What was the Ice Road on the Silk Road?

There is a famous section of ice road on the Silk Road, named Muzat Glacier Valley Road, which passes through the famous Muzat Glacier.

Muzat Glacier, with an area of 131 square kilometers, is one of the few big glaciers in China. It is located in the western section of China's Tien Shan mountain range in the westernmost part of the Harek Tau mountain. 2000 years, its reputation, exclusive, famous, like the old Silk Road, so that people can not be forgotten for a long time.

People are so unfamiliar with the glacier, why Muzat glacier has become the pride of the sky, famous in all directions? Originally, the east and west stretches thousands of kilometers of the Tianshan Mountains, as if an unattainable screen, separating the north and south of Xinjiang. Tianshan mountain range, everywhere is more than 5000 meters above sea level mountains, precipitous, peaks into the sky. Only the watershed of the North and South Muzhat River, the terrain is slightly concave. Therefore, a long time ago, the people of all ethnic groups living in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, despite the difficulties and obstacles, along the Muzat River Valley, through the Muzat Glacier, opened up a transportation route, it is the Muzat Glacier Valley Road.

The Silk Road has three roads: south, center and north. The South Road traveled to the Indian Ocean coast via the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, China to the Persian Gulf coast via the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, and the North Road traveled along the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains through Central Asia to the Eastern Roman Empire. It is difficult to maintain the middle and northern routes with the Tian Shan Mountains in between. Muzat glacier valley road, just like the Milky Way on the magpie bridge, connecting the north, the middle of the two roads, so it became the only one shortcut on the ancient silk road. Muzat Glacier also followed this road to become famous all over the world.

Muzat glacier valley road, from the southern Xinjiang wenxu county of Kezibulak start, to the northern Xinjiang Zhaosu county of Xia Tower until, all the distance of 120 kilometers long. Valley Road is almost uninhabited, full of devastation, often cloudy, mountains piled with snow, known as the difficult and dangerous in the world. One of the most thrilling part of the road is to cross the Muzhat glacier to the Muzhi Osaka section, this section of the journey through the glacier, a whole 12 kilometers. The Uyghur word "Muz" means ice, and "Osaka" means mountain pass, and Muz Osaka is a mountain pass of ice. This mountain pass composed of ice and snow, its north side, connected to the Muzat Glacier. As the glacier on the rugged ice, ice crevasses crisscrossing the ice lakes and ice rivers like veins between them, but also from time to time there are ice avalanches avalanches occur, people and horses walking must be extra careful, in order to save from the unforeseen disaster. And there is a glacier up to 60 meters high ice waterfalls, towering walls, passers-by can only rely on man-made ice steps, a single person climbing step by step. The slightest carelessness, will slip and fall, was falling to pieces. The bones of men and animals piled up under the ice cliffs are a testament to its danger.

To struggle there must be sacrifice. Although this glacier valley road mercilessly swallowed a lot of people's lives. But it is, after all, the ancient western Xinjiang is the only one directly connected to the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains of the main traffic, therefore, merchants, travelers, the army, and even the Western countries sent to China and China's envoys to Central Asian countries, have been endless through the Muzhat Glacier.

This strange and dangerous ice avenue, exactly from when to open, Xinjiang local history has no way to check. We can only from the sporadic pile of old paper, seek out some of its clues to.

According to the Book of Han, in 119 B.C., Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian on his second mission to the West. Zhang Qian led an entourage of more than 300 people and nearly 10,000 head of cattle and sheep through the Muzat Glacier Valley Road before arriving in the country of Wusun, located on the banks of the Ili River. At that time, there were 120,000 households and 630,000 people in Wusun, which was rich in good horses. Among the horses of Wusun, the one with deep red color was named Red Chestnut, commonly known as Red Rabbit Horse. The horse that Guan Yunchang rode during the Three Kingdoms period was this kind of Wusun horse.

In 105 B.C., the king of the Wusun hunted for pride and sent an envoy to Chang'an to present Emperor Wu of Han with 1,000 good Wusun horses as a bride price, asking for peace and alliance. Emperor Wu of Han agreed, and married Princess Xiujun, the daughter of Liu Jian, the king of Jiangdu, to the king of Wusun. Princess Hosojun's chariot also passed through the Muzat Glacier Valley Road before arriving at Wu Sun to marry Haojiao Mi. Princess Hosojun was the first princess in the history of our country to marry the Wusun king. She has made great contributions to the unity and friendship of all ethnic groups.

As for those who led thousands of troops and horses through the Muzhaat glacier, there were many people in the Han Dynasty. The most famous when the Han Dynasty in the western region of the vice capital guard Chen Tang. At that time, there was a leader of Xiongnu named Zhi Zhi Shan Yu, who killed the envoys of the Han Dynasty and moved to Kangju (about between the present-day Lake Balkhash and the Aral Sea), and frequently violated the Wusun. In 36 BC, Emperor Yuan of Han ordered Chen Tang to lead an army of more than 40,000 men from various countries in the Western Regions to fight against the Xiongnu. The Book of Han records that Chen Tang's army was "divided into six schools, three of which took the southern road, crossed the Onion Mountains, and passed through Dawan; and three of which, with their own generals, were sent to Wensu (present-day Aksu), and from the northern road, they entered the Red Valley (the valley of the Muzhaat River valley, where the red rock systems are located) and passed through the Wusun." Chen Tang personally led three schools of men through the Muzat glacier, a truly remarkable feat given the conditions at the time.

