Ashide Lushan

695 CE

Travel Journal Entry 1:

I am so excited for my trip to Chang’an with my father! I’ve heard the city is lovely; I mean it’s only the capital of the Tang Empire! I’m a bit nervous though; I’m going to show off my horse riding skills and try to convince people to purchase my father’s horses. Our trade success depends on me impressing the Tang Imperial Court. I know that having the name Ashide Lushan turns heads in my hometown, saying that I’m a skilled noblewoman, but I’m not sure how I will seem to the Tang. Although I am greatly looking forward to the change of scenery, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere other than home. The Ferghana Valley is a true oasis; fertile, and mild, I’ve even heard it being called the “Golden Valley”. It lies in Sogdiana, a territory that was part of the Achaemenid Empire. Many of my fellow Sogdians are traders as well. We are right in the center of the Silk Roads, making us well stocked in goods from the East and the West.

I am also eager to see a change in culture. Most people who live around here, including myself, believe in Zoroastrianism. Many of the Achaemenid emperors have associated themselves with Zoroastrianism, going as far back as Darius. I’m sure the Tang people have a completely different religion that will open my eyes to the bigger world. But I wonder how many other cultural differences there will be in Chang’an. Here in Sogdiana, there are a multitude of languages spoken and a blended sort of culture. Maybe China will be more uniform and standardized. Also, the empire I live in is divided into satrapies that provide the basis for political organization. Are all empires like that, or is mine unique? I have so many questions about the outside world, and I can’t believe I’m so close to getting them answered!

Primary Source: Sogdian Ancient Letter Discovered in DunHuang

I might write to you about the Sogdians who went “inside” [China] and how they fared and which countries they reached. The last emperor, fled from Luoyang because of the famine and fire was set to his palace and to the city, and the palace was burnt and the city destroyed. Luoyang is no more! And, sirs, we do not know whether the remaining Chinese were able to expel the Huns [from] Chang’an, from China, or whether they took the country beyond.

And [...in...there are] a hundred freemen from Samarkand...in... there are forty men. And, sirs, [. . . it is] three years since [. . . came] from “inside” . . . And from drw’’n [Dunhuang] up to Kmzyn [ Jincheng/Lanzhou] . . . to sell, linen cloth… , and whoever has unmade cloth or woolen cloth . . .

And, sirs, as for us, whoever dwells in the region from Lanzhou or Wuwei up to Dunhuang, we only survive so long as the . . . lives, and we are without family, old and on the point of death. If this were not so, [I would] not be ready to write to you about how we are. And, sirs, if I were to write to you everything about how China has fared, it would be beyond grief...

When the caravan left Kc’n [Guzang/Wuwei], Wakhushakk . . . was there, and when they reached Srg [Luoyang] . . . the Indians and the Sogdians there had all died of starvation. [And I] sent Nasyan to drw’’n [Dunhuang] and he went “outside” (i.e., out of China) and entered Dunhuang, but now he has gone without permission from me, and he received a great retribution and was struck dead at Kr’’cyh.

[Lord] Nanai-thvàr, you should add the interest to the capital and put it in a transfer document. And if you think it fit that the latter should not hold it, then you should take it and give it to someone else whom you do think fit, so that this money may increase. And day after day we are expecting to be killed or robbed. And when you need cash, then you should take 1,000 or 2,000 staters out of the money.

I have never left Sogdiana, as a noblewoman I stayed in my land. But, there have been letters sent back to Sogdiana from China. Most came as hidden messages, some didn’t even make it back in time, but one that was sent to the Noble Lord Varzakk sent centuries ago still made it back. As a child, father read these letters to me before. I always wondered why our people wanted to trade with these ruthless beings who didn’t treat our people fairly? But, this connection was important described by my father. So, the letter that fascinated me described the destruction of the capital LuoYang being sacked. Father said Luoyang was sacked three times, this letter was sent right after the second time, around 311 CE, because of the descriptions of a famine. The letter was from a Sogdiana woman who was left in Dunhuang. The description of the unfairness and it especially talked of the struggles of Sogdians who are in the Chinese territory, describing in detail their difficult living styles. It talked about how some men were slaughtered and the people being treated unfairly/ It also mentioned the thriving wool textiles sold in the city of DunHuang. Guess what? Today father told me that while we are in the Tang Empire we will stop by DunHuang and see our people there. Maybe we will be able to see if their conditions have improved. If not, we can still talk with them and try to help their conditions. Father will thank them, as they are the reasons why we are able to partner with China. I wonder why father is placing so much importance on this alliance, but that is out of my realm of understanding. Alas, I must go pack my bags and prepare my horses. Tomorrow we are going to begin with the journey.

