"The city is still standing, and the population is cut off. Going northeast for more than a thousand miles, you will arrive at the hometown of Nafubo, which is the land of Loulan." —— Xuanzang and Bianji's "Da Tang Western Regions" Volume 12
The Loulan mentioned in the article is Shanshan today. Master Xuanzang traveled to the west for 17 years and returned from India to learn Buddhist scriptures. He traveled the Southern Silk Road and passed through the Taklamakan Desert. The last country he saw was the ruined Loulan Kingdom. The book ends here.
The geographical location of Loulan Kingdom is very unique. It is at the junction of the North and South Roads of the Silk Road, and it is the first stop west of Yumen Pass. Therefore, in the eyes of the Central Plains people, Loulan has almost become synonymous with the countries of the Western Regions. Wang Changling said boldly: "The yellow sand wears golden armor in all battles, and if you don't break through Loulan, you will never return it." Li Bai's verses are even more domineering: I would like to cut Loulan with the sword from my waist. The Loulan Kingdom in the Han Dynasty, because it was sandwiched between the two major forces of the Han Dynasty and the Huns, had to sometimes become the eyes and ears of the Huns, and sometimes belong to the Han Dynasty. In order to maintain neutrality, King Loulan once sent two princes to the Han and Huns respectively. Both countries as hostages. In order to make a complete break between Loulan and the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took King Loulan back to Chang'an and severely questioned him. In 77 BC, King An of Loulan's position of returning to the Xiongnu and Shu Dahan became very clear. Emperor Han Zhao accepted Fu Jiezi's suggestion and asked him to take someone to assassinate King Loulan, and changed the country's name to Shanshan. Loulan experienced life and death, from being famous to not listed in the history books, only a few hundred years. But it has a splendid "previous life". In its life like a flower in the epiphyllum, it tightly clung to the throat of the Silk Road, and became the heart knot that affected the two great powers of the Han and the Huns. But death.
In the Xiaohe cemetery in the sand sea, there are densely packed Populus euphratica totem poles, some like bamboo shoots, some like oars, symbolizing extremely strong reproductive worship. Buried under the wooden pillars is a mysterious ship coffin with a history of 3,800 years. The mummy of a beautiful woman who shocked the world—"Xiaohe Princess" appeared from here, known as the most "Loulan beauty".
The Kumtag Desert was formed in the Han Dynasty, mainly because of the strong winds from the Qijiaojing tuyere of the Tianshan Mountains and the Dabancheng tuyere. After a long wind journey along the way, a large amount of sand was carried, and finally collided and deposited in the Kumtag area, forming the " The unique landscape of "desert with sand hills". It is the only desert in the world that is connected to the city. It is known as the "desert in the city". For thousands of years, the intersection of the wind direction has always been at the southern end of the old city of Shanshan and has never moved northward. The spectacle of green never retreating, sand not entering". The dust and smog in spring obscured the setting sun, and the "golden plume desert and the sunset glow in the desert in the city" were all discounted. There is no need to regret, because this is Shanshan, and this is the former Loulan, and that is enough.
