Objective: Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty recruited envoys to the Western Regions, and prepared to contact Dayue, who was driven to the Western Regions by the Xiongnu from Hexi, to attack the Xiongnu with * * *. Zhang Qian, eager to contribute to the country, resolutely subscribed.
What happened: In BC 138, he traveled westbound from Chang 'an with more than 100 followers, and was caught by Huns on the way and detained for 12 years. He did not forget his mission, but managed to escape and arrive in Da Yue. At that time, Da Yue had already moved westward, and had no intention of fighting Xiongnu again. Zhang Qian returned to Chang 'an and reported to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty what he had seen and heard in the Western Regions and their desire to communicate with the Han Dynasty.
(3) Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions:
In BC 1 19, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions for the second time. Zhang Qian led a delegation, with thousands of cattle and sheep and a lot of silk, to visit many countries in the western regions. Western countries also sent envoys to visit Chang 'an. The exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions were more frequent.
(4) the establishment of the western regions:
2. Countries in the western regions joined the Han Dynasty one after another. In 60 BC, the Western Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Duhu, which was in charge of the affairs of the Western Regions. Since then, Xinjiang has been under the jurisdiction of the central government and has become an inseparable part of China.
3. Ban Chao manages the western regions;
In 73 AD, the Eastern Han Dynasty sent Ban Chao to the Western Regions. He helped the western countries get rid of the control of the Huns and was appointed as the protector of the western regions by the Eastern Han Dynasty. He has governed the western regions for 30 years and strengthened the ties between the western regions and the mainland. Ban Chao sent Gan Ying to Daqin and Gan Ying to the Persian Gulf. /kloc-in 0/66, the emissary of Daqin came to Luoyang, which was the first direct contact between European countries and China.
The route of the overland Silk Road
Generally speaking, the Silk Road can be divided into three sections, and each section can be divided into three routes: North, South and China.
Eastern section: from Chang 'an to Yumenguan and Yangguan. (Opened in Han Dynasty)
Middle section: from Yumenguan, Yangguanxi to Congling. (Opened in Han Dynasty)
Western section: from the green ridge to the west, through Central Asia and West Asia, until Europe. (opened in Tang Dynasty)
The following are the names of important cities in various sections of the Silk Road (ancient place names in brackets).
Eastern section
In the route selection of the eastern section, we should consider the safety and convenience of crossing Liupan Mountain and the Yellow River. The third line starts from Chang 'an or Luoyang, joins Wuwei and Zhangye, and then goes along the Hexi Corridor to Dunhuang.
Northern Line: Jingchuan, Guyuan and Jingyuan have the shortest routes to Wuwei, but it is not easy to pass water along the way.
South Line: From Fengxiang, Tianshui, Longxi, Linxia, Ledu, Xining to Zhangye, but the road is long.
Midline: Jingchuan to Pingliang, Huining, Lanzhou to Wuwei, with moderate distance and supply. Xi 'an (Chang 'an): Xumishan Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, Bingling Temple Grottoes Wuwei (Liangzhou) Zhangye (Ganzhou) Jiuquan (Suzhou) Dunhuang (Shazhou): Mogao Grottoes and Yulin Grottoes.
During the period of 10, in order to bypass the territory of Xixia, the government of the Northern Song Dynasty opened up the "Qinghai Road" from Tianshui to the western regions. It became a new trade route after the Song Dynasty. Tianshui Xining Fucheng Suoerkuli Basin (Suoerkuli)
middle piece
Caravans on the Silk Road. The route of the central region is mainly the western region, which changes with the change of oasis and desert. There are many forks and branches in the middle of the third line, especially the fourth town Anxi (established in 640).
South Road (also called Yutian Road): It starts from Yangguan in the east, along the southern edge of Taklimakan Desert, and passes through Ruoqiang (Shanshan), Hotan (Yutian), shache and other places. Jing Congling. Yang Guan Ruoqiang (Shanshan) and Qi Munnia (Jingjue) are one of the 36 Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty. Hotan (Khotan)
Zhongdao: It starts from Yumenguan, along the northern edge of Taklimakan Desert, and passes through Lop Nur (Loulan), Turpan (Auto Market, Gaochang), Yanqi (Yuli), Kuqa (Kucha), Aksu (Gu Mo) and Kashgar (Shule) to Fergana Valley (Dawan). Yumenguan Loulan (merged from Shanshan and now belongs to Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang) Turpan (Gaochang): Gaochang Old Town, Yarhar Ancient Town, Baizixi Thousand Buddha Cave Yanqi (Yuli) Kuqa (Qiuci): Qizil Thousand Buddha Cave, Kumutura Thousand Buddha Cave Aksu (Gu Mo) Kashi (Shule).
