Zhang Qian, a hero of the ages

Yesterday afternoon, I watched a movie called "Call of Duty" on the CCTV Movie Channel, which told a historical story of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions.

Zhang Qian sent two missions to the Western Regions in 138 BC and 119 BC, lasting a total of 18 years, visiting the countries of Dawan, Kangju, Dayueshi, Bactria and Wusun, covering the southern and northern parts of the Tianshan Mountains in present-day Xinjiang, Central Asia, West Asia, and the Indus Valley, and understanding the natural environment, customs and customs, social economy, political system, and transportation routes in the Western Regions, creating favorable conditions for the Han Dynasty to counterattack the Xiongnu, and promoting mutual understanding and exchanges between the people of the interior and the people of all ethnic groups in the Western Regions.

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was called "the Hollow Western Regions" by sima Qian, a famous historian of the Western Han Dynasty. Both German and Russian historians have matched Zhang Qian's voyage to the West as Columbus discovered the importance of the New World. Although Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was mainly for military purposes, in order to conquer the Xiongnu and open up the territory of the Han Dynasty, after the war, the silk of the Central Plains was introduced to the Western Regions, spread to the West, and continued to go to the world, and the treasure gold of the West also poured into China along this road of shimmering silk, and also introduced a series of foods and plants named after the "Hu" character, which promoted the exchange of civilizations between the East and the West. The ten thousand miles opened by Zhang Qian is the famous Silk Road that benefits thousands of autumns and all generations.

A Silk Road that connected ancient China to distant Central Asia and even the Western world. The Silk Road, meandering out of the shining footprints of Zhang Qian's mission to the western region, stretched from east to west, from history to the future, profoundly affected future generations, profoundly affected China, and profoundly affected the world. For Xinjiang, Zhang Qian is a historical hero who has pioneered the world; for China, Zhang Qian is a historical pioneer who has opened up territory and expanded the territory; for the world, Zhang Qian is a historical hero who has chiseled through the world.

Today, people know more about Zhang Qian than he was the first person in the Han Dynasty to go to the Western Regions, but few people know that he had another important mission when he went to the Western Regions, that is, to explore the source of the Yellow River. The Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, has always had a lofty status in the minds of Chinese. However, the ancients have not been clear about where the source of the Yellow River is. Due to the lack of geographical knowledge, as early as the pre-Qin period, people mistakenly believed that the source of the Yellow River was in a place called Kunlun Mountain, so the saying that "the river came out of Kuncang" has been circulating, but there are many opinions on where Kunlun Mountain is. Emperor Wu of Han was also troubled by this tradition, so when he sent Zhang Qian on a mission to the Western Regions, he also gave him another task of finding the source of the Yellow River. Zhang Qian led his people to investigate the geography of the landscape in the western region, believing that the source of the Yellow River came from Khotan (present-day Hotan, Xinjiang), and brought the jade here back to Emperor Wu of Han. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty compared the ancient map and named the mountain that gave birth to the source of the Yellow River Kunlun Mountain. Since then, the saying that "the river comes out of Kunlun" has spread more widely, and this "beautiful mistake" deeply reflects the Yellow River complex that haunts the hearts of Chinese, and it is this "beautiful mistake" that links the western region and the Central Plains more closely, and Zhang Qian also has the reputation of "sourcing the source". "Hear the tao and find the source, from the sky to this road back." How much morning glory to go? Wanma has come so far. Looking at the swallow, when will the county open? The Eastern Crusade is over, and the Qiang Flute is silent. The "source-seeking envoy" mentioned in this poem by the great Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu is no one else, but the first person in the Han Dynasty to send an envoy to the Western Regions - Zhang Qian.

The Book of Han and the Biography of the Western Regions says: "The Han Dynasty ordered Ban Xiyu to begin with Zhang Qian and became Zheng Ji. "From the Han Dynasty onwards, the Xinjiang region was officially incorporated into China's territory and became an inalienable part of China's territory. Zhang Qian's name has been passed down through the ages!