| Western Regions | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 西域 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | tây vực | ||||||||||||||||||||
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TheWestern Regions orXiyu (Hsi-yü;Chinese:西域) was a historical name specified inAncient Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD[1] that referred to the regions west of theYumen Pass, most often theTarim Basin in present-daysouthern Xinjiang (also known asAltishahr) andCentral Asia (specifically the easternmost portion around theFerghana Valley), though it was sometimes used more generally to refer to other regions to the west of China as well, such asParthia (which technically belonged toWest Asia) andTianzhu (as in the novelJourney to the West, which refers to theIndian subcontinent inSouth Asia).
Because of their strategic location astride theSilk Road, the Western Regions have been historically significant to China since at least the 3rd century BC.
In 138 BC, theEmperor Wu ofWestern Han dynasty sent a diplomatic envoy represented byZhang Qian to Xiyu in an effort to contact and make alliance withYuezhi to mitigate the threat posed by theXiongnu 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.[2] It was the site of theWar of the Heavenly Horses between Han China and theGreco-BactrianDayuan, and a heavily contested region during theHan–Xiongnu War until 89 AD.
The earliest solid Chinese political control of the region began in 60 BC, whenEmperor Xuan of the Western Han dynasty established a military administrative office responsible for what would be present dayXinjiang and parts of Central Asia,[2] known as theProtectorate of the Western Regions. Later, the Eastern Han dynasty set up another protectorate known as theChief Official of the Western Regions.[3]
In the 7th century, theTang dynasty'scampaign against the Western Regions led to the re-acquired full control of the region, under theProtectorate General to Pacify the West. The region became significant in later centuries as a cultural conduit betweenEast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, theMuslim world andEurope, including during the period of theMongol Empire. Some of the most significant exports of the Western Regions wereBuddhist texts, particularly theMahayana sutras, which were carried by traders and pilgrimmonks to China. The Tang dynasty monkXuanzang crossed the region on his way to study in India, resulting in the influentialGreat Tang Records on the Western Regions upon his return to the Tang capital ofChang'an.
The Chinese lost their influence in the Western Regions after theAn Lushan rebellion. A large number of local rulers resumed control in the Western Regions.
The influence exercised over the Western Regions by later Chinese dynasties varied over time.[2]Xiyu tudi renwu lüe (Brief Records of the Lands and Peoples in the Western Regions), a chapter in theGazetteer of Shaanxi compiled byMing dynasty Chinese scholar Ma Li in 1542, documents a route leading from theJiayu Pass, China's northwestern outpost, to theOttoman Empire capitalIstanbul, and the geography and economy of the places along the route.[4]
In the 19th century, theRussian Empire annexed Central Asia, which then became known asRussian Turkestan;[2] whereas theInner Asian region ofXinjiang, under the rule of theQing dynasty, became known asChinese Turkestan. By the early twentieth century, the Russian Empire (and later, theSoviet Union) controlled most of the regions to the west of Xinjiang.[2]
Before the onset ofTurkic migrations, the peoples of the region spoke two main groups ofIndo-European languages. The peoples of oasis city-states ofHotan andKashgar spokeSaka, one of theEastern Iranian languages, whereas the people ofKucha,Turpan andLoulan Kingdom spoke theTocharian languages.[5][6]
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