Countries in the western region are mainly distributed in the margins of Tarim Basin, Turpan Basin and Junggar Basin in the north, and live on oases by water dissolved in highlands. In addition, Tarim River and Lop Nur are the main agricultural and domestic water sources in the western region.

Therefore, the prosperity of countries in this region is closely related to water. According to the judgment of some archaeologists, Loulan disappeared because the river diverted and Lop Nur moved.

At the same time, due to geographical factors, the rise and fall of countries in the western region is easily affected by climate change, and it was affected twice during this period. From the end of the 3rd century to the end of the 5th century, and since the 1930s of 15, the climate in East Asia has gradually cooled, and the local climate has also been strongly influenced. During this period, commercial exchanges through this region preferred to be conducted through the Southern Silk Road, which gradually reduced the trade in the western regions and led to the decline of various countries.

Xirong and the Western Regions are different geographical names, but they are often confused. Historical materials about the Western Regions include: Dawan Historical Records, Biography of the Western Regions of Han Dynasty, Biography of the Western Regions of the Later Han Dynasty, Biography of the West Rong of the Book of Jin, Biography of the Northwest, Biography of the Western Regions of Shu Wei and Biography of Zhou Shu.

Five to nine in Tongdian Frontier Defense Code are called "Xirong", among which seven to nine are called "Western Regions", which shows that Xirong is a broader generalization than the Western Regions. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, China had a Taiwei mansion in Xirong of the Western Regions.

Extended data:

brief introduction

The Western Region, an ancient geographical name, refers to many countries and regions west of Yumenguan and Yangguan at the southern foot of Tianshan Mountain in Han Dynasty in China. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the western regions expanded, reaching Persia in the north and Brahmins in the middle. In the Yuan Dynasty, it even included a part of Europe and Africa [1].

Under the influence of the Silk Road, the Western Regions refers to the administrative institutions established by the Central Plains court in the Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties, which are located in most parts of Xinjiang, China and parts of Central Asia, and in the center of Eurasia. It is an important part of the Silk Road, and its cultural characteristics can still be seen in the ruins in Xinjiang and the murals in Dunhuang, China. This place plays an important role in the trade and cultural exchanges between eastern and western countries.

history

According to textual research, the basic state form appeared in the Western Regions in BC17th century, and merchants in Daxia (now Afghanistan) traded lapis lazuli. In addition, Hetian jade, which was produced in tiān (Yang Sheng) country (now near Hotan County, Xinjiang, China), was also unearthed in Wuding Tomb of Shang Emperor, indicating that the local area had been settled before13rd century.

Around the 5th century BC, the western regions began to prosper gradually, and the countries in the western regions developed gradually by taking advantage of their geographical advantages of being located in the main roads between the east and the west, and their economic, cultural and moral values were greatly developed under the jurisdiction of the Western Han Dynasty.

The western regions formed in the fifth century or so in the history of examinations and began to develop independently. History of Han recorded that there were more than 30 countries in the Western Regions at that time, so it was called "Thirty-six Countries in the Western Regions". Before Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, Xiongnu was the dominant force in the Western Regions.

By the Han Dynasty, there were more than 36 countries under the jurisdiction of the administrative agency, the Western Regions Protection Office. The History of the Western Regions also recorded that the Western Regions were divided into more than 50 countries in the first six to five years.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, countries in the western regions merged with each other, and at the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, several big countries such as Shanshan and Che merged. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the situation in the Western Regions changed again. Emerging Gao Changguo has defeated the western countries one after another and established a powerful country spanning most parts of Xinjiang. Except for a few countries, the western countries moved westward, which brought a prosperous culture to Central Asia.

References:

Baidu encyclopedia-western regions