A Study On The Traffic Routes Of Helong Area In Han Dynasty

During Han Dynasty,considering the factors of the topographical conditions,hydrological conditions,administrative divisions and military strategic status of the Helong area,the central government developed,integrated and continued to operate routes and gradually from a tight and convenient transportation network on the basis of the original fragmented and mainly folk transportation in the Longyou area of Hexi.The traffic in the Helong area of Han dynasty was bordered by Wuwei and divided into east and west sections.The eastern section connects with four routes from Chang'an to the east of Longshan along the channel of the river valley,crosses Longshan,and then divides into north and south road.The north road runs along the Liupan Mountain passaging from Guyuan,Jingyuan,Jingtai to Wuwei;the south road is divided into north line and south line.To be specific,the north line passes through Zhangjiachuan,Qin'an,Tongwei,Dingxi,Yuzhong to Lanzhou,and the South Line passes through Tianshui,Gangu,Wushan Longxi,Lintao to Lanzhou,which finally coincides with the north line.Additionally,the South Road passes through Lanzhou to Wuwei and merges with North Road.The road line from Lintao or Lanzhou,through Minhe,Huangzhong,Haiyan to Qilian,is the auxiliary line of south road.The traffic of the west road of Helong area is relatively simple compared to the east road.It is a trunk road that runs from Dunhuang,Jiuquan,Zhangye to Wuwei.In addition,the valley channel in the Qilian Mountains area connects the south auxiliary line of the east road to the west road of Helong area.Further more,the northward route along the internal water system of Hexi Corridor extends the north road of Helong area to the Inner Mongolia Plateau.This transportation network began to develop and integrate in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty and prospered in the period of Zhaoxuan and Yuancheng of Han Dynasty.Its decadency happened in Han dynasty and revived again in the early and middle Eastern Han Dynasty.Finally,it declined again in the middle andlater Eastern Han Dynasty.In the early formation period of this transportation network,each route mainly had political and military functions.With the continuous construction of the Han Dynasty,its business and cultural exchange functions have become increasingly prominent,achieving a multifunctional compound system.This compound system not only enrich the country's overall transportation system,it also lay a good foundation for future transportation development in the region.More importantly,it has promoted the separation of China and Western transportation from the original grassland road system,which has an important impact on the overall route selection and management of the Silk Road.