More than 2,000 years ago, an envoy of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) named Zhang Qian (164–114 BC) entered the heart of the Eurasian continent with a mission to promote peace and exchange.

Zhang set out on his arduous pioneering journey from the capital Chang’an (now Xi’an in Shaanxi Province) in 138 BC at the request of the then emperor. He was searching for the Great Yuezhi, a nomadic group that migrated from China to Central Asia during the Han Dynasty. His goal was to persuade the Great Yuezhi to form an alliance.

Finally, he reached his goal and thanks to his diplomatic journey through Central Asia, the long, historical saga of the Silk Road began.

Centuries have passed since then and sand and time have hidden much history. But for the past 15 years, Wang Jianxin, an archaeology professor at Northwest University in Xi’an, has been working on sites that may have played a role in long-forgotten stories. Working with Central Asian colleagues, he and his team have gradually put together some of the puzzle pieces scattered along the Silk Road, providing a new perspective on the study of its routes and bringing to light cultural exchanges from the past to the present.

Central Asia was a central section of the ancient Silk Road. As it lies in the middle of the Eurasian continent, it serves as a mediator between Eastern and Western civilizations. Many different ethnic groups and cultures meet in the region.

Wang and his team followed Zhang’s footsteps and began searching for the Great Yuezhi to discover its history.