Questions of Ancient Human Settlements in Xinjiang and the Early Silk Road Trade, with an Overview of the Silk Road Research Institutions and Scholars in Beijing, Gansu, and Xinjiang

University of Pennsylvania, 2008. — 124 pp. — (Sino-Platonic Papers, 185).The purpose of this paper is to make a qualitative study of the current Chinese Silk Road research regarding Xinjiang, focusing particularly on recent discoveries and studies on early cultures and settlements in the Tianshan Mountains and the Tarim Basin. Questions of the origin, ethnicity, and location of the earliest settlements as well as the establishment of Silk Road trade from the Bronze Age to the Han dynasty has been the primary focus of Xinjiang Silk Road research in recent years. This is therefore also the dominant focus here. The questions I have had in mind while reading this material have been: What has taken place in recent Chinese research on the subject? What new information can be found in Chinese excavation reports and published articles? Are there any differences between the Chinese conclusions on these findings compared to results published in the West? Have views on the subject changed in any way during the examined time period, and if so—why?
An overview of the institutions and scholars in Beijing, Gansu, and Xinjiang who study the Silk Road is presented as an appendix.