Information about Gu Loulan

Loulan

The name of an ancient country in the Western Regions. Loulan is an ancient small country in western China, with the capital Loulan City (the site is located on the northwest coast of Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China). It leads to Qiemo, Jingjue, Kumi, and Khotan in the southwest, to Cheshi in the north, to Yanqi in the northwest, to Bailongdui in the east, to Dunhuang, and is the hub of the Silk Road. The Chinese are of Indo-European race. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first entered the Western Regions, all his envoys passed through Loulan. Loulan served as the Huns' eyes and ears many times and attacked and robbed Han envoys. In the third year of Yuanfeng (108 BC), the Han Dynasty sent troops to attack Loulan and captured its king. Loulan surrendered to the Han and was attacked by the Huns, so he sent his servants to pay homage to both sides. Later, An Gui, the servant of the Huns, was established as King of Loulan, and he kissed the Huns. Wang's brother Wei Tuqi surrendered to the Han Dynasty and reported the situation to the Han Dynasty. In the fourth year of Emperor Zhao Yuanfeng's reign (77 BC), the Han Dynasty sent Fu Jiezi to Loulan to assassinate Angui, made Wei Tuqi king, changed the name of the country to Shanshan, and moved the capital to Muni City (near Ruoqiang, Xinjiang today). Later, the Han government often sent officials to farm in the old place of Loulan City. From Yumen Pass to Loulan, beacons and pavilions were set up along the way. During the Wei, Jin and Qianliang dynasties, Loulan City became the administrative seat of the chief historian of the Western Regions.

About 1,600 years ago, Loulan Kingdom disappeared, leaving only the ruins of the ancient city. The ancient city of Loulan is located at 89°22′22″ east diameter and 40°29′55″ north latitude. It is located in the north of Ruoqiang County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, the northwest corner of Lop Nur and 7 kilometers south of the Kongque River.

The ancient history of Loulan Kingdom is still unclear. The name Loulan was first seen in "Historical Records". "Historical Records: Biography of the Xiongnu" records that the Loulan people established a country around the 3rd century BC. At that time, Loulan was ruled by the Yuezhi. From 177 BC to 176 BC, the Xiongnu defeated the Yuezhi, and Loulan was under the jurisdiction of the Xiongnu.

Current status of the ruins

The ancient city of Loulan now covers an area of ??120,000 square meters, nearly square, with a side length of about 330 meters. The entire ruins are scattered among the Yadan landforms on the west bank of Lop Nur.

The ruins of Loulan Ancient City are 350 kilometers northwest from Korla City and 330 kilometers southwest from Ruoqiang County.

The discovery of the ancient city of Loulan

The Kingdom of Loulan is located in the north of Ruoqiang County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, west of Lop Nur, 7 kilometers south of the Kongque River, and 7 kilometers southwest of Ruoqiang County. Qiang County is 220 kilometers east of Lop Nur and 28 kilometers west of Lop Nur. The entire site is scattered among the Yadan terrain on the west bank of Lop Nur.

The earliest discoverer of the Loulan Kingdom was the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin. In early March 1900, the Hedin expedition followed the dry left river bed of the Peacock River to the Robe Wasteland. When they were crossing a desert, they discovered that their shovel had been accidentally lost in the campsite last night. Hedin had to ask his assistant to go back and search. The assistant quickly retrieved the shovel and even picked up a few fragments of wood carvings. Hedin was extremely excited when he saw the fragments and decided to excavate the ruins. In March 1901, Sven Hedin began excavations and discovered a large number of cultural relics such as a pagoda and three halls, as well as wood carvings with Greek art and culture, five baht coins, and a Romanian letter. Then they discovered many beacon towers in the southeast of the ruins, which continued to an ancient city buried by wind and sand on the west bank of Lop Nur. This is the ancient city of Loulan.

The ancient city is nearly square in plan, with a side length of about 330 meters, and is almost entirely buried by quicksand. The city walls are built alternately with clay and red wicker. There is an ancient canal running diagonally through the city from northwest to southeast. There is an octagonal domed adobe pagoda in the northeast of the canal. On the earthen platform in the south of the tower, there is a group of tall wooden building ruins. Documents and slips in Chinese and Qilin scripts, five-baht coins, silk and woolen fabrics, daily utensils, etc. have been unearthed. In the middle of the southwest part of the canal, there are three large wooden and adobe houses. A large number of Chinese documents, wooden slips, and early Sogdian and Qilin documents were unearthed in and around the houses, which are estimated to be the remains of the government office. A group of courtyards to the west may be official residences, and short residential buildings are scattered to the south. Various documents and slips unearthed in the city are called Lop Nur documents.

