< 1 > importance to merit

Zhang Qian's two missions to the Western Regions opened the door for China to communicate with countries in Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Europe, and set up a bridge for friendly exchanges between China and western countries. At the same time, it also promoted the cultural and economic exchanges and development between the East and the West, and injected new vitality into the civilization and progress of the whole world, which can be proved in the literature.

First, it was only after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent an envoy to the Western Regions in Zhang Qian that he began to "revive the Southwest".

Zhang Qian reported to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty what he had seen and heard when he went to the Western Regions. "I heard that Dayuan and Daxia are big countries, with many strange things and aborigines, which are quite similar to China, but the soldiers are weak and expensive. In the north, there is a big moon family, a comfortable nest, and a strong army, which can leave a legacy and benefit the DPRK. If it is sincere and righteous, it is widely used in Wan Li. "

Second, after Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions, Korea began friendly exchanges with countries in the Western Regions.

Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions brought an envoy from Wusunguo. After the emissary of Wu Sunguo returned to China, "his country is beneficial to Han", and the two countries began friendly exchanges on the basis of equality.

In the second year, Zhang Qian's deputy envoys in Wusunguo and envoys from the western countries returned to Han. Only then did Han and western countries have formal equal and friendly exchanges between countries.

After Zhang Qian's death, Xiongnu heard that Wusunguo was connected with Han and wanted to attack Wusunguo. Wu Sunguo was afraid, so he hoped to unite with Han. This is why Han asked Wu Sunguo to marry him after he was hired. Since then, relations between the two countries have become increasingly close.

In order to strengthen ties with countries in the western regions, the Han Dynasty began to "set up an order to live in the west, initially set up Jiuquan County, and communicate with countries in the northwest", while "more and more envoys arrived in rest, recommending Cai, (now Rome * * * and the country) and Tiaozhi (now Iraq), and the country was poisoned." Later, "there were hundreds of foreign ambassadors, ranging from hundreds to hundreds.

Zhang Qian, with a unique and keen sense of soldiers, began to pay attention to every water source and meadow after entering the control area of Xiongnu, and recorded it in detail. He also told Emperor Wu that he had seen a good horse in Dawan country (now Fergana Valley). The endurance and speed of this horse are amazing. They have a legendary name-"Blood BMW". It is said that they ran fast and sweated. This was later proved to be a symptom caused by parasitic infection. Zhang Qian praised them as the best mounts for cavalry in the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu himself likes horses very much. As soon as he heard there was such a BMW, he naturally wanted it. At this time, Emperor Wu's attitude changed. He thought that although the alliance could not be reached, trade was a good choice, even though many envoys sent by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had been looted by nomadic tribes.

Soon, Zhang Qian joined the army of General Wei Qing, and his official position was a captain. Because he has accumulated a lot of experience in collecting intelligence, Zhang Qian is mainly responsible for spying on intelligence and materials along the way. In the north, Wei Qing led troops to fight fiercely with Xiongnu. It was the information on the distribution of aquatic plants collected by Zhang Qian that helped the Han army, and they won a series of victories, so Zhang Qian was named the Prince of Bo.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was in no hurry to seek success, and decided to implement a two-step strategy to win the support of these countries. First, he launched a war against the Huns, which won a great victory and killed 90 thousand Huns. Then in BC 10 1 year, it captured the Dawan country in Central Asia, which is the hometown of Blood BMW. But in fact, catching these famous horses is just an excuse for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Following the footsteps of Zhang Qian, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent messengers to Dawan several times, at the expense of exchanging blood horses, but King Dawan refused his request again and again. For the last time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent an emissary, Hanbu Kelp, to carry a Huang Ma.

The golden horse cast in gold was exchanged with many precious gifts for horses of Han descent. King Dawan is still unwilling to hand over the BMW, but he really wants the treasure sent by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He killed the messenger and took the treasure.

Emperor Wu finally found an excuse to send troops. The advance troops he sent were all composed of domestic criminals and hooligans. They didn't carry enough materials and asked other countries along the way. If they don't hand over the food, they are regarded as Dayuan's accomplices. Not surprisingly, this army failed, but it also paralyzed Dayuan. How could Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accept such failure? Then he assembled nearly 200,000 troops in Dunhuang. It is said that Dayuan's drinking water is from outside the city and belongs to the Han Dynasty.

