Zhang Hua's "Natural History" in the Western Jin Dynasty says: "Money goes to the Western Ocean, and you get an andesite pomegranate seed in Tulin." (Turing is a transliteration of Sanskrit pomegranate)
"Brother He", a land machine in the Western Jin Dynasty, said, "Zhang Qian spent eighteen years in a foreign country and got a pomegranate in Tulin Temple. "
Wang Ming's Fang Qunpu said: "Pomegranate originated in the history country of Turing 'an, and money made the western regions belong to its species."
Chen Qing's "Flower Mirror" says: "Pomegranate is actually an Anshi country, which was brought back to China by Korea and Zhang Qian, so it was named An Pomegranate."
Pomegranate seeds from Zhang Qian were introduced into the mainland from the Silk Road, and were first planted in Shanglinyuan and Lishan Hot Spring Palace in Chang 'an, the imperial capital at that time. According to Yu Yuan, commander-in-chief of Shanglin in Han Dynasty, there were 3,000 kinds of exotic flowers and grasses planted in Shanglin Garden at that time, including "ten pomegranate plants". Loved by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he later ordered pomegranate planting in Lishan Hot Spring Palace.
Zhang Qian, a city dweller in the Western Han Dynasty, was an official. In the third year of Jianyuan (BC 138), he was ordered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to send envoys to Da Yue, and they met to crusade against the Huns. In the third year of Yuan Shuo (126), he returned to Han, was detained by Xiongnu on the way, and left home 13 years. In the fourth year of Yuanshou (former 1 19), he was ordered to send envoys to Wusun (now Ili Valley in Xinjiang), and successively sent envoys to Dawan, Kangju and Daxia to rest in peace. History says that Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions refers to this.
The western regions are the general name of the areas west of Yumenguan after the Han Dynasty. In a narrow sense, it refers to the east of Conglin Mountain, and in a broad sense, it refers to the accessible area west of Yumenguan, including Central and Western Asia, Indian Peninsula, Eastern Europe and North Africa. Anshi is the central Asian region of Iran and Afghanistan, and is the origin of pomegranate. The first pomegranate seed in China was brought back by Zhang Qian during his second mission to the Western Regions, and returned in March of BC 165438 (the second year of Emperor Ding Yuan). From then on, Chang 'an arrived at the east coast of the Mediterranean, and the 7000-kilometer "Silk Road" was opened, bringing back grapes, walnuts, watermelons, gourds and other fruits. Zhang Qian died soon after he returned to Han. In memory of this industrious diplomat and the pioneer of the Silk Road, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty named him Prince Bo. There is also a magical legend about the origin of Lintong pomegranate. According to legend, The goddess patching the sky lost a ruby at the foot of Mount Li. One year, when Prince Anshi was hunting, he saw a golden-winged bird that was about to freeze to death in the forest, and hurriedly brought it back to the palace to feed and cure the disease. After the golden-winged bird was saved, in order to repay the prince for saving his life, he took the ruby at the foot of Mount Li to the imperial garden of Anshiguo not far from Wan Li, and soon grew a strange tree with red leaves and green flowers, which was named "An Pomegranate" by Anshiguo.
In BC 1 19, Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions and came to Anshi State (Anguo refers to Buhaila today, and Shiguo refers to Tashkent). At that time, there was a drought in Anshi country, thousands of miles of bare land, crops were yellow, and even pomegranate trees in the imperial garden died. So, Zhang Qian told them about the experience of building water conservancy projects in the Han Dynasty, which saved a crop and pomegranate tree. Pomegranate flowers are particularly red this year, and the fruit is particularly big. When Zhang Qian returned home, King Anshi gave him many gold, silver and jewels, but he didn't want them. He only collected some pomegranate seeds and took them back as souvenirs. Since then, pomegranate, which evolved from "Ruby" of Mount Li, began to settle and multiply at the foot of Shanglinyuan and Mount Li in Chang 'an, becoming the pomegranate in Lintong today.