Summary: On the afternoon of September 8th, with the team of more than 20 off-road vehicles returning to Kashi in Xinjiang, 2016 “the Silk Road- Kunlun River source route” comprehensive expedition since September 1st completely ended.

Expedition Iteriary (Credit: Wu Xinhua)

 On the afternoon of September 8th, with the team of more than 20 off-road vehicles returning to Kashi in Xinjiang, 2016 “the Silk Road- Kunlun River source route” comprehensive expedition since September 1st completely ended.

     This comprehensive scientific expedition was launched by the Silk Road (Xinjiang) International Culture Development Center, lasting from September 1st to 8th. More than a dozen domestic well-known scholars and a number of Media teams including Bank Information Port, drove more than 1500 kilometers into the Kunlun Valley, climbed on the Pamirs, sequentially arriving in the borders of China and Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, etc. They visited the Kunlun River source route on the Silk Road which has important significance for intercourses between Chinese and foreign civilizations.

 

To sort out the communicating path and history of the civilization of the East and West

 

    Xinjiang is the gateway of ancient Silk Road into the circle of Chinese civilization, and Kashi is the important city of the southern route of silk road, which starts here and leads across Kunlun Mountains and the Pamirs then into Central Asia and South Asia, was named as “Kunlun River Source Route” by the scholars involved. This line is not only the logistics route lasting for thousands of years, but also key route of Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges, and many celebrities have left footprints in this corridor such as Faxian, Xuan Zang, Marco Polo, etc.

    Although there are many records in ancient books of this route, the world is still unclear about its actual trend and transportation situation. The domestic academic circle is mainly discussed “from literature to the literature”, lacking the supporting basis of field visits.

    During the eight days’ trip, the expedition team first went along the Yarkand River, walking among the vast hills of western section of Kunlun Mountain, then diverted the way against Tashkurghan River (branch of Yarkand River) entering the Pamir Plateau, and deep into Vakhan corridor the important artery of western Chinese border. They arrived in the frontier areas of China and Pakistan, China and Afghan, traveling more than 1500 kilometers and going through mountains, valleys, plateaus, snowy mountains and other landforms.

    Professor Wang Zijin of the Institute of Sinology in Renmin University of China said: "we go on this way. Understand the ancient traveler who had seen the landscapes, which is very important to know about their traffic behavior and historical and cultural significance."

    One of the organizers of this expedition, captain of Xinjiang archaeological team of Institute of Archaeology in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Wu Xinhua believed that through personal experience and investigation, they have discriminated and eliminated the accurate trend of southern route of the Silk Road long plaguing the academia, which is a major achievement of this expedition.

 

To provide new ideas and perspectives for academic research

 

     According to Chinese ancients and books, Kunlun Mountain is a sacred one located in the West, and the source of the Yellow River lies in Kunlun Mountain. The two symbols of Chinese civilization both have deep roots with Xinjiang which is located in the west, and ancient silk road also leads through here. So it will be a design full of connotation to comprehensively consider the three important cultural issues. When it comes to this expedition, Jia Congjiang, one of the accompanying experts and head of the Institute of History of Xinjiang Academy of Social Science, made such comments.

     "What ups and downs have the Silk Road experienced?" "What’s the cause and driving force of the Silk Road?” This expedition team brought together the heavyweight domestic scholars of history, archaeology, cultural fields. They chatted along the road and enjoyed this journey of a collision of ideas.

     Professor Wang Bangwei of Peking University is a talented and learned scholar studying Buddhism exchange, who has researched on the records of the Western Region in the Tang Dynasty over 30 years. He told reporters that this expedition helped him to solve two problems long-termly haunting him, "one is the trend and longitude and latitude of a number of important rivers originating in the Pamirs, the other is the route for eastwards returning monks in Tang Dynasty."

     "For a long time, scholars generally believe that, when Xuanzang came back he took the way of Mintaka Pass near the Pamir Vakhan corridor. This expedition not only explored the Mingtaka Pass, also investigated near the Kilik Pass and Wakhjir Pass. In contrast, the traffic conditions of the latter two are better, for Xuanzang carrying huge baggage this is a more appropriate way to the east." Wang Bangwei said.

     Professor Shang Yanbin of History School of Minzu University of China thought, "Scholars should not only read thousands of books, but also travel thousands of miles. Textual research might have biases, so field investigation would be more intuitive than on books. There is no limit to scientific research, which requires rigorous attitude and spirit."

     Scholars participating in the research believed that although this expedition was not formed yet. It's a very new idea. The newly discovered clues and angles in this expedition are worthy of further in-depth study.

 

The innovative attempt of academic expedition and media interaction

 

      Compared to the previous academic research, the biggest feature of this expedition is that the mass media delivery natural and cultural knowledge along the way to the society. Multilingual and multimedia reporting team of China Radio International participated in the whole expedition, carried out following reports and live video, well-known scholars chatting while traveling in the face of the lens and combing the root and rheology of Chinese civilization on the spot.

      Captain of Xinjiang archaeological team of the Institute of Archaeology in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Wu Xinhua supposed that the mutual impulses of Archaeology and media are an innovative try of the domestic archeological academia. "The attempt to cooperate with the media this time also relates to the interpretation angles of the Silk Road. This is not only our academic activities, but also the process of interacting with the media, showing us the Chinese civilization to society and understanding or reviewing the Silk Road. From the actual effect, China Radio International team and the accompanying reporters worked hard and made a great contribution to the success of the expedition."

 

To review the Silk Road and expect for "The Belt and Road"

 

     Three years ago, President Xi Jinping put forward "One Belt and Road” cooperation initiative, then continued to get a positive response in countries along the road. This large expedition focused on the cultural basis and the historical origin of "One Belt and Road” cooperation initiative on one side, with a strong practical significance.

     On the Khunjerab border between China and Pakistan at an altitude of 4900 meters, Liu Chuanming, director-general of the Silk Road (Xinjiang) International Culture Development Center said, our contemporary people standing at a historical intersection point, have the responsibility in the new national development strategy of the Silk Road, do the work well and serve the country.

     He said, "for thousands of years, the Silk Road is a series of political, economic and cultural exchanges networks. The current road of China and Pakistan friendship is an important component of ‘The Belt and Road’ and has important effects in expanding cultural and economic exchanged with the Persian Gulf, South Asia and the Middle East."

     Captain of Xinjiang archaeological team of Institute of Archaeology in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Wu Xinhua said, in history Xinjiang became prosperous for its location in the "crossroads" blending of Eastern and Western civilizations; now, Xinjiang is still the core zone of “The Belt and Road", having broad prospects for development.

     "Kashi, Hotan, Turpan and Kucha, were once world-class ports and cities in ancient Xinjiang. In the implementation process of The Belt and Road, Xinjiang is the key area and likely to recover once prosperity along the Silk Road, so people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang need to grasp this historic opportunity."

      After the end of the expedition, scholars and the media will also go to Urumqi in Xinjiang, participating in the seminar of 2016 “the Silk Road- Kunlun River source route” comprehensive expedition to be held on September 10th to 11th.