Gaochang
Gaochang was built in the 1st century BC, it was an important site along the Silk Road. It played a key role as a transportation hub in western China. The Jushi kingdom invited the Chinese Han dynasty to take over, and pledged their allegiance. In 327, the Gaochang commandery was created by the Former Liang under the Han Chinese ruler Zhang Gui, set up a military colony/garrison, and organized the land into multiple divisions. Chinese colonists from the Hexi region and the central plains also settled in the region.
For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more 
