The southern route of the ancient Silk Road

The southern route of the ancient Silk Road

"Records of the Western Tribes in the Wei Lue": 'Starting from Yumen Pass, passing through the Protectorate's Well, returning to the northern pass of the Three Sandy Ridges, traveling via Julu Granary, turning northwest from the West Well of the Sand, crossing the Dragon Dunes, reaching Loulan, then heading west to Kucha, and on to the Pamir Mountains, this is the Central Route.' (Originally referred to as the Northern Route) The "Book of Han · Treatise on the Western Regions" states: 'There were two routes out of the Western Regions from Yumen Pass and Yang Pass. From Shanshan, following the southern foothills of the mountains, heading westward along the river to Shache, this was the Southern Route. Crossing west over the Pamir Mountains from the Southern Route would lead to the Da Yuezhi and Parthia.' The road from Yumen Pass and Yang Pass to Loulan served as the common trunk line for both the northern and southern routes, and Loulan was precisely the branching point and hub of these two routes. During the Western and Eastern Han dynasties and the Wei-Jin periods, envoys and merchants traveled ceaselessly along the southern Silk Road, and its prosperity became world-renowned. Although the area east of Loulan suffered from water scarcity, to its west lay the Kum River and the ancient Tarim River, where farming flourished along the riverbanks, forming a chain of fertile oases. It held both economic and military significance, making it truly the great thoroughfare of silk transport. Sven Hedin wrote in his book *The Silk Road*: 'A translated letter mentioned that once, as many as 4,326 bundles of silk were delivered to the residents of Loulan.' In 60 BC, the Western Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions in Wulei, and the Loulan Route became an important overland passage from China to South Asia, West Asia, and Europe. Chinese silk and porcelain were exchanged with the West’s jade, gems, and other treasures along the ancient Silk Road. A large portion of the ancient southern Silk Road passed through the territory of the Loulan-Shanshan Kingdom. Along this route, the ruins of ancient cities such as Loulan, Tuyin, Milan, Ruoqiang, Wasit, Qiemu, and Niya lie buried beneath the desert sands, inspiring today’s travelers to explore and discover. The harsh changes in natural conditions have also made the ancient southern Silk Road of today a prime destination for adventure tourism and极限挑战. As early as the Jin Dynasty, the eminent monk Faxian wrote when passing through the Loulan Desert on his way from Chang’an to India in search of Buddhist scriptures: 'In the sandy river, there are many evil spirits and scorching winds. Those who encounter them all perish, none survive. There are no birds in the sky above, nor beasts on the ground below. Looking as far as the eye can see, seeking a place to cross, there is none to be found—only the white bones of the dead serve as markers.' Sven Hedin discovered a fragment of a poem written by a Central Plains official stationed at Loulan: 'In this remote land, vast and boundless, perilous and without end!' On December 10, 1934, Sven Hedin led an expedition attempting to traverse the ancient Loulan Route of the Silk Road but had to turn back unsuccessful at Base No. 135. In October 1988, a China–Japan motor rally successfully took place along the old National Highway 313, covering the southern Silk Road. In the 1990s, the Bazhou International Travel Agency, in collaboration with China Radio International, successfully organized multiple large-scale group tours for Japanese listeners to ride camels across the southern Silk Road.