Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

2 .6
Unlike its predecessors, the Eastern Han Dynasty initially pursued a somewhat
different policy in its relations with the Western Regions. The rulers of this dynasty
believed that ties with these regions involved too much financial expenditure for
China, and for this reason they became erratic.
Various expeditions and missions by the Chinese general Ban Chao to the
Western Regions contributed to the establishment of stronger diplomatic relations
between Inner Asia and China. According to the History of the Later Han Dynasty,
Ban Chao and his army crossed all of Central Asia and even reached the ‘Western
Sea’ (Mediterranean Sea). After this, envoys from Central Asian kingdoms came to
the emperor’s court bearing tributes. However, these were probably isolated cases
because, according to the same source, while some possessions in the Western
Regions resumed contacts with China, others broke them off. This probably refers
to relations with Kangju, which at that time consisted of five main possessions: Chi
[ Ji] (probably referring to Bukhara), Su-hsieh [Suxie] (to Kesh), Fu-mo [Fumo] (to
Samarkand), Yü-ni [Yuni] (to Chach) and Yü-chien [Aojian] (to Khorezm), and a
number of other, smaller possessions.
Diplomatic relations with Anxi (Parthia) and the powerful Kushan state that
emerged in the 1st century AD, which included Northern Bactria and territories as
far as the Hissar mountains, were, evidently, a special case.
At any rate, Parthia continued to maintain diplomatic relations with China, which
were, however, confined to sending an envoy and gifts in the form of rare animals.
For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhangdi in AD 87 a messenger was sent
to China with lions and fuba (Persian gazelle) as a gift, and in AD 101 the Parthian
emperor Manqu (Pacorus II?) sent gifts of lions and ostriches to the imperial court.
It should also be noted that Gan Ying, the subaltern of Ban Chao, was the first of
the Chinese to reach the Mediterranean Sea, travelling via the territory of Parthia in
AD 97, and he described the countries located near there in detail.
Diplomatic relations between Inner Asian states and
China in the 3rd–5th centuries AD
Analysis of Chinese texts shows that diplomatic relations between Inner Asia and
China during the Cao Wei (AD 220–265), Jin (AD 265–420) and Northern, Eastern
and Western Wei (AD 386–556 /557) dynasties collapsed completely, largely owing
to the military and political situations of the periods, as outlined below. The great
ancient realms of Kushan and Parthia collapsed; a number of independent provinces
were formed in the territory of Northern Bactria, which was a part of the Kushan
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