——中国民族报编写组
——Written and Edited by China Ethnic News

　　克孜尔尕哈烽燧位于新疆库车县境内，是新疆丝路古道上数以百计的烽燧中历史最长、保存最完好的一座夯土建筑烽燧遗址，始建于汉代。包括克孜尔尕哈烽燧在内的新疆烽燧群在维护丝绸之路交通畅达、保障国家统一和各地稳定方面，发挥了重要作用。（尹小军摄）

　　The Kizilgaha beacon tower, first built during the Han dynasty in Kucha County in Xinjiang, is the oldest and best preserved rammed-earth beacon towers of the hundreds on the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang. The beacon towers in Xinjiang, including the Kizilgaha beacon tower, played crucial roles in maintaining the Silk Road safe for passage and protecting ethnic unity and local stability. (Photograph by Yin Xiaojun)

秦代设置南海郡、桂林郡管理岭南地区，汉代设立西域都护府统辖新疆，唐代创设了800多个羁縻州府经略边疆，元代设宣政院管理西藏，明代清代在西南地区改土归流，历朝历代的各族人民都对今日中国疆域的形成作出了重要贡献。

In the Qin Dynasty, two prefectures, Nanhai and Guilin, were set up to govern the southeast, an area covering today's Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) the Western Regions Frontier Command was established to exercise administration over Xinjiang. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907) the central authorities set up over 800 autonomous prefectures and counties in border areas. In the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) there was the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs to govern Tibet. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1616-1911) dynasties the native chieftainships in the southwest were abolished and replaced by direct administration by the central government. In past dynasties the people of all ethnic groups made important contributions to the formation of our territories.  

——习近平总书记在2019年全国民族团结进步表彰大会上的讲话

——An excerpt from President Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Conference Commending Model Units and Individuals for Contributing to Ethnic Unity and Progress, 2019

从汉代至清朝中晚期，包括新疆天山南北在内的广大地区统称为西域。西汉初年，西域小国林立，北方游牧政权匈奴趁机控制西域，不断进犯中原地区。汉武帝即位后，采取一系列军事和政治措施反击匈奴。

From the Han dynasty to the middle and late Qing dynasty, the vast regions including the southern and northern areas of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang were collectively referred to as the Western Regions. In the early days of the Western Han(206 BC—AD 8) , the Xiongnu, a northern nomadic regime, dominated the Western Regions where there used to be a large number of small states. From then on, they repeatedly intruded into the Central Plains, which was in the jurisdiction of the Han. Upon acceding to the throne, Emperor Wu of Han took a range of military and political measures against the Xiongnu aggression.

公元前101年，西汉开始在轮台（今新疆轮台县境内）等地屯田，开创性地设置地方官吏进行管理。公元前60年，控制东部天山北麓的匈奴日逐王降汉，西汉统一西域。

In 101 BC, the Western Han sent garrison troops to transform wastelands to arable land in Luntai (in present-day Luntai County, Xinjiang) administrated by local officials. In 60 BC, the King Rizhu of the Xiongnu, who used to control the north foot of the eastern part of Tianshan Mountains, surrendered to the Han, which marked the incorporation of the Western Regions into the Han territory.

为加强管理，西汉在乌垒城（今新疆轮台县东北）建立西域都护府，这是中央政府在西域设立的第一个最高军政中心。骑都尉郑吉被任命为首任西域都护，在“护鄯善以西南道”基础上“并护车师以西北道”，即总护西域三十六国，成为中央任命管理西域的最高长官。有汉一代，中央政府任命的西域都护仅西汉时期就有18人，但以东汉的班超最为著名。班超深耕西域30年，受到西域各族百姓爱戴。

In order to strengthen administration, the Western Han established at Wulei City (northeast of Luntai County in Xinjiang at present) the Western Regions Frontier Command, the first high-level military and political center established by the central government in the Western Regions. Commandant of Cavalry Zheng Ji was appointed as the first Protector-General of the Western Regions in charge of 36 states to “protect the south route to the Western Regions started from the State of Shanshan” and furtherly to “protect the north route to the Western Regions started from the State of Cheshi”. He was then the highest-ranking official that the central government had ever designated to administer the Western Regions. During the entire Han dynasty, although the Western Han had appointed 18 Protector-Generals for the Western Regions, it was Ban Chao from the Eastern Han (25-220) who was the most famous. Ban Chao served in the Western Regions for 30 years and was held in high esteem by people of different ethnic groups there.

除西域都护府等中央派出机构外，西域地方事务由汉朝册封的西域诸国君长具体管理。据《汉书·西域传》记载，这些地方官员达376人，“皆佩汉印绶”。考古工作者曾在新疆阿克苏地区发掘一枚西汉时期西域都护李崇的官印，还发现一枚中央政府颁给少数民族首领的“汉归义羌长”铜印，这些都是西汉对西域实行管辖的重要物证。

Apart from the dispatched agencies by the central government like the Western Regions Frontier Command, local affairs were managed by the rulers of the states in Western Regions which the Han conferred as vassal states. According to the Book of Han: Traditions of the Western Regions, such local officials, 376 in number, were all appointed by the Han, wearing typical ceremonial dress and take seals in line with their official ranks. Archaeologists once excavated in Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang, an official seal of Protector-General of the Western Regions named Li Chong of the Western Han, and also discovered a copper seal granted by the central government to a minority chief, which was inscribed with the characters “for the Chief of the Qiang Group Who Has Submitted to the Han”. These artifacts are important testaments to the Western Han’s jurisdiction over the Western Regions.

