The Trip to the West By Zhang Qian

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Nomads from the north conquered many countries to the West and looted vast quantity of riches. During the reins of emperor Wu (Han WuDi), Wudi sent Zhang Qian to the west to seek allies that could oppose the Nomads together. Zhang Qian travelled to many countries, obtained some information about the West that has never been obtained before and described China to each of these countries. BC 119, Zhang Qian made his 2nd trip to the west and the countries in the West sent ambassadors back. Finally, China was on friendly terms with these Western Countries. These western trips of Zhang Qian helped China to establish economic and cultural connections to Western countries and enriched China's material richness.