Zhang Qian: The Pioneer of the Silk Road

There is actually a man in Chinese history who finally came home after 13 years. His name was Zhang Qian (175–114 BC). Zhang Qian was a diplomat and explorer during the early Han Dynasty. Today, he is best known as one of the most important people behind the beginning of the Silk Road.

At that time, the Han Dynasty had a serious problem with the Xiongnu, a powerful nomadic group in the north. They frequently attacked the northern border of the Han Empire. So, in 138 BC, Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian on an important mission. He wanted Zhang Qian to travel west and reach the Yuezhi Kingdom, which was located around present-day Uzbekistan. His goal was to ask them to join the Han Dynasty in fighting against the Xiongnu.

But the trip did not go as planned. On his way west, Zhang Qian was captured by the Xiongnu. And he wasn’t held for a few weeks or a few months. He was held for about 10 years. During those years, he even got married and had children. But amazingly, he never forgot why he had started his journey. After about 10 years, he finally found a chance to escape. And instead of going home, he continued his mission. Eventually, he reached the Yuezhi Kingdom. Think about how far he had traveled. From Xi’an to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, it’s about 3,300 kilometers in a straight line. Even today, it takes around five hours by plane. Now imagine making that journey more than 2,000 years ago.

Unfortunately, when Zhang Qian finally arrived in the Yuezhi Kingdom, they were no longer interested in fighting the Xiongnu. They had already settled down in Central Asia and were living a peaceful life. So after spending about a year in the Western Regions, Zhang Qian decided to return home to the Han Dynasty. But guess what happened on the way back? He was captured by the Xiongnu again. Of course, he had to pass through areas controlled by the Xiongnu to get back home.

Luckily, a power struggle soon broke out among the Xiongnu, and Zhang Qian saw his chance to escape. This time, he managed to make it all the way back to the Han Dynasty with his wife. When he finally arrived home, 13 years had passed since he first left. For all those years, people didn’t even know if he was still alive. So you can imagine how surprised and happy Emperor Wu was to see him again.

In the end, Zhang Qian didn’t succeed in his original mission. He couldn’t convince the Yuezhi to form an alliance with the Han Dynasty. But his journey still changed history. He brought back valuable information about the lands, people, cultures, and trade of Central Asia. Because of his journey, the Han Dynasty learned much more about the world to the west. And later, this helped open the trade routes that became known as the Silk Road

Hmm… here’s a little side story. Do you like carrots? I love eating carrots. In Korean, a carrot is called danggeun. Because of the name, some Koreans think it means something like “a radish that came from the Tang Dynasty.” But that’s not actually where the name originally comes from. In Chinese, a carrot is called húluóbo. The word hú was traditionally connected with people and places to the west of China, especially Central Asia. So the name basically tells us that this vegetable came to China from Central Asia. And yes, carrots are one of the foods that traveled east from Central Asia along the ancient trade routes connected to the Silk Road. So, from now on, whenever you eat a carrot, you’ll probably think of the Silk Road, right?

중국 역사에도 13년 만에 집으로 돌아온 남자가 있습니다. ㅋㅋㅋ 바로 장건(張騫, 기원전 175~114)입니다. 장건은 한나라의 외교관이자 탐험가로, 서역을 개척한 인물이며 오늘날에는 ‘실크로드를 연 인물’로 널리 알려져 있습니다.

한나라 초기에는 흉노(匈奴)의 세력이 매우 강해 한나라의 북방 국경을 끊임없이 위협했습니다. 기원전 138년, 한무제(漢武帝) 유철(劉徹)은 흉노를 견제하기 위해 대월지(大月氏, 오늘날의 우즈베키스탄 일대)와 동맹을 맺고자 장건을 서역(西域)으로 파견했습니다.

하지만 서역으로 가는 길에 장건은 흉노에게 붙잡혀 약 10년 동안 억류됩니다. 그동안 그는 흉노에서 결혼도 하고 아이도 두 명 낳았습니다. 그 사이 10년이라는 긴 세월이 흘렀지만 그는 자신의 사명을 잊지 않았습니다. 마침내 기회를 틈타 가까스로 탈출해 목적지인 대월지에 도착했습니다. 참고로 서안(西安)에서 우즈베키스탄의 수도 타슈켄트까지는 직선거리로 약 3,300km, 비행기로도 약 5시간이 걸리는 거리입니다.

하지만 당시 대월지는 이미 중앙아시아에 정착해 평화롭게 살고 있었기 때문에 한나라와 함께 흉노를 공격할 의사가 없었습니다.서역에서 약 1년을 보낸 뒤, 결국 장건은 한나라로 돌아가기로 했습니다. 하지만 돌아오는 길에 또다시 흉노에게 붙잡히고 맙니다.다행히 얼마 지나지 않아 흉노 내부에서 권력 다툼이 벌어졌고, 그 틈을 타 아내를 데리고 무사히 한나라로 돌아오는 데 성공했습니다. (아이는 죽었다고 전해집니다.) 고향을 떠난 지 무려 13년 만의 귀환이었습니다. 13년 동안 생사조차 알 수 없었던 장건이 갑자기 돌아오자, 한무제는 그의 귀환을 크게 기뻐하며 성대하게 맞이했습니다.

비록 대월지와의 동맹이라는 외교적 목표는 이루지 못했지만, 장건은 서역의 지리와 경제, 문화에 대한 귀중한 정보를 한나라에 가져왔습니다. 이를 통해 한나라는 처음으로 중앙아시아를 체계적으로 이해하게 되었고, 이후 실크로드가 본격적으로 발전하는 중요한 계기가 되었습니다.

조금 다른 이야기지만… 여러분은 당근 (홍당무) 좋아하시나요? 저는 당근을 무척 좋아합니다. ㅋㅋㅋ 한국에서는 이름 때문에 ‘당나라에서 건너온 무’라고 생각하는 분들도 계시지만, 중국어에서는 당근을 ‘胡萝卜(후뤄보)’라고 합니다. 여기서 ‘胡(호)’는 옛날 중국에서 중앙아시아같은 서역 지역을 가리키던 말입니다. 즉, ‘胡萝卜’는 ‘중앙아시아에서 건너온 무’라는 뜻입니다. 당근 역시 실크로드를 통해 중국으로 전해진 대표적인 채소 가운데 하나입니다. 자, 여러분, 이제 다음에 당근을 드실 때는 분명 실크로드가 생각나실 거예요. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