On September 21, the first live broadcast of the special program "Hu Tian Hanyue - Walking on China's Silk Road" will be live, and we will follow Zhang Guogang, historian, senior professor of liberal arts at Tsinghua University, professor of history at the School of Humanities of Tsinghua University, and Zhang Xiaoqin, professor of the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University, into Qilian Mountain.
In the ancient military horse farm under the Qilian Mountains - Gansu Zhangye Mountain Dan Horse Farm,
Feel the magnificence of the Qilian Mountains and the galloping horses together,
Admire the gorgeousness of the Hu whirlwind dance that swept the Tang Dynasty,
Explore the history of Zhang Qian's Western Regions and the Silk Road,
And interpret for you the historical coordinates of the four counties and two passes of the Hexi corridor,
Tell the wonderful story of Huo Qubing and Gao Shi,
Help you build a macro perspective of reading history.
Highlight content for a sneak peek
Which big cattle crossed the Qilian Mountains?
The word "Qilian" comes from the Xiongnu language, and the Xiongnu call the sky "Qilian", and the Qilian Mountain is their Tianshan Mountain. The "Tianshan" in Li Bai's poem "Bright Moon Rises from the Tianshan Mountains, Between the Clouds and the Sea" also refers to this place.
On a topographic map of China, this towering mountain range stretches between Gansu and Qinghai provinces, overlooking the Hexi Corridor. Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions, Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu, Emperor Sui Jiao toured the west, Marco Polo traveled to the East... Famous generals, emperors, and business travelers have crossed this majestic mountain.
The aerial photography of the program will show you the magnificent autumn of the Qilian Mountains, and every frame is a wallpaper-level scenery. Mountains and snow, autumn grass flourishing, listening to historical stories under the Qilian Mountains may become one of the series in your lifetime.
Why is Zhang Qian "the first person to open the world history"?
In 139 BC, the twenty-six-year-old Zhang Qian, with the mission of forming an alliance with the Dayue clan to attack the Xiongnu, headed west via Longxi, but was soon captured by the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu imprisoned Zhang Qian for a long time and married him to start a family, but Zhang Qian was unmoved. Eleven years later, Zhang Qian escaped from the Xiongnu with his guard relaxed and found the Dayue clan. However, at this time, the Dayue clan was already living in peace and contentment, and had no intention of seeking revenge from the Xiongnu. Zhang Qian had no choice but to return east, but unfortunately was captured by the Xiongnu again. Fortunately, a year later, the Xiongnu suffered civil strife due to Shan Yu's death, and Zhang Qian was able to escape and return to Chang'an, where he was already a middle-aged man of nearly forty.
In 119 BC, Emperor Wudi of Han again sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Regions, in order to try to contact Wusun and other countries in the Western Regions and "cut off the right arm of the Xiongnu", but it failed again. In 115 BC, Zhang Qian returned to China, and Wusun sent people to send him and send an envoy to Chang'an. The envoy saw that the Han Dynasty was rich and prosperous, and went back to publicize it, and the prestige of the Han Dynasty was greatly enhanced in the Western Regions.
Zhang Qian spent most of his life exploring the Western Regions, as an informant to establish the relationship between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, although the two missions did not achieve their original purpose, but objectively opened up the east-west land communication blocked by the Xiongnu for a long time, and opened up a new era of direct communication between China and the countries of the Western Regions. "Shiji Dawan Lie" contains: "Thus, the Northwest Kingdom began in the Han Dynasty, but Zhang Qian chiseled the void. Such great historical significance made Zhang Qian's envoy known in history as the "Western Regions of the Sky", and Liang Qichao also praised him as "the first person to open the world history".
Why is Huo Qubing the God of War?
The Hexi Corridor is the choke point from the Central Plains to the Western Regions. It was here that the Battle of Hexi took place in 121 BC. Huo Qubing, a military genius who was only twenty years old, defeated the Xiongnu cavalry with blitzkrieg, he used his troops flexibly, paid attention to strategy, did not follow ancient methods, rushed thousands of miles, drove straight in, took advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, lightning strikes, and won thousands of miles in conversation and laughter.