During the inspection process in the early 20th century, a large number of Loulan cultural relics were taken away by foreign inspection groups.

Loulan Culture

Loulan Culture can be called the world’s most cultural landscape. Archaeologists have confirmed that human activities in the Tarim River Basin have a history of more than 10,000 years. If we connect the ancient cities abandoned in the Taklimakan Desert of the Tarim River with a red line, we will be surprised to find that all ancient cities, including the Kingdom of Loulan, suddenly disappeared in the 415th century AD, and all the ruins They are all in the Hades Desert, which is 50-200 kilometers away from where humans live today. To this day, despite the great efforts of many scholars, the rise, fall and disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan is still a huge mystery, and the Loulan ruins have also become the focus of world attention. The ancient city of Luntai, Qiemo ruins, ancient tombs, ancient beacons, mummies, ancient rock paintings, etc. are all world-class tourist attractions. In human history, Loulan is a name full of mystery. Its past glory has formed its special position in the history of world culture. The interest and enthusiasm shown by people in Loulan culture fully prove that Loulan not only belongs to China, but also to mankind. Loulan is an immeasurable historical heritage left to Bazhou by our ancestors and the pride of Bazhou people. It also means excavating, sorting out and studying Loulan culture. Bazhou people should bear greater responsibility in displaying Loulan and ancient Western culture in various ways.

As the 21st century is approaching, the times have provided Bazhou people with an excellent opportunity. This is to take the rapid economic development as an opportunity and the comprehensive growth of economic strength as the premise to develop the cultural heritage of Loulan and the ancient city in a planned way. Make them serve the construction of modern spiritual civilization and material civilization. In fact, this is how we give Loulan culture new life in a new historical period.

Loulan Kingdom in History

According to "Historical Records of Dawan" and "Hanshu Biography of the Western Regions", as early as the 2nd century ago, Loulan was a famous "city outline" in the Western Regions. country". It leads to Dunhuang in the east, Yanqi and Yuli in the northwest, and Ruoqiang and Qiemo in the southwest. The southern and northern routes of the ancient "Silk Road" separated from Loulan.

The administrative office of the chief historian of the Western Regions during the Wei, Jin and Qianliang periods of China. Located in the northwest of Lop Nur, Xinjiang. The city was named because the Chinese documents unearthed from the site used the phonetic pronunciation of "Loulan" and Luolu as "Kuluo Laina". At the beginning of the 20th century, the British Stein and others came here many times to rob and excavate. After the 1950s, Chinese scholars conducted investigations and excavations.

Loulan is one of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions, adjacent to Dunhuang, and had close relations with the Han Dynasty around BC. The records of Loulan in ancient times are based on the records of "Book of Han: Biography of the Western Regions", Faxian and Xuanzang. "Book of Han·Biography of the Western Regions" records: "The Shanshan Kingdom, whose real name is Loulan, has a king who governs the mud city. It goes to Yangguan for 1,600 miles and to Chang'an for 6,100 miles. There are 1,570 households and a population of 44,100. Faxian said: "The land is rugged and barren. The clothes of the lay people are the same as those in the Han Dynasty, but the color of the carpets is different. There are more than 4,000 Buddhist monks in the country." Xuanzang traveled there. At the end, he made a very simple description: "From then on, he traveled northeast for more than a thousand miles to the homeland of Nabobo, which is the land of Loulan."

The Loulan Kingdom in the Han Dynasty sometimes became the eyes and ears of the Xiongnu, and sometimes attached The Han Dynasty played a two-faced policy, standing between the two major forces of the Han and the Xiongnu, and cleverly maintained its political life. Since Loulan was located at the strategic point of communication between the Han Dynasty and other countries in the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty could not cross this area to attack the Huns. The Xiongnu could not threaten the Han Dynasty without borrowing Loulan's power. Both the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu tried their best to implement a soft policy towards Loulan.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian, the Marquis of Bowang, as an envoy to the Dayue clan, but failed to establish an offensive and defensive alliance. After that, he sent a large army to attack the distant country of Dayuan, and sent envoys to the countries in the Western Regions many times. When these envoys passed through Loulan, Loulan couldn't bear the heavy burden and even killed the envoys. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty finally sent troops to attack Loulan. As a result, Prince Loulan was sent to the Han Dynasty as a hostage as evidence of surrender. Loulan also sent a prince to the Xiongnu to express his strict neutrality between the Xiongnu and the Han. Later, when the Han expeditionary army attacked a vassal state of the Xiongnu, King Loulan contacted the Xiongnu and stationed an ambush of the Xiongnu troops in the country, which angered the Han court. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once again sent troops to attack Loulan, approaching the capital of Jianni City. King Loulan was frightened and immediately opened the city gate to apologize. Emperor Wu asked him to monitor the movements of the Huns. In 92 BC, King Loulan died, and the prince who had been taken as a hostage in the Han Dynasty returned to succeed him. The prince was very sad and did not want to return easily, so his younger brother inherited the throne. The new king died not long after, and the Huns took this opportunity to inherit the throne with the eldest son of the former king who had been a hostage in their own country. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was shocked when he heard the news, and quickly sent envoys to persuade the new king to come to the Han court, hoping to seize the throne. As a hostage, failed. In the next two or three years, no major incidents occurred between the Han and the Xiongnu, and they seemed very stable. The border of Loulan is close to the Yumen Pass. Han envoys often pass through this gate to go to the countries in the Western Regions. They have to pass through the desert called Bailongdui in Loulan. There are often winds in the desert, which rolls the quicksand into the air and makes it look like a dragon. Travelers get lost. The Han Dynasty keeps giving orders. The Kingdom of Loulan provided guides and drinking water. Because the Han envoys repeatedly abused the guides, Loulan refused to obey their orders, and the relationship between the two deteriorated. Emperor Wu of Han eventually sent assassins to assassinate the new king. In order to marry a prince who was a hostage in the Han court, a beautiful concubine was sent back to Loulan to inherit the throne. But the king was terrified of assassination. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to garrison Loulan in the name of protecting the king, thus gaining the initiative to conquer the Xiongnu and other countries in the Western Regions. The above is the relationship between Han Dynasty and Loulan during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After that, the power of the Han Dynasty weakened, and Loulan betrayed him again.

The mystery of the disappearance of Loulan

In 400 AD, the eminent monk Faxian traveled to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures and passed by this place. He said in "Buddha Kingdom" that this place was "no birds above, no birds below." There are no animals around, only the bones of dead people are the signs." After nearly 500 years of glory, Loulan, an important town on the Silk Road, gradually became depopulated and disappeared silently from the stage of history.

After the 4th century AD, Loulan Kingdom suddenly disappeared.

According to the "Shui Jing Zhu", after the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the diversion of the Zhubin River in the middle reaches of the Tarim River, Loulan suffered from severe water shortage. Soller from Dunhuang led 1,000 troops to Loulan, and summoned 3,000 soldiers from Shanshan, Yanqi, and Qiuci. They crossed the river and diverted water into Loulan day and night, alleviating Loulan's water shortage problem. But after that, despite the maximum efforts and attempts of Loulan people to dredge the river, the ancient city of Loulan was eventually abandoned due to water shortage.

Some people say that the death of Loulan was caused by human beings violating the laws of nature. Loulan people’s blind and indiscriminate deforestation led to soil erosion, sandstorm invasion, river diversion, abnormal climate, epidemic epidemics, reduced moisture, and saline-alkali weather. Accumulation eventually led to the inevitable demise of the kingdom.

No matter what you say, one thing is for sure, the final blow to the Loulan people was the plague.

This is a terrible acute infectious disease. According to the legend, it is called "hot nest disease". Once it becomes sick, an entire village will be affected and an entire family will die. In the face of a huge disaster, the Loulan people chose to flee - just like the previous migrations, they were all forced. The Loulan Kingdom collapsed, and people blindly went up the Tarim River. Wherever there were trees and water, they went there. Where they could survive, they went there. Those who could survive were the few. Loulan people want to cry but have no tears. When they set out on the road, they encountered an unprecedented strong wind and sandstorm. It was a huge formation that was buried in the sky. The sky was dark and the earth was dark, sand and rocks were flying, and the sound was like a ghost. A city suddenly disappeared in the turbidity and blur...

At this point, The glorious ancient city of Loulan has disappeared silently from history forever. Although the fleeing Loulan people dream of resurrecting Loulan from generation to generation, dreams can only be dreams. Moreover, at the end of the dream, even the dreamer couldn't wait and disappeared. Loulan was still the territory of wind and sand and the kingdom of death.