Sogdians in China - New Explorations in History, Archaeology, and Language

Author: Editorial Committee of the Series "French Sinology"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-12-01
Features: "Sogdians in China" is a research topic that emerged with the rise of modern academia and has continuously gained new vitality. As we know, due to the Islamization of Central Asia and changes in the natural environment, the ancient traces of Sogdian activities in Sogdiana and surrounding Central Asian regions have long disappeared. We can only glimpse some traces of Sogdian activities from Arabic and Chinese historical records. Based on archaeological findings from various regions of Central Asia and China, Sogdian studies, particularly the research on Sogdians entering China, have been advancing steadily since the late 19th century with the progress of modern academia. In recent years, this field has experienced particularly strong development. Since its fourth issue, "French Sinology" has been published by Zhonghua Book Company, with one volume released annually. This volume is the tenth issue, a collection of papers from the academic conference "New Explorations in History, Archaeology, and Language of Sogdians in China," which includes nearly all the papers presented at the conference. The content covers various aspects of Sogdian history, archaeology, art, religion, and language. This issue is mainly composed of three parts: "Sogdian Sabo and Caravan Trade," "Sogdian Settlements and Local Society," and "Religion and Art of Sogdians Who Entered China."