From the above historical data, it can be said that, at least, since the Han Dynasty, the Muzat Glacier Valley Road has been an important transportation artery on the western border of China.

The perils of the journey on the Muzat Glacier have been vividly depicted in many of China's ancient documents.

You have read the mythological novel Journey to the West. It is about the story of the Longevity Monk who traveled to the West with his three disciples to get scriptures. In China's history, the Tang Monk really has his own person, named Xuanzang, is a famous Buddhist scholar in the Tang Dynasty.In the fall of 629, Xuanzang left Chang'an to India to seek scriptures. He crossed the Hexi Corridor, through the Gaochang (now Turpan area) to the Quzhi (now the southern border of Kuqa). The king of Quzhi treated Xuanzang with hospitality and provided him with a guide and pack horses on his way. Xuanzang continued to travel west to trek Lujia country (now Aksu), and then north from here, through the Muzhat glacier valley road, through Central Asia, and then arrived in India. Recorded by Xuanzang's disciple, the "Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty", the Muzhat Glacier Valley Road has been vividly described. The book says, the valley is full of snow, is spring and summer, still frozen. Although the glacier occasionally melts during the day, the meltwater soon refreezes again. The route was rough and rugged, and there were often bitterly cold winds. Sometimes there are avalanches on the glacier, as if the fierce dragon is angry, no one dares to mess with. Pedestrians passing by here could not shout loudly, or they would be immediately struck by disaster. At that time, the wind roared, flying sand and stones, scraping people down, it is difficult to leave alive.

Another disciple of Xuanzang, Hui Li, later wrote the book "Daci'en Temple Sanzang Venerable Master Biography", Xuanzang and his entourage through the Muzat glacier made a more distinctive description. It is written in the book, Muzhat glacier, the road is very rugged, climbing trekking are very difficult, coupled with frequent wind and snow, although wearing very thick clothes, or cold shivering. Want to find a place to eat and sleep, looking for a place to find, even can stay down the dry place is not, can only put the pot up to cook, the glacier's ice as a bed to sleep. Walked a full 7 days, we were able to leave the glacier out of the mountain. Xuanzang's disciples and the entourage, starvation and freezing to death on the glacier, 10 inside three or four, livestock, cattle and horses died in greater numbers.

During the Tang Dynasty, China's ruling power had reached Central Asia. The city of Shattered Leaves, one of the famous Four Towns of the Western Regions, was set up in the city of Tokmak, upstream of today's Chu River and northwest of Lake Issyk-Kul. From the southern border to Central Asia to go to the business travelers, although know that the Muzhat glacier valley road is dangerous and difficult to overcome, but take this ice road, can be protected by the Tang Dynasty political power, so people almost always choose this road. Li Bai, a great poet born in Shiba, followed his father to settle in Jiangyou, Sichuan as a child, and also traveled through the Muzat Glacier Valley Road. Although he did not leave any account of the Muzat Glacier, the scenery of the Tianshan Mountains and the Muzat Glacier stayed in his memory for a long time, which is why he later wrote such popular poems as "The moon comes out of the Tianshan Mountains, between the vast clouds and the sea" and "Snow on the Tianshan Mountains in May, no flowers, but only cold". The first is a poem about the moon and the clouds, and the second is a poem about the moon and the clouds.

After Li Bai, another traveler, Du Huan, accompanied the famous Tang general Gao Xianzhi on his western expedition during the Tianbao period and wrote the book "Records of the Journey". In the book, he described the Muzat Glacier Valley Road, said: "Northbound a few days, the degree of the snow sea, the sea in the mountains, spring and summer often rain and snow, so called the snow sea. In the fine road, the road is often ice, embedded holes in ten thousand feet, turn down the people do not know where."

To the Qing Dynasty, China set up in Yili Ili General House, Yili has become the center of Xinjiang and Central Asia military, political, Muzat Glacier Valley Road is more prominent. The Qing government set up along the valley road for this military platform 7, their names were called Shatu Amantai, Adong Dur platform, Kak Chahar platform, Tamu Ha Tashi, Coruscanto sea platform, Tu Ba Late platform and and about the partners Luo platform. One of them, Tamukhatash, is located near the end of the Muzat glacier.

In order to maintain the smooth flow of this glacier valley road, the Qing government also specializes in sending civilian laborers and handymen to maintain the road. 1760, the Minister Shu Heder sent to the Qing court: "by the Mu Sul Ling (i.e., the Muzhat River Watershed) line of more than 40 miles, the ice and stone mixed, there are two miles inside, all of which are icebergs, slippery and not feasible. Daily sent back to ten people, burring stone-ledge." Emperor Qianlong personally approved: "wood Suer Ling system to and from the road, ice difficult to chisel, ten people's strength is not enough, Shu He De more Hui people to go, dedicated to repair the road." Later, Shuhede the maintenance of the road personnel increased to 120 people. 1816, there are 70 people to protect the road personnel.

There are many documents in the Qing Dynasty describing the Muzat Glacier Valley Road, among which the more valuable ones are Tsubaki Garden's "Record of the Terroir of the Huijiang Territory", Xu Song's "Record of the Waterways of the Western Regions", Qiuping's "Record of the Ice Ridge Program", and Shakturin Zabu's "Diary of the Southern Frontier Exploration Chart". The authors of these works, personally passed through the Muzhaat glacier, the glacier journey for the arduous and spectacular, have a more detailed description. However, do you think, in the treacherous glacier, from now more than 1,000 years ago, actually occurred a famous onion ridge battle.