Turpan
In Chinese history Turpan was an important and unique city on the Silk Road for the culture exchange and integration. It witnessed the complicated process of administering the Western Regions by Han and Tang dynasties. The Turpan Basin connects Hexi Corridor in the east to Tarim Basin in the west. Therefore, it was a strategically important place. Han Dynasty fought with the Hun for the control of this strategic city After many fierce battles, the increasingly powerful Western Han Kingdom eventually succeeded in controlling the Silk Road and occupied this city of strategic importance. And the Hun was never to be able to recover from the setback.

  After Han Dynasty, owing to the political upheavals, The kingdom of Gaochang started to rule the area. Under the support of Rouran, a nomadic tribe in the north. Gaochane occupied the whole Turpan Basin. In the early 6th century, Gaochang became a subordinate to Turke. In 7th century, after Tang Dynasty defeated Turkes, Gaochang collapsed and the area became Xizhou under the jurisdiction of Tang Dynasty.

  In AD327 ,Zhangjun of Pre-Liang occupied Turpan and established the County of Gaochang. The city of Gaochang was chosen as its capi?tal city. For 140 years, the ancient city of Gaochang developed rapidly and became a famous prosperous metropolis on the Silk Road.
Since Western Han Dynasty exercised jurisdiction over the Western Regions, a large number of Han people migrated to Gaochang and Chi?nese culture became broadly accepted in the region. The fact that mau?soleums of the rich and powerful families used extensively the Chinese decorations was reminiscent to the popularity of Chinese culture in the region. The mural-paintings on the tomb chambers vividly described the social life in jin, Sui and Tang dynasties. The topics of these frescos included most aspects of life for example, touring on horseback, singing and dancing of nobles as well as farming and laboring of common people and soldiers. Many items buried with the dead and excavated in modern times were silk costumes, musical instruments, fruit and vegetables, and pens, paper and ink, all of which were real items used during that period. The most famous excavation is the "Turpan documents," a collection of recorded trade exchanges and the lists of commodities available.
When he went westward for Buddhist Scripture, Xuanzang stayed in Gaochang and preached the Buddhism for one month. He was well re?ceived by the king of Gaochang. Gaochang was unique among the coun?tries of the Western Regions and it was famous for its magnificent temples and Buddhist ceremonies.

Hotan: the west Buddhism Center in Tang Dynasty

  Yutian (the present Hotan in Xinjiang) was a famous city on the Silk Road. It was widely known to the outside world for its beautiful jades. Although it was situated at the southern-western edge of the Taklamakan Desert the Yutian River (the present Hotan River) and other rivers flowed through the area, irrigating fertile land It was an oasis with abundant natural plantations. It was the richest place in the Western Regions.
From ancient times, Yutian had been producing beautiful jades, which were transported eastwards. The jade articles, excavated from the ruins of Shang Dynasty in Anyang, were mostly made of Yutian jades.

  There were a great variety of Yutian jades. Some crystal white, some emerald green, some black and some yellow. The trading of jades was profitable and therefore many merchants both local and from far away engaged in the trade. Yutian jades traveled as far as Parthia and the rest of the Western Regions.

  The beautiful jades brought both fame and prosperity to Yutian. After the opening of the Silk Road and the Western Regions established closer relations with China, Yutian, stood on the southern section of the Silk Road, became an even more important trade city. With the increased trade and cultural exchanges between the West and East, Yutian learnt sericulture and silk reeling and weaving technique and became a silk manufacture base in the Western Regions.

  Because of its strategic position, a rich variety of natural products and multi-cultural influence, Yutian became an early receiver of Buddhism. When Faxian arrived at Yutian on his travel westward for Scripture, Yutian was a important centre for Buddhist ceremonies. There were luxurious grandiose temples with tens of thousands monks. When he went to Tenjiku via Yutian, Xuanzang witnessed a solemn ceremony for the image of Buddha. This was a grand annual festival in Yutian. Xuanzang made a detailed record of what he had seen. Owing to the prevailing Buddhist ceremonies, the country of Yutian served as a cen?ter of Buddhism in the Western Regions.

  Since the beginning of the 20th century, many excavation efforts were made to unearth the sites of Buddhist temples in the territory of Hotan and the adjacent areas. When he was in Hotan, Stein partici?pated in several excavation work and unearthed lots of Early Greek-style images of Buddha. It was clear that Yutian received heavy influences both from India and Persia, and at the same time the influence of the imported cultures integrated well with the Han culture of China's hinterland. In addition, Arabian, West-Asian, Mongolian, Tibetan and Western Christian cultures were also reflected in Yutian's historic relics.

  In AD 632, the king of Yutian dispatched envoy to offer jade belt to Tang emperor Taizong. Soon after he sent his son to serve in Tang em?pirical court. When Tang army conquered Kizil the king of Yutian im?mediately rewarded the army generously. He followed the general of the victorious Tang army to Chang'an to have had an audience with the emperor. Tang Emperor Gaozong bestowed him a dwelling house many silk cloths and gold belts. He stayed in the capital for several months. His image was carved in a tombstone which was erected at the mausoleum of Tang emperor Taizong.