Methods of Traveling

On the first part of my trip, I traveled mainly by horseback. Being a skilled horseback archer, I am use to traveling by horse. They make for very good transportation and they are easily available in my territory back in Sogdiana. I traveled this way for quite some time, stopping in a city called Samarkand, until I reached Kashgar. Here, I got new supplies and had a place to rest before my long trip to China. As strong as my horses are, they needed some time to rest, so I joined a camel caravan. This was also helpful because I was crossing the Taklamakan Desert, which is extremely hot and very dangerous to cross without the proper supplies. The caravan made traveling across the desert a lot easier. I found the camels very impressive. They could carry surprising amounts of supplies and they didn’t become tired after all the traveling. The camel caravan helped me get to Chang’an a lot faster.

Iteims Traded

I will be trading horses from my homeland with the Tang Emperor once I reach China. I have selected the strongest and most capable horses to bring with me on this trip. This will be the perfect opportunity for me to demonstrate my skills as a horseback archer and show off the strength of my horses. The Tang Emperor has great need of horses for his army and horses as fine as these should bring in a considerable amount of money. Horses are essential to powerful empires like Tang China because they are useful in battle and and provide easy transportation, so I’m thinking that I will make quite a profit off of these. This will be a very long journey, but if the Emperor agrees to the trade, then it would have been worth it.

1: Samarkand

Samarkand is the very first city I visited, and I can say it is a wonderful city. My father and I came here by horseback. When I came in the city, I noticed it had a semi-arid climate with beautiful landscape. The city itself is surrounded by mountains and a lot of natural resources. There is a complex network of canals controlling the water flow, this irrigation system made it able to flourish in agricultural. Also, one good thing is that Zoroastrianism is huge here since this area was once under Persian control during 700 BCE. At that time, it was one of the administrative centers and was well fortified. Then during the time, the city was under Alexander’s rule, and he introduced the Hellenic culture. This culture greatly influenced our culture, and helped strengthen our Zoroastrianism views. Another religion that was just starting to rise was Christianity. In addition, when I was here I got to visit my people, for centuries Sogdiana’s have lived here, and become known as great merchants. They are so lucky to live in this metropolis city!

Method of Transportation

2: Kashgar

I then went to Kashgar on horseback, my horses were exausted after the journey. I visited this city in the middle of my trip, it is located in the westernmost extremity of the Tarim Basin. It had a moderate climate and the city had developments in agriculture and textile manufacturing. The city was under the control of the Chinese and the city had established a governing administration. I even heard the city as one of the “Four Garrisons” of the “Pacified West”, which sounds important. Also, when I was walking around, I saw that there were many Buddhist in Kashgar and that is because there were many monasteries. As we left Kashgar, we joined a camel caravan as we crossed the Taklamakan Desert.

Methods of Transportation

3: DunHuang

After travelling about 1250 miles, our our camel caravan stopped in Dunhuang. I noticed that Dunhuang was similar to Kashgar in that it was the site of very important Buddhist monastic complexes. When I was here, I got to visit the Mogao Grottoes. This place had a collection of nearly 500 caves in the cliffs to the south of the city and these caves housed fantastic Buddhist art. We also socialized with a colony of fellow Sogdians living here and learned about their experiences in this area. The town was very clan-based with a large, organized local economy.Finally, this city I saw was on a crossroads of two major trade routes within the Silk Road network and lies on an oasis at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Now we departed to our final destination, Chang’an.

Method of Transportation

4: Chang'An

After all of our traveling by horseback and the camel caravan, we reached our destination. When I got to Chang’an, I was truly impressed! The city is truly amazing and it was the most populous, cosmopolitan, and civilized city I have ever seen. Also, the city was always busy with trading markets teeming with a variety of people. The city not only had Buddhism and Taoism but even Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism and Manichaeism. The moment we reached the palace, I was awed because it is the most beautiful and magnificent piece of architecture I have ever seen. When we met with the Tang Imperial Court, I showed off my skills on the horses, and they then agreed to trade with us!!

Methods of Transportation

Conclusion

My trip was incredible! I experienced new cultures and religions just like I hoped. I also got to try new methods of travel like camel caravans as well as riding my horses. At the beginning of my journey, I still saw the impact of

Zoroastrianism, but as I travelled further, Buddhism became the prominent religion. There were monasteries and other Buddhist influences everywhere! But as I entered Chang’an I was exposed to Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, and Manichaeism. It was exhilarating to see such a developed, cosmopolitan city. And of course it was wonderful to impress the Tang and trade our horses! My trip was such a great experience that I will not soon forget. See you next time!

Citations

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