North Road: It starts from Anxi (Guazhou), passes through Hami (Yiwu), Jimsar (Tingzhou) and Yining (Yili), and ends in broken leaves. Hami, the waterway is rich in Hami melon Urumqi, which means the broken leaves of the beautiful grassland Yining (Yili)
Jessie Duan
From the jungle west to Europe, it is the western section of the Silk Road, and its north, south, middle and south lines correspond to the three lines in the middle section respectively. The route from Caspian Sea to Constantinople was opened in the middle of Tang Dynasty.
Northern line: along the Aral Sea, the Caspian Sea and the northern shore of the Black Sea, Itil passes through broken leaves, Virote, astrakhan and other places to Istanbul (Constantinople). Urumqi Almaty (Kazakhstan) Zambur City (Virote, now Kazakhstan City) tokmak (Broken Leaves, now Kyrgyzstan City) Sarai (Russia) Istanbul, Sark (Constantinople, now Turkey City)
Central Line: Starting from Kashgar, take Fergana Valley, Samarkand, Bukhara, etc. Go to Mashhad (Iran) and join the southern line. Kashgar or Peshawar, Kashgar: Khala Horin Avenue Kabul Bamiyan: The famous Bamiyan Buddha was destroyed by the Taliban in 200 1 year.
South Line: Starting from Pamirs, you can enter Pakistan and India from Kashmir, and you can also travel to Europe from Peshawar, Kabul, Mashhad, Baghdad and Damascus. Mashhad (Iran) Sabze Valh Hecatompylos (Fandou and Xie) may be located between Iranda Mugan and Shahrud today. ) Hamadan Kerman sahan Bakubai in Tehran (Iraq) Abu Hareb Fallujah in Baghdad: Follow the Euphrates River to Aleppo. Ramadi Alibo (Syrian) Damascus adana (Turkish) konya Antioch bursa Constantinople (Istanbul).
Development of the Silk Road on Land
Ancient times before 1 century BC
As early as ancient times, although mankind faced unimaginable natural and dangerous challenges, things in Eurasia were not as isolated as many people imagined. On the grasslands in the northern part of the Nile, the Two Rivers, the Indus and the Yellow River basins, there is a grassland road, which is generally connected by many discontinuous small-scale trade routes. This has been confirmed by many archaeological discoveries along the way. This road is the prototype of the earliest Silk Road.
In the early Silk Road, silk was not the main trade material. Around the 0/5th century BC/KLOC-,businessmen from China had already entered and exited the edge of Taklimakan Desert, bought Hetian jade stone produced in present Xinjiang, sold seashells and other coastal specialties, and conducted small-scale trade with Central Asia. Thoroughbred horses and other animals suitable for long-distance transportation are also used by people, making large-scale trade and cultural exchanges possible. For example, the dromedary camel often used in Arabia is thirsty, drought-tolerant and hungry. It was used for commercial transportation in 1 1 century BC. It is said that nomadic people scattered in Eurasia began to raise horses around 4 1 century BC. Camels with two humps will soon be used for business travel. In addition, the hinterland of Eurasia is a vast grassland and fertile land, which can be used for nomadic people and livestock transported by caravans to settle down anytime and anywhere, and to supplement water, food and fuel nearby. In this way, a caravan, caravan or army can travel long distances without making the great powers along the way notice their existence or arouse hostility.
The initial development of nephrite in Xinjiang was discovered in the archaeological study of the spouse's tomb of Shang Emperor Wu Ding. This shows that at least in13rd century BC, China began to do business with the western regions and even beyond. According to Guo Pu's biography of Mu, in 963 AD, he took silk, gold and silver and other valuables west to the Caspian Sea and brought Hetian jade back to China. Although the truth of this statement is still inconclusive, some silk products from this period have indeed been unearthed in archaeology along the Silk Road. During the Warring States Period in China, there were considerable foreign economic exchanges in the Central Plains. "Historical Records of Zhao Shijia" recorded a dialogue in the meeting: "Horses and dogs can't go down to the east, the jade of Kunshan can't come out, and the three treasures don't belong to the king." Threatening Zhao Huiwen with the wealth gained by Zhao Guo through foreign trade illustrates this point from the side: because people believe that "the jade of Kunshan" is nephrite produced at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, and Hu Gou is a dog breed produced in Central Asia and West Asia.
With the opening of the Hexi Corridor around the 5th century BC, the commercial exchanges between China and the West were promoted, and Shanshan, Qiuci and other western countries also gradually appeared during this period. At that time, "Seres" had appeared in European countries, which originated from the Greek word "Si" and evolved from the sound of "Si" in Chinese. )-China's name. This small-scale trade exchange shows that before the Han Dynasty, there had been long-term trade exchanges between the East and the West in various ways. Lapis lazuli is one of the important commodities on the early Silk Road, and it is also an important gem now. Not only silk, but also another famous commodity on the Silk Road, lapis lazuli from Badak Mountain in Afghanistan began to appear in China, India and Egypt as early as 3rd/kloc-0th century BC, which means that the commercial trade in Central Asia was earlier than the birth of some countries in this region. About 1000 years later, lapis lazuli trade began to spread to Harappa, India. Later, it became one of the seven treasures of Buddhism.