Cultural China Tour – Turpan- 149 unearthed cultural relics tell the story of the Silk Road

Zhao Mei, a reporter from Tianshan Net – Xinjiang Daily, recently delved into the significant role of Turpan along the ancient Silk Road and its historical stories in light of the “Silk Road Treasures: Turpan Artifacts and Documents Special Exhibition” that opened at Wuhan University on September 27. This exhibition features 149 treasured artifacts unearthed from Turpan, illuminating the rich historical narratives and the amalgamation of diverse cultures that thrived in this region.

**Turpan as a Crucial Hub on the Silk Road**

Upon entering the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by a large map illustrating the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, which highlights Turpan’s pivotal location—starting from Chang’an, through the Hexi Corridor, past Yangguan, the Silk Road branches towards Turpan via Hami. This route eventually leads deeper into Asia, connecting with West Asia, South Asia, and the distant Mediterranean countries.

Since Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, Turpan has borne witness to a millennium of Silk Road history where four great civilizations intersected. It was once home to prosperous cities and majestic palaces, which narrated countless tales of rise and fall.

Among the exhibits, two pieces of painted pottery from the Yanghai tombs showcase the aesthetic pursuits of Turpan’s early inhabitants. These colorful ceramics are adorned with intricate patterns like triangles, zigzags, and rhombuses, resembling designs found on remnants of woolen clothing unearthed from the same site. But why did the Yanghai people choose to depict such patterns on their pottery? Research indicates they sought to mimic the durability of woolen garments, projecting the patterns onto pottery in hopes of enhancing its resilience and extending its lifespan.

“Pottery excavated from the Yanghai tombs reflects not only influences from Central Plains pottery but also unique regional characteristics, signifying early cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the Western Regions,” explained Chen Aifeng, Deputy Director of the Turpan Research Institute. The inhabitants interred in the Yanghai tombs belonged to the Chishi culture, one of the region’s early civilizations characterized by influences from Central Plains, Central Asia, and the Northern steppe, suggesting that cultural interactions were already taking place as early as the pre-Qin period.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Chishi people established their kingdom with the city of Jiayuan as their capital. Beginning with the Western Han, imperial administrations gradually exerted control over Turpan, undergoing various stages including Gaochang Prefecture, Gaochang Kingdom, and Tang’s Western Prefecture. By the mid-9th century, the Uyghurs migrated here, founding the Western Uyghur Kingdom while submitting to Central dynasties such as Tang, Song, and Yuan. Each archaeological site in Turpan stands as a testament to the ebb and flow of dynasties and the development of China’s multi-ethnic unity.

**Documents and Artifacts That Resurrect the Past**

What did an official appointment document from the Tang Dynasty look like? One of the first-class national relics, the “Guo Zhan Chou Notice,” displayed the form of such bureaucratic documents. Unearthed from the Astana tomb complex in 1965, this document contains 35 lines of inked text, detailing an official commendation in the second year of the Qianfeng era (AD 667) for Guo Zhan Chou’s military achievements in three specific battles. During the Tang Dynasty, such certificates were confirmations of appointments and honors, akin to today’s appointment letters. “This document sheds light on the geopolitical landscape of the Western Regions in the mid-7th century and serves as a crucial historical resource for studying similar types of documents,” stated Chen Aifeng.

In the height of the Tang Dynasty, it became common for poets to venture beyond the frontier. One item on display, the “Changxingfang Horse Feed Inventory,” bears the footprints of poet Cen Can at the border. Discovered in tomb 506 of the Astana tomb complex, the document records daily statistics on horse and fodder consumption between the Xuanzhou (modern-day Turpan) and Tingzhou (modern-day Jimusaer) post stations from AD 754 to 755. The mention of “Cen Guanjuan” refers to Cen Can himself, with fragments of the document likely being his horse feed receipts.

What did a Tang Dynasty elementary student’s homework look like? An artifact titled “Bai Tianshou’s Copy of The Analects with Zheng Xuan’s Annotations” illustrates the daily life of students in that era. This document, which measured 5.38 meters in length and 0.27 meters in width, was written by a 12-year-old named Bai Tianshou. While some spelling errors were present, the characters were neatly formed. Interestingly, after copying The Analects, Bai added a playful poem urging his teacher to let students leave early: “There are books to write today; please don’t delay, Teacher. Tomorrow is the festival, let students go away.”

Why would Bai Tianshou undertake such a lengthy copy of The Analects? Who compelled a 12-year-old to transcribe so many Confucian classics? Chen Aifeng elaborated that studies reveal that administrative systems in the Western Regions during the Tang were akin to those in the Central Plains. Besides government-run schools, there were privately funded academies in Turpan, including one established at the Kuaijue Temple that provided free education for local children.

Extensive documentation from Turpan indicates that during this period, many temples had flourishing economies, managing large vineyards and generating revenue through leasing. Consequently, several temples financed the establishment of private schools, known as “Yi Xue,” which were essentially community-funded educational institutions.

**From an Obscure Field to an International Discipline**

Turpan serves as a vital town along the Silk Road, characterized by its scarce rainfall and fertile oasis basin, where Eastern and Western cultures converged, leaving behind a wealth of artifacts and texts.

Turpan studies, an interdisciplinary field dedicated to this rich cultural heritage, have attracted scholars from diverse backgrounds—including ancient literature, archaeology, history, and linguistics—over the past century, garnering significant attention in the international academic community.

In the late 19th century, the plunder of valuable artifacts and texts by Western explorers led to the dispersion of Turpan’s treasures across major global museums and research institutions.

In 1928, Huang Wenbi, as part of the Sino-Swedish Northwest Scientific Expedition led by Sven Hedin, excavated Turpan, resulting in the publication of “Records of Turpan Archaeology,” which initiated systematic research into artifacts and texts from Turpan. From 1959 onward, Chinese archaeologists have conducted planned scientific investigations and excavations at the Astana and Halaha Nizha tomb complexes, unearthing an extensive array of significant artifacts and documents. Among these, 203 tombs yielded around 10,000 pieces of paper documents from the Sixteen Kingdoms, Gaochang Kingdom, and Tang Dynasty, marking one of the 20th century’s top 100 archaeological discoveries in China.

In 1975, a team formed to organize the unearthed texts, led by Professor Tang Changru of Wuhan University, meticulously worked on disassembling, connecting, transcribing, dating, and naming thousands of text fragments to compile “Documents from Turpan.” In 1983, the “Chinese Dunhuang Turpan Studies Association” was established, creating a base for the restoration and preservation of textual artifacts from Turpan.

Today, thanks to the efforts of numerous renowned scholars both domestic and international, academic works such as “Documents from Turpan” and “Recently Acquired Turpan Documents” have emerged, gradually establishing Turpan studies as a prestigious field parallel to Dunhuang studies on the global stage.

“The 149 artifacts and documents featured in this exhibition represent the most comprehensive, highest caliber, and most recent showcase of Turpan’s unearthed treasures to date,” said Zhang Yong, Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the Turpan Cultural Relics Bureau. “Turpan’s documents are of great significance for understanding the multi-ethnic unity of the Chinese nation. They narrate the complexities of ancient history and bear witness to the close ties between the ancient Western Regions and the Central Plains, highlighting the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusivity, and peacefulness of Chinese civilization.”