Zhang Qian
Also known as Chang-Kien, Chang Kien, Chang Chien, Chang Ch'ien
imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the 2nd century BC
Person · Open Library
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- 8
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- Xin tai jue ding ming yun
- Kan chuan ren xin de shi ren shu
- Bai ming ge xing cheng ming qu
- Ai de jiao yu
- Yin yue mei xue jiao cheng
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Article
Zhang Qian (Chinese: 張騫; died c. 114 BC) was a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and politician who served as an imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the late 2nd century BC during the Western Han dynasty. He was one of the first official diplomats to bring back valuable information about Central Asia, including the Greco-Bactrian remains of the Macedonian Empire as well as the Parthian Empire, to the Han dynasty imperial court, then ruled by Emperor Wu of Han.
He played an important pioneering role for the future Chinese conquest of lands west of Xinjiang, including swaths of Central Asia and even lands south of the Hindu Kush (see Protectorate of the Western Regions). This trip created the Silk Road that marked the beginning of globalization between the countries in the east and west.