Zhang Qian Memorial Hall

The Zhang Qian Memorial Hall in Chenggu County, about thirty kilometres east of central Hanzhong, honours the diplomat and explorer whose second-century BC journeys to Central Asia established the trade routes that connected China to Rome. The site includes a landscaped memorial park, a statue of Zhang Qian, and a museum covering his journeys and the subsequent development of Silk Road trade. It is less visited than the Wuhou Temple complex but has a quieter, more contemplative atmosphere.

Zhang Qian made two major expeditions west: the first from 139 to 126 BC, and a second from 119 to 115 BC. He brought back knowledge of places unknown to the Han court — Ferghana (with its famous heavenly horses), Bactria, Sogdia, Parthia — and his reports directly influenced Han military and commercial strategy. The Silk Road as a functioning trade system emerged within decades of his return, making him one of the more consequential explorers in world history despite remaining largely unknown outside China.

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A story
Zhang Qian was sent to Central Asia in 139 BC on a diplomatic mission to forge an alliance against the Xiongnu — and was immediately captured and held prisoner for a decade. He escaped, completed his mission through Bactria and Sogdia, was captured again on his return, and finally reached Chang'an thirteen years after his departure. His reports on the lands to the west were the first systematic Chinese account of Central Asia, and they prompted the establishment of the trade routes we now call the Silk Road.