Chapter 2 Lop Nur

Before 330 AD, there was a lot of water in Lop Nur Lake. Loulan City on the northwest side was the throat of the famous "Silk Road". Later, due to climate change and the impact of human water conservancy projects, the upstream water flow decreased until it dried up, and now it is only a large salt crust.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a large and populous ancient Loulan Kingdom in Lop Nur. It was founded before 176 BC and died in 630 AD, with a history of more than 800 years. It starts from the vicinity of Guyangguan in the east, reaches the ancient city of Niya in the west, reaches the Altyn Mountains in the south, and reaches Hami in the north. In 126 BC, Zhang Qian returned from his mission to the Western Regions and wrote to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that "Loulan, the division has a city wall and is near the salt lake." Since then, it has become the gateway to the southern branch of the Silk Road, which is well-known at home and abroad. But now, it has disapp