and China.
After that we all know how it went. The goods that went East and West were pretty similar along the thousands of years with some exceptions as I mentioned. Although there were some "special" items during times as I said.
So to start, the very short version:
Chinese primary source version with vague language for modern understanding:
Here is the explanation about the dyes that China imported(timecoded, but you can watch the whole video if you are interested):
The sea shell claim needs more research though, although It might have been some coral or whatever that primarily Indians imported. Not super sure right now.