Western_Regions
Western Regions
Historical name for regions of Chinese suzerainty in Central Asia
The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; Chinese: 西域) was a historical name specified in Ancient Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD[1] that referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass, most often the Tarim Basin in present-day southern Xinjiang (also known as Altishahr) and Central Asia (specifically the easternmost portion around the Ferghana Valley) , though it was sometimes used more generally to refer to other regions to the west of China as well, such as Parthia (which technically belonged to West Asia) and Tianzhu (as in the novel Journey to the West, which refers to the Indian subcontinent in South Asia).
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Chinese. (September 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Japanese. (September 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Because of its strategic location astride the Silk Road, the Western Regions have been historically significant to China since at least the 3rd century BC.