西域都护府的设立，结束了西域地区四分五裂的状态，极大地推动了当地经济社会发展。西域诸国不仅不需要向汉朝中央政府交纳贡赋，还学会了中原先进的农业灌溉和冶炼技术，促进了生产力的提高，西域各族人民过上了比较安定的生活。

The establishment of the Western Regions Frontier Command brought to an end the disunity of the Western Regions and gave a great boost to economic and social development there. The states in Western Regions were not only exempt from tribute to the Han central government, but also accessible to the advanced irrigation and smelting techniques of the Central Plains, which increased their productivity so that the people could live a more stable life.

西域都护府开创了中央王朝有效管理西域的先河。自西域都护府建立后，汉朝与西域形成了一个统一整体。

The Western Regions Frontier Command was an innovative approach for the central government to effectively govern the Western Regions. The Han dynasty and the Western Regions formed into a unified integrity after the establishment of Western Regions Frontier Command.

自汉代以后，历代中央王朝，不论国力强弱，都把西域视为故土，设置机构行使管辖权。1884年，清朝政府批准新疆建省，改称西域为“新疆”，实现政治体制的划一。中央对新疆的管理越来越直接，新疆与内地的联系越来越紧密。

Since the Han Dynasty, all dynasties, regardless of their national strength, regarded the Western Regions as part of their territory and exercised jurisdiction through agencies established there. In 1884, the Qing government approved the establishment of the province of Xinjiang in the Western Regions, achieving the uniformity of the political system. The central government exercised more and more direct jurisdiction over Xinjiang, while it also formed closer ties with the broader eastern area of the country.

西域都护府的设立保障了丝绸之路的畅通，有力推动了中原与西域的经济文化交流。西域的胡麻（芝麻）、胡豆（蚕豆、豌豆等）、胡瓜（黄瓜）、胡葱（大葱）、胡萝卜等植物和骆驼、驴、马的优良品种传入中原；中原的丝绸织品和铁器等工艺品源源不断地输往西域，大大丰富了当地各族人民的生活。西域与中原在文化上的交流，共同丰富了绚丽多姿的中华文化。中原礼仪制度、汉语典籍、音乐舞蹈等在西域广泛传播。汉代龟兹王绛宾娶解忧公主之女弟史为妻，中原的乐舞、乐器和音乐家随之带到龟兹，融合形成了龟兹乐舞。西域的乐器如琵琶、羌笛等传入中原，成为我国传统民乐的重要组成部分。对我国古代文化有着重要影响的佛教，也是经由西域传入中原的。

The Western Regions Frontier Command kept the Silk Road unobstructed and gave a great boost to economic and cultural interaction between Central Plains and the Western Regions. Such plants as huma (sesame), hudou (broad bean, pea, etc.), hugua (cucumber), hucong (scallion) and carrot, and the fine breeds of camels, donkeys and horses, were introduced into the Central Plains. In return, silk and handiwork like ironware of the Central Plains were brought into the Western Regions, which greatly enriched people’s life there. Cultural exchanges between the Western Regions and Central Plains added to variety in Chinese culture. Rituals, ceremonies, ancient texts, music, dance etc. from the Central Plains were widely spread in the Western Regions. When, in the Han dynasty, Jiangbin, the King of Qiuci married Dishi, daughter of Princess Jieyou, music, dance, instruments and musicians from the Central Plains were also taken to the kingdom in the Western Regions, where they integrated with their local counterparts to form Qiuci music dance. Musical instruments of the Western Regions, such as pipa (the four-stringed Chinese lute), the Qiang flute were taken into the Central Plains, which later became an important part of traditional Chinese folk music. Buddhism, which influenced ancient Chinese culture considerably, also spread to the Central Plains via the Western Regions.

在西域都护府的管护之下，古老的丝绸之路上，使者相望于道，商旅不绝于途，架起了东西方沟通交流的陆上桥梁，惠泽后世、影响深远。西域作为丝绸之路上的重要枢纽，被誉为古代“东西方文明的十字路口”。而今，“一带一路”倡议秉承古老的丝路精神、丝路文化，绽放出新时代的光彩，连接欧亚的新疆国际大通道建设方兴未艾、风景正好。

Under the auspices of the Western Regions Frontier Command, the ancient Silk Road saw a continuous flow of envoys and merchants and served as a continental bridge of communication between the East and the West which benefited one generation after another with a far-reaching influence. As a major hub on the Silk Road, the Western Regions were reputed as the ancient “crossroads between the eastern and western civilizations”. Today, the Belt and Road Initiative, following the ancient Silk Road spirit and carrying forward its culture, shows a thriving development momentum. Along this route, the Xinjiang international corridor linking Europe and Asia is gradually unfolding its renewed progress with promising prospects.

（执笔：王珍）

(By Wang Zhen)