Blog Entry 4 – Road to Turfan and Searching the Dead

               I was getting used to life at Niya. Although not a big city, life in the market place was much more bustling than life in the isolated frontier commanderies. I was also glad, and surprised, to learn that a number of fellow countrymen of mine settled here (1). Foreigners were welcomed here, and I felt comfortable. An Qian had equally been a great blessing, taking me in with open arms. But our life here at Niya was just about to end. Our provisions for the trip to Turfan have been settled, and spring was approaching (2). An Qian and other merchants heading towards Turfan pooled together resources and hired armed guards, including myself, to protect themselves from potential robbers (3).

Before we left, An Qian gave me a gift, and said:
- “You told me you were a soldier, but when I found you, you had no armour nor weapon. You’re my guard! How could you protect me without a weapon?” He said jokingly.
- “So here’s a gift, he continued, for your hard work.”

It was a bow and arrows. I was shocked. Although he did not pay me throughout these past few weeks, he saved my life, and provided me with lodging and food while at Niya.  I was back to my soldiering duties, yet it felt like a rather fresh start. During my days at Dunhuang, I did not feel like I was protecting anyone. Now I feel dedicated, and truly want to protect the man who saved my life. This is what being a soldier must mean.

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We left at dawn. The road was difficult, but An Qian kept his spirits up by reminding himself of the profit he would make at Turfan. As for me, I became obsessed with the bow. Every time our caravan stopped for a break, I would practice my archery skills. After all, how could I protect anyone if I did not know how to use it? Luckily, I didn’t have to draw out my weapon during this trip. Apart from difficult roads and some rough weather, no bandits appeared.

Something interesting that did appear however, were a number of boulders with familiar drawings on them. They reminded me of the symbols I saw from the Buddhist pilgrims that entered Dunhuang while I was on guard duty (4). It seemed this religion was on the rise, and I wondered if it will one day take over the Han…

Anyways, after walking over 1000 li for several days, we finally arrived at Turfan (5). The city was bustling. Could this be what Chang’an, the city my parents grew up in, may have looked like? (6) While walking around the city, I couldn’t help but observe my surroundings. There were people from all over. Again, there were some fellow countrymen of mine living here, but they had an accent and used terms I was not familiar with (7). I also met a number of Sogdian merchants, whom An Qian spoke highly about, as well as some locals.

At around sundown, An Qian asked me to follow him somewhere. We walked for a good hour, until then he finally said “Ah-ha! Here we are.” It was dark and I couldn’t see very well. I then asked:

- “Why we didn’t bring torches if we were going to walk in this darkness?”

The answer soon became obvious. We had just entered a tomb.

- “Quickly, he said, feel out the area for bones and skulls. People here are known for burying their dead with coins in the mouths of the deceased, and paper as clothing for their bodies (8).”

I couldn’t believe it. An Qian was not just a merchant, but a grave robber! I did not want to argue however, since he did save my life (9). We scavenged for a good period of time, and left with a pouch full of cloth and coins. I asked:

- “Won’t buyers recognize that this paper is dirty and already shaped as clothing?”

- “No matter, he answered. Most locals use recycled paper, because paper is expensive. I just have to unfold and untie these papers, and people will not notice a thing!”

Upon returning back to our inn, I noticed a horrible stench.

- “It’s their custom,” said An Qian probably also realizing the smell. “Most locals are Zoroastrian, which believes that flesh pollutes the pure earth. So, they let scavengers clean out the flesh at night, and in the morning, nothing but cleaned bones are left which are buried in ossuaries” (10)

At this point, I tampered too much with death to judge. Upon returning to the inn, I just went straight to bed. Tomorrow is going to be an intense day at the market.

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(1) Hansen states that the number of Chinese documents found at Niya suggested a non-military Chinese presence at the side.
Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.36.

(2) Hansen explains in multiple instances in her book that spring is a good time to start travelling, as the snow was melting, water was pouring down the mountains, oasis cities were thriving, and the temperature was more bearable than summer.
Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press).

(3) Merchants often pooled their resources together, and travelled in groups to hire guards for the potential threat or robbers
Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.79.

(4) This picture shows that Buddhist graffiti was done in certain parts of the silk road. However, this picture comes from roughly the 6^th to 8^th century, where drawings of a body to represent the Buddha was permitted. 

Early Buddhist art (5^th – 1^st centuries BCE) however, known as the Aniconic phase, depicted the Buddha through symbols such as footprints, the swastika or the lotus flower (based on class notes). It’s safe to assume that graffiti on the Silk Roads was not reserved to later periods only, and was possible in the time period of our hero. I added this scene to show the spread of religion throughout the silk road. 

(5) Based on the map, Turfan was roughly 800km away from Niya, or roughly 1600li away (1 li being almost half a kilometer).

(6) Although much smaller than Chang’an, according to Hansen, Turfan was one of the largest settlements on the road to Taklamakan. For someone who spent most of this life in Dunhuang, Fai Cheng was delighted with the more city-like environment the Turfan depicted.
Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.83.

(7) Hansen explains how Chinese migrants, and their families adapted to their environments, and adopted local words into their language.
Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.83.

(8) Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.92-93.

(9) This is significant because Confucian hierarchy places merchants as the lowest class. However, below merchants, classless people included those who tamper with the dead. This puts An Qian at a rather low level. But Fai Cheng’s willingness to put this aside shows his disconnection with the Han, the country he technically defected form, thus his disconnection from Confucianism.

(10) Valerie Hansen, “The Silk Road – A New History,” (New York: Oxford University Press), p.98.

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Notes on story and Sources

Although we were supposed to look at Nestorianism or Manicheanism this week, those religions appear way after Christianity appears, which is way after the time period of my character. To stick with the theme of spreading religions I looked at Zoroastrianism, and slightly mention Buddhism. Concerning the latter, I used the graffiti found in the Karakorum Highway to depict the spread of Buddhism, and how the Silk Road was used as a medium for this spread.

As for Zoroastrianism, I use the region of Turfan to expose our hero to this new religion he hasn’t heard of. He learns, through grave-robbing, Zoroastrians’ belief that rotting flesh pollutes the pure earth. From this experience, he also learns some of the local customs of Turfan, which included burying their dead with recycled paper, and putting coins in their mouths.

Other notes on footnotes.