China has a vast history of thousands of years, from the earliest Xia to the last Qing Dynasty, through countless countries and dynasties. If it is said that among these many countries and dynasties, who has existed for the longest time, it is likely that the first impression of most people is Zhou. It was the third Chinese slave dynasty in Chinese history, beginning in 1046 BC and ending in 256 BC. A total of 32 generations and 37 kings, enjoying 780 years of the country, is the peak of the ancient slave dynasty.
But if you calculate the time of existence, the Zhou Dynasty may have to stand on the sidelines, because the Weiguo Guozuo was a hundred years longer than it. The small country I want to talk about today is almost four hundred years longer than it, but it is from the Warring States to the Northern Song Dynasty. This kingdom, which lasted for 1,200 years, was called Khotan. Khotan was the ancient Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions, and in fact, Khotan was established in 1238. It began in 232 BC, the year during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the fifteenth year of the Reign of the Qin Dynasty.
He died in 1006 AD, the third year of the Jingde Dynasty of the Northern Song Dynasty, which had just reached the hands of the third emperor. It can be seen that the Khotanese state is indeed quite long, and at its peak, the territory included the current hetian, Pishan, Moyu, Luopu, Cele, Yutian, Minfeng and other counties and cities. Its monarch was the Wei Chi clan, and two monarchs in the middle changed their surname to Li because they admired the Tang Dynasty, these two were The Wei Chi monk Wu Bo (Li Shengtian) and Wei Chi Sula (Li Congde).
Regardless of whether the surname was changed or not, it was always this family that controlled the kingdom of Khotan, and Xuanzang, who had personally experienced Khotan in the Tang Dynasty, once recorded in the "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty": Since zizi has descended, yi has inherited the world, and the kingdom has been passed on, without losing its knowledge. It can be seen from this that the Wei Chi clan controlled Khotan for thousands of years, and the political power was always in their hands. There are also many legends about the founding of the Wei Chi clan, whether in Han and Tibetan historical records, or in Dunhuang murals.
Most of the legends are related to Buddhism, and one also says that the people who founded Khotan were princes abandoned by Ashoka. This prince was adopted by the Han King Bodhisattva, and when he grew up, he ran west and was built in Khotan. He also competed with the Indian minister Yeshe for territory, and Duowen Tiantian and the auspicious Heavenly Lady both came to resolve their contradictions, and the two lived in the upper and lower reaches of the White Jade River. Legends are legends, which have not yet been confirmed, and are most likely based on Khotanese religious beliefs.
It is worth mentioning that there is some controversy about the inhabitants of Khotan, one saying that they are Scythians and the other saying that they are mixed tibetan and Indian tribes. History of the North? The Biography of Khotan is recorded as follows: From the west of Gaochang, the kingdoms and others have deep eyes and high noses. However, this country does not look very hu, quite similar to China. However, it is certain that the history books alone cannot be relied on, and the history books are also debated endlessly, so the exact race of the Khotanese inhabitants is still to be studied in depth.
To say that this location can be quite good in ancient times, its east is the end and the fine, the west is Shache, Shule, just in the important stronghold of the Silk Road trade. As a result, it was prosperous for a while, and it was once one of the most powerful countries in the southern province of the Western Regions. Its culture also has a clear intersection of things, and archaeologists have found that the coinage used here in the early AD is printed in Chinese on the front and the Back is printed with the Lu script. After thousands of years, Khotan has also been up and down, sometimes beaten by other countries and sometimes annexed by others.
However, its connection with the Central Plains Dynasty has always been very close, and it has long paid tribute to the Central Plains Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he also married the daughter of the patriarch to the Khotanese royal family, and they also came to assist in the Anshi Rebellion. Married to Wei Chisheng, the daughter of the Tang Dynasty, after the central plains rebellion was settled, he finally died in Chang'an. In a quiet corner of Khotan, relations with the Central Plains Dynasty and neighboring countries have always been reconciled, which may be one of the reasons why they can be safe and sound for a thousand years.
However, beginning in 960 AD, there was a very long war between Khotan and the Qarakhanid dynasty, as the Qarakhanid musa khan declared Islam a state. The Buddhist Khotanese went to war with its religion for forty years, and the small country that had lasted for a thousand years was destroyed. Khotan's financial, military, or manpower were inferior to those of the Qarakhanids, and the protracted war had greatly damaged their strength, and their demise was inevitable.
There is no record in the history books of Khotan's demise, but it can only be known that it is about 993 to 1009, and 1006 is a more pertinent record. After its demise, Khotan gradually uighurized under the rule of the Black Han Dynasty and successively converted to Islam. With the mongols, Hezhuo and other kings, Qianlong twenty-four years (1759), included in the Territory of the Qing Dynasty.
Reference: History of the North? Biography of Khotan" and "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty"