This book introduces readers to ancient Chinese communications with other ethnic communities that lived west of Dunhuang along the ancient Silk Road. These ethnic groups included the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu (Huns), the Sogdians, the Tubo (Tibetans), the Huihu (Uigurs), and the Khotanese. Offering detailed descriptions of Chinese interactions with these peoples, it offers readers a clearer picture of Chinas ancient and medieval history, particularly the spread of Buddhism and other religious faiths, military operations like the Tibetan occupation and those under the Guiyijun (Return-to-Allegiance) regime, socioeconomic activities, and artistic efforts to create the Buddhist Grottoes.
Table of Contents.- Introduction.- The Yuezhi the White in Ancient
Dunhuang.- Yumen Pass and Xuanquan Post in Han Dynasty.- Buddhism Coming to
Dunhuang from West.- The Sogdian Merchants and the Hu Settlement in
Dunhuang.- The Tibetan rule of Dunhuang and the Contribution of Tibetan
culture.- The Silk Road in the Guiyijun Period.- Uighur and Dunhuang.- Yutian
and Shazhou.- Concluding Remarks.- References.
Rong Xinjiang is a Professor at the Department of History and the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History, Peking University, President of the China Association of Dunhuang and Turfan Studies, and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. His main research fields include cultural exchanges between China and the West, the Silk Road both on land and sea, Chinese history during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the history of Central Asia, etc. Besides Chinese publications, he has also published many articles and two books in English: Eighteen Lectures
on Dunhuang (Brill 2013) and The Silk Road and Cultural Exchanges between East and West (Brill 2023). He was editor-in-chief of Journal of Tang Studies from 1995 to 2017.
