An Important Figure in the Silk Road

Of the notable personages associated with the Silk Road， Zhang Qian， the Silk Road pioneer， is the most important.

In 138 BC， Emperor Wudi sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions， his aim to form an alliance with Indoscythae to fight the marauding Huns. Unfortunately， they captured Zhang Qian， along with more than 100 others in his entourage. Although held prisoner for 11 years， Zhang Qian never abandoned his mission and eventually seized a chance to escape to Indoscythae.

On his return to Chang’an， Zhang Qian reported the situation in the Western Regions to Emperor Wudi and ex- pressed Indoscythae’s desire to cooperate with the Han Dynasty. This was the first delegation the Chinese government sent to the Western Regions.

In 119 BC， the second delegation led by Zhang Qian was sent to the West Regions. It visited Wusun ， Farghana， Sogdiana， Indoscythae， Bactria， Arsacid and Sindu . These countries also sent envoys to Chang’an， so promoting communication between the Han government and countries in the Western Regions.

Marco Polo （1254-1324）， like Zhang Qian， was an adventurer. Born in Venice， he traveled at the age of 17 to China via the Middle East with his father and uncle. He spent 17 years there and recorded what he had seen. His book aroused Europeans’ curiosity about China – the richest Oriental country at that time. His pioneering journey inspired Christopher Columbus and many other travelers. His book also influenced European cartography， leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map.

Xuanzang the Buddhist monk is another household name in China. He set off from Chang’an in AD 627 and traveled to India via the Silk Road. He lived in India for several years in different places. After returning to China in AD 645， Xuanzang devoted himself to translating the 75 Buddhist sutras that he had brought with him from India. Xuanzang also wrote a book about the Western Regions and the Silk Road. His experience inspired the novel Journey to the west wherein his perseverance and bravery inspired generations of readers.

Kumarajiva （344-413） contributed much by preaching Buddhism at the eastern end of the Silk Road. He became a monk at the age of seven and was later a missionary in countries in the Western Regions. In 382， Kumarajiva came to Chang’an to preside over the translation of Buddhist sutras. Until then， only fragments had been translated into Chinese. Under Kumarajiva’s supervision， 35 sutras were translated accurately in both language and style.