Gaochang

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Ruins of Gaochang

Gaochang (高昌) was an ancient city, located 30 km SE of modern Turpan in Xinjiang, China.

Gaochang was built in the 1st century BC. It was an important site along the Silk Road. It was burnt down in wars in the 14th century. Old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.

Gao Chang (Pronounced Qara-hoja (قئارئاهوجئا) in Uyghur) is located in present-day Xinjiang Province, 30km from Turpan. It played a key role as a transportation hub in western China. There is not much documented history surviving today, only stories passed on through oral tradition exist to detail the history. The German name for the site is Chotscho. The archaeological remains are just outside the town at a place originally called Idykut-schari or Idikutschari by local residents (see the work of Albert Grunwedel in the external links below). Artistic monuments of the city have been published by A. von Le Coq (see external link below).

In 439, remnants of the Northern Liang fled to Gaochang led by Juqu Wuhui and Juqu Anzhou where they would hold onto power until 460 when they were conquered by the Rouran. There were more than ten thousand Han households in Gaochang, and the Rouran appointed a Han named Kan Bozhou as their vassal King of Gaochang in 460.

At this time the Gaoche (高車) was rising to challenge power of the Rouran in the Tarim Basin. The Gaoche king Afuzhiluo (阿伏至羅) killed Kan Shougui and appointed a Han from Dunhuang, named Zhang Mengming (張孟明), as his own vassal King of Gaochang. Gaochang thus passed under Gaoche rule.

Later, Zhang Mengming was killed in an uprising by the people of Gaochang and replaced by Ma Ru (馬儒). In 501, Ma Ru himself was overthrown and killed, and the people of Gaochang appointed Qu Jia (麴嘉) of Jincheng (in Gansu) as their king. Qu Jia at first pledged allegiance to the Rouran, but the Rouran khaghan was soon killed by the Gaoche, and he had to submit to Gaoche overlordship. Later, when the Gokturks emerged as the supreme power in the region, the Qu dynasty of Gaochang became vassals of the Gokturks. In 640, Gaochang was annexed by the Tang dynasty and renamed Xizhou 西州.

From the mid fifth century until the mid seventh century there existed four independent kingdoms in the narrow Turpan basin. These are known as the Kan Family, Zhang Family, Ma Family, and Qu family. In the second year of Tang Zhen Guan (628 AD), the famous monk Xuanzang passed through Gaochang. In the 13th year of Tang Zhen Guan (640 AD), Gaochang county was established. According to documents from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Qara-hoja referred to Gao Chang as "Halahezhuo" (哈拉和卓) and Huozhou.

1 Rulers of the Kan Family
2 Rulers of the Zhang Family
3 Rulers of the Ma Family
4 Rulers of the Qu Family
5 External Links

[edit] Rulers of the Kan Family

Temple names	Family names and given name	Durations of reigns	Era names and their according durations
Chinese convention: use family name and given name
Did not exist	闞伯周 Kàn Bózhōu	460-477	Did not exist
Did not exist	闞義成 Kàn Yìchéng	477-478	Did not exist
Did not exist	闞首歸 Kàn Shǒugūi	478-488? or 478-491?	Did not exist

[edit] Rulers of the Zhang Family

Temple names	Family names and given name	Durations of reigns	Era names and their according durations
Chinese convention: use family name and given name
Did not exist	張孟明 Zhāng Mèngmíng	488?-496 or 491?-496	Did not exist

[edit] Rulers of the Ma Family

Temple names	Family names and given name	Durations of reigns	Era names and their according durations
Chinese convention: use family name and given name
Did not exist	馬儒 Mǎ Rú	496-501	Did not exist

[edit] Rulers of the Qu Family

Temple names	Family names and given name	Durations of reigns	Era names and their according durations
Chinese convention: use family name and given name
Did not exist	麴嘉 Qú Jiā	501-525
Did not exist	麴光 Qú Guāng	525-530	Ganlu (甘露 Gānlù) 525-530
Did not exist	麴坚 Qú Jiān	530-548	Zhanghe (章和 Zhānghé) 531-548
Did not exist	麴玄喜 Qú Xuánxǐ	549-550	Yongping (永平 Yǒngpíng) 549-550
Did not exist	unnamed son of Qu Xuanxi	551-554	Heping (和平 Hépíng) 551-554
Did not exist	麴宝茂 Qú Bǎomào	555-560	Jianchang (建昌 Jiànchāng) 555-560
Did not exist	麴乾固 Qú Qiángù	560-601	Yanchang (延昌 Yánchāng) 561-601
Did not exist	麴伯雅 Qú Bóyǎ	601-613 619-623	Yanhe (延和 Yánhé) 602-613 Zhongguang (重光 Zhòngguāng) 620-623
Did not exist	unnamed usurper	613-619	Yihe (Yìhé 義和) 614-619
Did not exist	麴文泰 Qú Wéntài	623-640	Yanshou (延壽 Yánshòu) 624-640
Did not exist	麴智盛 Qú Zhìshèng	640	did not exist