The "three histories" of Xinjiang refer to the history of Xinjiang, the history of ethnic development and the history of religious evolution.

Xinjiang has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times. China's sovereignty over today's Xinjiang was established in the Han Dynasty, but Xinjiang was a name used only in modern times. In the Han Dynasty, most parts of Xinjiang today were called "Western Regions". At that time, the region of the Western Region included not only Xinjiang today, but also parts of Central Asia, and there were 36 countries in the Western Region.

At that time, western countries were also under the threat of Xiongnu, a powerful country in Mobei. In order to fight against the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to attack the Xiongnu with other countries in the Western Regions, so he sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions twice. After more than 20 years of difficulties and obstacles, Zhang Qian finally failed to fulfill its mission. He successfully persuaded the western countries to unite with the Han dynasty, brought back the technology of smelting iron in the western regions, improved the weapons and equipment of the Han army, and greatly enhanced its combat effectiveness. Its route to and from the western regions has also become the earliest Silk Road.