Western Regions

thumb|300px|The Western Regions in the first century BC.

The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in Ancient Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass, most often the Tarim Basin in present-day southern Xinjiang (also known as Altishahr) and Central Asia (specifically the easternmost portion around the Ferghana Valley), though it was sometimes used more generally to refer to other regions to the west of China as well, such as Parthia (which technically belonged to West Asia) and Tianzhu (as in the novel Journey to the West, which refers to the Indian subcontinent in South Asia).

Because of their strategic location astride the Silk Road, the Western Regions have been historically significant to China since at least the 3rd century BC.

History

Han dynasty

In 138 BC, the Emperor Wu of Western Han dynasty sent a diplomatic envoy represented by Zhang Qian to Xiyu in an effort to contact and make alliance with Yuezhi to mitigate the threat posed by the Xiongnu confederation. Although Zhang was captured and imprisoned by Xiongnu for ten years, and the mission was eventually unsuccessful (due to Yuezhi no longer wanted to return to the east), his travels into the various states in the west served as a precursor for the long history between China and Central Asia. known as the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Later, the Eastern Han dynasty set up another protectorate known as the Chief Official of the Western Regions.

Tang dynasty

thumb|300px|[[Emperor Taizong's campaign against the Western Regions (640–648)]]

In the 7th century, the Tang dynasty's campaign against the Western Regions led to the re-acquired full control of the region, under the Protectorate General to Pacify the West. The region became significant in later centuries as a cultural conduit between East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Muslim world and Europe, including during the period of the Mongol Empire. Some of the most significant exports of the Western Regions were Buddhist texts, particularly the Mahayana sutras, which were carried by traders and pilgrim monks to China. The Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang crossed the region on his way to study in India, resulting in the influential Great Tang Records on the Western Regions upon his return to the Tang capital of Chang'an.

The Chinese lost their influence in the Western Regions after the An Lushan rebellion. A large number of local rulers resumed control in the Western Regions.

After Tang dynasty

The influence exercised over the Western Regions by later Chinese dynasties varied over time.

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire annexed Central Asia, which then became known as Russian Turkestan;

References

Citations

Sources

Yap, Joseph P. (2009). Wars with the Xiongnu - a translation from Zizhi Tongjian Chapters 4-17. AuthorHouse. .
西域考古図譜 : vol.1 西域考古図譜 : vol.2