• I am a Chinese military officer.
  • Between 138 BCE and 125 BCE, I was sent westwards by Han Emperor Wudi to ally with Bactria (modern Balkh, Afghanistan) to protect the Silk Road against the Huns.
  • On my return, I was put in charge of the foreign office, and was dubbed the ‘Great Traveler’.
  • I successfully returned westwards in 115 BCE, and my expeditions helped generate Chinese interest in the west, demonstrated by Ban Chao over a century later.
  • My writings, preserved in Sima Qian’s Shi Ji (100 BCE), remain a major source for this era in Central Asian history.

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