The victorious Han army returned home in triumph, and Central Asian countries were all shocked to hear that the Han army had conquered Dawan country. Princes and nobles from all over the country sent sons and nephews to follow the Han army back to the Central Plains, paid tribute to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and stayed as hostages in the Han Dynasty to show their loyalty to him. So far, Zhang Qian's strategy of expanding the influence of the Han Dynasty in Central Asia by diplomatic means and trade has been successful.

The biggest implementer of this diplomatic strategy is undoubtedly Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, but Zhang Qian, as an advocate and practitioner, deserves more respect. It's a pity that Zhang Qian died the second year after he came back from Wusun.

(2) Significance to the author

Zhang Qian not only opened the "Silk Road" for the trade between China and western countries, but also became the first envoy to go abroad in the history of China. At the same time, through his diplomatic practice, he publicized the diplomatic concept of equal treatment and frank communication between countries for the first time, which laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Han Dynasty and the development of later generations, with far-reaching influence. Zhang Qian died the following year after returning to China. He sent two missions to the Western Regions, which opened up channels for cultural exchanges between China and the West and strengthened the ties between the Western Han Dynasty and the Western Regions. Sima Qian, a historian at that time, praised Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions as "hollowing out", which means

Later, this passage went out of Yumen Pass, passed the Tianshan North-South Road, crossed the Green Ridge, and reached Central Asia or beyond, which became the Silk Road that was celebrated throughout the ages. As the Tang Dynasty with rapid economic development, the author expounds this moment of economic prosperity in memory of Zhang Qian and others.

(3) Significance to local culture

Due to the exchanges between Zhang Qian and others, the economic and cultural exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions were frequent. Grapes, walnuts, alfalfa, pomegranate, carrots, horses and carpets from the western regions were introduced into the mainland, enriching the economic life of the Han people. Han's cast iron, ditch digging, well sinking, silk products, metal tools and other technologies were introduced to the Western Region, which promoted the economic development of the Western Region.

Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions and came into contact with the customs of the countries in the Western Regions. It was the Han dynasty that began to understand the countries in the western regions. It established the friendly relationship between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions, and laid the foundation for the Western Han government to set up the Western Regions Capital Protection House, so that the Western Regions were officially under the jurisdiction of the Western Han government.

In 60 BC, the government of the Western Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Capital Protection House, which was in charge of western region affairs and protected business travel. Since then, Xinjiang has been officially under the rule of the central government.

Zhang Qian made two missions to the Western Regions, which communicated the trade relations between China and West Asia and Europe. China's silk and silk products were transported from Chang 'an to the west, passed through the Hexi Corridor, and now rested in Xinjiang (now Iranian plateau and two river basins), and then rested in Daqin in West Asia and Europe (called Roman Empire in China history books of Han Dynasty), which opened up the famous "Silk Road" in history.

The successful strategies of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Zhang Qian won the guarantee for the trade, construction and unification of China. At the same time, Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions is of far-reaching significance to China and western history. In BC 105, the emissary followed Zhang Qian's footsteps and came to today's Iranian territory, where he met the king of the interest country. The envoys of the Han Dynasty unfolded gorgeous and smooth silk at the monarch's feet, and the king was very happy. In return, Emperor Wu was given an ostrich egg and a magic troupe, which marked the formal establishment of the Silk Road connecting Eastern China and the Western Roman Empire. In the following years, Zhang Qian's name was remembered by people in the East and the West, which made the Han Dynasty establish friendly relations with western countries, and the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains were connected with the mainland for the first time. Promoted the social progress in the western region; Enriched the material life of the Central Plains.

