Dunhong
Encyclopedia
The Dunhong mountain according to the Shanhaijing is a mountain of the Tian Shan
range. Lin Meicun identifies it with the Dunhuang of the Shiji by Sima Qian
which states that:
The present Dunhuang
, a Gansu
oasis town, was founded around 111 BC, that is, later than the report of Zhang Qian
on the Yuezhi (126 BC), which Lin Meicun takes to prove that the Dunhuan of the Shiji cannot refer to city currently bearing that name, but rather to an oasis near Turpan. He further argues that Dunhuan is the Chinese spelling of Tuharan (Tocharian
), and also constructs a Tocharian etymology for Qilian, which according to a Tang Dynasty commentator of the Shiji is a Xiongnu
word for "sky".
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
range. Lin Meicun identifies it with the Dunhuang of the Shiji by Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
which states that:
- "The YuezhiYuezhiThe Yuezhi, or Rouzhi , also known as the Da Yuezhi or Da Rouzhi , were an ancient Central Asian people....
originally lived in the area between the Qilian Shan or Tian ShanTian ShanThe Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
and Dunhuang, but after they were defeated by the XiongnuXiongnuThe Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
they moved far away to the west, beyond DayuanDayuanThe Dayuan or Ta-Yuan were a people of Ferghana in Central Asia, described in the Chinese historical works of Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han. It is mentioned in the accounts of the famous Chinese explorer Zhang Qian in 130 BCE and the numerous embassies that followed him into...
, where they attacked and conquered the people of DaxiaDaxiaDaxia, Ta-Hsia, or Ta-Hia is the name given in antiquity by the Han Chinese to the territory of Bactria....
",
The present Dunhuang
Dunhuang
Dunhuang is a city in northwestern Gansu province, Western China. It was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. It was also known at times as Shāzhōu , or 'City of Sands', a name still used today...
, a Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
oasis town, was founded around 111 BC, that is, later than the report of Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian was an imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the 2nd century BCE, during the time of the Han Dynasty...
on the Yuezhi (126 BC), which Lin Meicun takes to prove that the Dunhuan of the Shiji cannot refer to city currently bearing that name, but rather to an oasis near Turpan. He further argues that Dunhuan is the Chinese spelling of Tuharan (Tocharian
Tocharian
Tocharian may refer to:* Tocharians, an ancient people who inhabited the Tarim Basin in Central Asia* Tocharian languages, two Indo-European languages spoken by those people...
), and also constructs a Tocharian etymology for Qilian, which according to a Tang Dynasty commentator of the Shiji is a Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
word for "sky".