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: "The Sogdians in China" is a research topic that emerged with the rise of modern scholarship 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 their homeland 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 in Central Asia and various regions of China, Sogdian studies, particularly the research on Sogdians entering China, have been advancing steadily since the late 19th century with the progress of modern scholarship. In recent years, they have experienced vigorous development. Since its fourth issue, "French Sinology" has been published by Zhonghua Book Company, with one volume released annually. This issue is the tenth volume, a collection of papers from the academic symposium "New Explorations in History, Archaeology, and Language of the Sogdians in China," which includes nearly all the papers presented at the conference. The content covers various aspects such as Sogdian history, archaeology, art, religion, and language. This issue is mainly composed of three parts: "Sogdian Sabao and Caravan Trade," "Sogdian Settlements and Local Society," and "Religion and Art of Sogdians in China."