(4) the significance of art history

Murals in the late Tang Dynasty were similar to the political situation in the Tang Dynasty. After the Tubo occupation, it declined from the prosperity of Kaiyuan. Although many excellent works appeared during the Tubo occupation period, which forced the Tang Dynasty to flourish in artistic level, the general trend was declining. In the aspect of character modeling, the mystery of "using bones and pens" is fully grasped, and the organic combination of bone and meat is emphasized. Most of the characters are unified and rich, and the Bodhisattva has eliminated Niu Ni's posture. A natural and harmonious posture. The composition of the painting has been finalized, and the expressive force of line drawing modeling has been greatly improved. The shape outlined by Orchid Leaf Map is vigorous and powerful, while the delicate one is soft and beautiful, which is extremely wonderful in expressing the texture of the object. Soil red line, as the stereotyped line of characters, became the characteristic of line drawing in Tubo period. The colors are not as rich as before, but there are two kinds of packages with different tastes: one is based on white walls, with green and green as the main tone, and the tone is new and elegant. The other is the local sound, Zhu and Wan are slightly heavier, and the timbre is rich and moist. The most exquisite character modeling can be said to be "writing things with poverty" and "doing things according to practice". Therefore, the style of the characters has a sense of "broadness" and "flying". This is the style of the Tubo occupation.

Because the artistic language of shaping characters-colors and lines are becoming more and more sophisticated, we try our best to "change the spirit" in character modeling, break through the procedure of type personality, and gradually pay attention to the spiritual realm expressed by the characters' walking, living, sitting, lying, walking and speaking, from the aspects of face, obedience, posture, relationship between characters, relationship between characters and environment, and local plot.

(5). Meaning to oneself

In the difficult course of going to the Western Regions, Zhang Qian inherited the excellent moral character of China's predecessors, established the basic principles of diplomatic activities with his own personal practice, and set a brilliant example for future generations. Its contents mainly include:

1) observe the festival and safeguard the national interests. Before and after Zhang Qian's first mission to the Western Regions 13 years, he was imprisoned by Xiongnu for a long time, and even shaken Zhang Qian's will to go to the Western Regions by having children with his wife. This is undoubtedly an extremely difficult test for zhangqian. But Zhang Qian made the right choice between personal interests and national interests, and his fearless spirit of sacrificing personal interests and even his life.

2) Equality and mutual benefit, mutual respect and safeguarding national dignity. Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions for the second time, because Wusunguo was close to Xiongnu, so he was far away from Han. "Kunmo paid a visit with courtesy", which shows that Zhang Qian did not receive him with an equal attitude at the beginning of Wusun State. Zhang Qian was ashamed and didn't take negative measures. Instead, he skillfully used the characteristics of Wusunguo's greed for money and said, "The son of heaven gave it." On the one hand, it shows Zhang Qian's wit, flexibility and eloquence. More importantly, he saved the dignity of the country with his own wisdom. It is Zhang Qian's humble and adventurous struggle that can bring about equality, mutual benefit, mutual respect and friendly coexistence between countries and successfully complete the lofty mission of going to the western countries for the second time. Zhang Qian spirit is an indispensable basic accomplishment of a national emissary.

3) Believe in beauty and love, be honest and trustworthy, and create an honest and trustworthy environment for friendly exchanges between countries.

Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions for the second time, and his faith and sincerity in beauty and love were recorded in Historical Records and Biography of Dawan. For example, when he went to the Western Regions, he said, "Money is strong, he is bold and trustworthy, and he loves barbarians. His father is a man, so he is good at shooting, and he is extremely extravagant and wants to shoot animals for food." ([1] P365438. An indirect account of Zhang Qian's honesty can be found in his writing.

To sum up, Zhang Qian is the first diplomat in the history of China to go abroad to carry out diplomatic activities. He not only opened the door of ancient China for the first time, but also opened up the "Silk Road" of equality, mutual benefit and friendly exchanges among countries, which promoted the economic, cultural and political exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese nation and countries in Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Europe, and made outstanding contributions to promoting world civilization and social development. At the same time, its diplomatic practice has established the basic principles of equal exchanges and friendly coexistence between countries, laid the ideological foundation for the diplomatic activities between countries in later generations, and provided the foundation for the formation and development of the basic norms of diplomatic activities in the world today, which has had a far-reaching impact and will continue to play a greater role; It also set a monument for later diplomatic envoys to carry out diplomatic activities and became a model for later diplomats.