New Guisai City

Lore & Background

The territory of Yarkand is first mentioned in the Book of Han (1st century BCE) as 'Shaju,' which is probably related to the name of the Iranian Saka tribes. According to the 'Chapter on the Western Regions' in the Hou Hanshu, going west from the kingdom of Suoju (Yarkand) and passing through Puli (Tashkurghan) and Wulei (centred on Sarhad in the Wakhan), you arrive among the Da Yuezhi (Kushans). To the east, it is 10,950 li (4,553 km) from Luoyang. During the chaos caused by Wang Mang (9-24 CE), the Xiongnu invaded the Western Regions. Only Yan, the king of Suoju, did not consent to being annexed. Yan died in the fifth Tianfeng year (18 CE) and was awarded the posthumous title of 'Faithful and Martial King.' His son, Kang, succeeded him. At the beginning of Emperor Guangwu's reign (25-57 CE), Kang led neighboring kingdoms to resist the Xiongnu. In the fifth Jianwu year (29 CE), Dou Rong bestowed on Kang the titles of 'King of Chinese Suoju, Performer of Heroic Deeds Who Cherishes Virtue [and] Commandant-in-Chief of the Western Regions.' The fifty-five kingdoms were all made dependencies after that. In the ninth year (33 CE) Kang died and was awarded the posthumous title of 'Greatly Accomplished King.' His younger brother, Xian, succeeded him. Xian attacked and conquered the kingdoms of Jumi (Keriya) and Xiye (Karghalik), killing both their kings. In the fourteenth year (38 CE), together with An, the king of Shanshan (the Lop Nor region), he sent envoys to the Imperial Palace to offer tribute. All the kingdoms to the east of the Congling (Pamirs) were dependent on Xian. In the seventeenth year (41 CE), Xian again sent an envoy to present offerings and to ask that a Protector General be appointed. The Emperor bestowed upon him the seal and ribbon of 'Protector General of the Western Regions,' but Pei Zun, the Administrator of Dunhuang, wrote saying that foreigners should not be allowed to employ such great authority. An Imperial decree ordered that the seal and ribbons be recovered and replaced with the seal and ribbon of 'Great Han General.' Xian's envoy refused to make the exchange, and Pei Zun took them by force. Consequently, Xian became resentful, falsely named himself 'Great Protector General,' and sent letters to all the kingdoms. They all submitted to him, and he bestowed the title of Chanyu on him. In the winter of the twenty-first year (45 CE), eighteen kings, including the king of Nearer Jushi (Turpan), Shanshan, Yanqi (Karashahr), and others, sent their sons to enter the service of the Emperor and offered treasure. The Son of Heaven, considering that the Middle Kingdom was just beginning to return to peace, returned all the hostage princes with generous gifts. In the twenty-second year (46 CE), Xian sent a letter to An, king of Shanshan, ordering him to cut the route to the Han. An did not accept and killed the envoy. Xian sent soldiers to attack Shanshan. An gave battle but was defeated and fled into the mountains. Xian killed or captured more than a thousand men. That winter, Xian returned and attacked Qiuci (Kucha), killed the king, and annexed the kingdom. The king of Shanshan wrote a letter to the Emperor again pleading for a Protector General. The Son of Heaven replied: 'We are not able, at the moment, to send out envoys and Imperial troops so, in spite of their good wishes, each kingdom [should seek help], as they please, wherever they can, to the east, west, south, or north.' Following this, Shanshan and Jushi again submitted to the Xiongnu. Xian appointed his own son, Zeluo, to be king of Qiuci (Kucha). Several years later, the people of Qiuci killed Zeluo and Sijian, and sent envoys to the Xiongnu to ask them to appoint a king. The Xiongnu established a nobleman of Qiuci, Shendu, to be king of Qiuci, making it dependent on the Xiongnu. Xian personally took command of several tens of thousands of men and attacked Dayuan (Ferghana). Yanliu, the king of Dayuan, came before him to submit. Xian took him back to his own kingdom, then transferred Qiaosaiti, the king of Jumi (Keriya), to the post of king of Dayuan. Kangju (Tashkent plus the Chu, Talas, and middle Jaxartes basins) attacked him there several times and Qiaosaiti fled home more than a year later. Xian also banished the king of Yutian (Khotan), Yulin, to be king of Ligui and set up his younger brother, Weishi, as king of Yutian.

In Their Own Story

The fertile oasis of Yarkant is fed by the Yarkand River, which flows north down from the Karakorum mountains and passes through the Kunlun Mountains, known historically as the Congling mountains (lit. 'Onion Mountains' - from the abundance of wild onions found there). The oasis now covers 3,210 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi), but was likely far more extensive before a period of desiccation affected the region from the 3rd century CE onwards. Today, Yarkant is a predominantly Uyghur settlement with a small Tajik (Pamiri) minority. The irrigated oasis farmland produces cotton, wheat, corn, fruits (especially pomegranates, pears and apricots) and walnuts. Yak and sheep graze in the highlands. Mineral deposits include petroleum, natural gas, gold, copper, lead, bauxite, granite and coal.

Reader's Guide

Yarkant County sits at an altitude of 1,189 metres (3,901 ft) and as of 2003 had a population of 373,492. The county, usually referred to as Yarkand in English, was the seat of an ancient Buddhist kingdom on the southern branch of the Silk Road and the Yarkand Khanate. The fertile oasis is fed by the Yarkand River, which flows north down from the Karakorum mountains and passes through the Kunlun Mountains. The oasis now covers 3,210 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi). Today, Yarkant is a predominantly Uyghur settlement with a small Tajik (Pamiri) minority. The irrigated oasis farmland produces cotton, wheat, corn, fruits (especially pomegranates, pears and apricots) and walnuts. Yak and sheep graze in the highlands. Mineral deposits include petroleum, natural gas, gold, copper, lead, bauxite, granite and coal.

Did You Know?

• The territory of Yarkand is first mentioned in the Book of Han (1st century BCE) as 'Shaju,' which is probably related to the name of the Iranian Saka tribes.
• The oasis covers 3,210 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi) but was likely far more extensive before a period of desiccation affected the region from the 3rd century CE onwards.
• The Yarkand River flows north down from the Karakorum mountains and passes through the Kunlun Mountains, known historically as the Congling mountains (lit. 'Onion Mountains' - from the abundance of wild onions found there).
• In the fifth Jianwu year (29 CE), Dou Rong bestowed on Kang the titles of 'King of Chinese Suoju, Performer of Heroic Deeds Who Cherishes Virtue [and] Commandant-in-Chief of the Western Regions,' and the fifty-five kingdoms were all made dependencies after that.
• As of 2003, Yarkant County had a population of 373,492.