The story of China's Western frontier

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The story of China's Western frontier

Visitors learn about the Han Dynasty's governance of Xinjiang at the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum on October 25
Ruins of a beacon tower in Kuqa, constructed during the Han Dynasty as military facilities within the Great Wall’s defense system. When enemies approached, fires were lit at night and smoke signals were sent during the day to alert soldiers to an impending attack
Painted figurines playing polo and acrobatic games unearthed from an ancient tomb in Turpan. These sports were introduced from the Central Plains, the political, economic and cultural center of ancient China
A piece of Han Dynasty brocade (right) inscribed with the line: "Five stars rising in the east is an auspicious sign for China." This is the earliest known artifact discovered in Xinjiang bearing the characters zhongguo, meaning "China"
Crop seeds discovered in ancient tombs. Farming and irrigation techniques introduced to the Western Regions during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907) boosted local agriculture and animal husbandry

In ancient times, today's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was known as the Western Regions, signifying the western frontier of China. In 138 B.C., Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to establish contact with the Western Regions. In 60 B.C., the Han formally included Xinjiang into Chinese territory by establishing the Western Regions Frontier Command.

An exhibition at the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum in Urumqi, the region's capital, illustrates Xinjiang's history and its longstanding connections with the rest of China.

(Text and photos by Shi Gang)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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