Thirty-six Western Regions (in the previous life)

In the eyes of China people, the west has always been a mysterious and rich place, and it is also a place full of dangers. Grapes, wine, luminous cups, and poems describing the western regions, such as "Never Break Loulan, Never Return", have become one of the classics of China culture.

Shortly after Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions, the Han cavalry became famous and the strength of the Han empire was unprecedented. Countries in the western regions have sent envoys to Chang 'an and obeyed them. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was also open-minded to all these small countries that surrendered to the big man. He set up the Western Regions' Duhu, and appointed Ji Zheng as the first Duhu. Since then, the vast areas from Yumenguan in the east, Balkhash Lake in the west and Tianshan Mountain in the north have been formally incorporated into the jurisdiction of the Han Dynasty.

Thirty-six countries in the western regions refer to the Asian region that is facing west outside Yumenguan today. In fact, in the early Han Dynasty, there were more than 50 small countries in the western regions. By the time we went to Zhang Qian, 36 countries in the western regions had adopted the law of the jungle, so they were collectively called "36 countries in the western regions".

Among the 36 countries in the Western Regions, Shanshan (Loulan), Qiuci, Wusun and Yutian are famous. These small countries frequently appear in China's history books. But today, these countries have long ceased to exist, or disappeared into doubt, or become a county and a city in China.

Although the reputation of "Thirty-six Plans for the Western Regions" is resounding, I don't know how big it is. In fact, these 36 countries are pitifully small. With a population of over 10,000, it is regarded as a big country in the western regions. There are only dozens of small countries, up to 70,000 to 80,000, and most of them are around 1,000, which is the size of our towns.

Some people may ask, what makes the western regions a "small country" and why there is no "unified" dynasty? In fact, this is related to the geographical environment of the western regions. Unlike the Central Plains, the Western Regions are not rich and fertile. Although the total area is not small, the area suitable for human habitation is very small, and it is often an oasis to feed a country.

Then the question is coming. It has been more than two thousand years since the Han Dynasty. How many "36 Western Regions" are there in China?

Completely in Xinjiang, China, there are Qiuci, Yanqi, Yutian, Ruoqiang, Loulan, Qiemo, Xiaowan, Ronglu, Zhuomi, Qule, Pishan, Xiye, Puli, Shule, shache, Weitou, Wensu, Yuli, Gu Mo, Beilu and Urumqi.

Part of the most powerful Wusun kingdom is in Xinjiang, and the rest are in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Besides China, there are some "Thirty-six Strategies for the Western Regions": Dawan, Da Yue, Qibin, Mine-free and Slippery.

Most of these ancient countries have become a county in Xinjiang, China, so I won't introduce them one by one. Let's talk about some famous ones.

Otsuka

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was to find the Yue family and jointly encircle the Huns. However, the Yue family in Zhang Qian was not found, but found the later 36 Western Regions. Dayue people are nomadic tribes living in the northwest of China, and they are feuds with Xiongnu.

After the rise of the Huns, under the continuous blows of the Huns' modu chanyu and the military minister chanyu, Dayue was forced to move westward. After a long journey, Dayue came to today's Afghanistan and established a famous GuiShuang empire around it. Because the big moon family has settled in the western regions, they are unwilling to get involved in disputes again. The plan of the Han Dynasty and Da Yue to jointly attack the Huns failed. Without the help of allies, the Han dynasty could only defend the north by itself, which is why Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty continued to crusade against the north.

Wusun

Wusun is the most powerful country among 36 countries? Home, which had a relatively large territory in its heyday, is now distributed in China, Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Wusun, like Dayue, is a nomadic people in Hexi Corridor, and was forced to move westward under the attack of Xiongnu. There is another legendary story about Wusun. After Wusun was destroyed by Huns Khan Modu, Prince Wusun became Modu's adopted son. Hunting arrogance and not forgetting enemies, escaped from the control of Xiongnu and successfully restored the country.

Wu Sun, who had a blood feud with the Huns, had always been an ally of the Han Dynasty.

Qiuci

Among western countries, Qiuci is the only country that can compete with Wusun. Today's Qiuci is probably located between Aksu City and Kuqa County in Xinjiang, China. Both the capitals of the Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty are here. Qiuci is the most populous place in the western regions, where merchants come and go, and various religions gather. It is a real economic and cultural center.

Yanqi

Yanqi is the front-line military base against Huns in the Western Han Dynasty and Turks in the Tang Dynasty. The present position of Yanqi is Yanqi County, Xinjiang. In the Western Han Dynasty, there were more than 10,000 people here. After the defeat of West Turkistan, the Tang Dynasty moved the northern court governor of Yanqi to Broken Leaf City, and Yanqi gradually declined.

Khotan

Khotan is located at the foot of Tianshan Mountain, in the south of Tarim Basin. Now it is Hotan City, which is famous for producing jade. During the Han Dynasty, Khotan was the most developed, with a population of tens of thousands. Yu Kan is famous for his strong Buddhist flavor, and his strong flavor is described in detail in many travel notes, especially "The Tale of the Western Regions of Datang".

Loulan/Shanshan

Loulan country is an important post station of the Silk Road, and now it is located next to Lop Nur, the great lake at that time. Loulan was a big western country with a population of over 10,000 in Han Dynasty. King Loulan is famous for killing the messenger of Hanting and being destroyed. Loulan State was later renamed Shanshan and became one of the seven great powers on the Silk Road.

Shule (brand name)

Shule, an important town in the western regions of Han Dynasty, is now located in Shule County, Kashgar City. Shule is an important passage to the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain in Han Dynasty, and it is also the main passage for grassland nationalities to the western regions. Therefore, the Han Dynasty fought against the Huns many times, and Shule was the frontier base of Anxi Khufu's westward expansion in the Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao, which had controlled the western regions for decades, also took Shule as a business place.

Today's 36 countries have long since ceased to exist, and these "pocket" small countries have become an indispensable part of Chinese civilization.

Reference: Han Shu Xi Yu zhuan