The Battle of Hexi allowed the Western Han Dynasty to capture the Hexi Corridor and open fortresses to the Western Regions, after which the Silk Road was opened. The live broadcast of the program, Shandan Horse Farm, was opened by Huo Qubing after the Battle of Hexi, stretched for two thousand years, sent a large number of war horses to successive dynasties, and has become the world's oldest military horse farm. When you see 10,000 horses galloping from the aerial photography of the show, maybe you will feel the golden iron horse of the god of war and the heroism of the victory of thousands of miles.
What is Zhang Ye's ability to attract Marco Polo to live for a year?
The history of Zhangye is called "Ganzhou", and it is recorded in the "Marco Polo Xingji" that "Ganzhou is a large city, located in the territory of Tangut, and is the capital of the whole prefecture of Tangut, so it is the largest and most important city in the prefecture". After the Italian merchant Marco Polo entered northwest China from the Silk Road, he lived here for a whole year, and made interesting and detailed records, what attracted him?
The reason why Marco Polo stayed in the city for a year with his uncle and father was so mysterious that some people called it "the biggest unsolved case of the "Walking Chronicle". Generally speaking, there are five theories in the academic circles: business theory, standby theory, Weixiangyang theory, disease troubled theory, and road obstruction theory.
But whatever the reason, "Kim Zhangye" was indeed a good place to be, which opened Marco Polo's eyes. Nourished by the snow of the Qilian Mountains, Zhangye has a reputation as the "south of the river", a large area of fertile farmland that has nurtured generations of people, and because of its status as an important town on the Silk Road, commerce has flourished. In any case, even the traveler Marco Polo was fanned by Zhangye circle. This is the oldest "Internet celebrity tourist city", what reason do we have not to go?
There are many stories and characters about the Silk Road and the Hexi Corridor: the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei wrote in the Hexi region that "the desert is lonely and straight, and the sun sets on the long river"; The Tang Dynasty poet Chen Ziang said to Wu Zetian that "the fate of Hexi is now hanging in Ganzhou"; The Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen visited Liangzhou and wrote the ancient famous sentence "You can laugh several times in your life, and you must get drunk when you fight wine"; Emperor Sui toured the west and held a grand "Twenty-Seven Nations Exposition" in Shandan... History is endless, we'll see you live! Guest Profile:
Speaker: Zhang Guogang, Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at Tsinghua University and Professor of History at the School of Humanities, Tsinghua University
Zhang Guogang is a senior professor of liberal arts at Tsinghua University and a professor of history in the School of Humanities. He was a "Humboldt Scholar of the Federal Republic of Germany" and studied and taught for many years at the University of Hamburg and the University of Trier. In 2004, he was selected into the "985 Hundred Talents Program" of Tsinghua University, and in 2006, he was selected as the Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor. His research focuses on ancient Chinese history and the history of cultural relations between China and the West. He was the president of the China Tang History Society and the vice president of the Sino-foreign Relations History Society, and won the Excellent Paper Award for the 30th Anniversary of the Founding of Historical Research (1984), and won the first and second prizes and the Popular Reading Award of the Ministry of Education for outstanding books in humanities and social sciences in colleges and universities after entering Tsinghua. The first and second prizes of Beijing Outstanding Books in Philosophy and Social Sciences, as well as the "China Good Book" Award, Wenjin Book Award (Positive Award and Nomination Award), China Excellent Publication Award (Positive Award and Nomination Award), etc. Many works have been translated into foreign languages
or to
Traditional characters are published overseas. The History of Cultural Relations between China and the West offered in Tsinghua University was awarded the excellent course of Tsinghua University, Beijing Municipality and the Ministry of Education, the "Guide" was awarded the excellent course of Tsinghua University, and "The Rise and Fall of the Tang Dynasty" was awarded the national first-class undergraduate course of the Ministry of Education.
Moderator: Professor Zhang Xiaoqin, School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University Zhang Xiaoqin, professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, and vice president of the Journalism Education History Research Association of the Chinese Society for the History of Journalism. He has been engaged in journalism and communication teaching, research and practice for a long time, and has been responsible for the organization and implementation of the "Tsinghua Humanities" forum since January 2016. He used to be the host of CCTV and Shandong TV, won the fifth "Golden Microphone Award", "Five Ones" Project Award, and won the China News Award for many times.