Plot twist: Kingdom of Gaochang 高昌 in today’s Turpan, #Xinjiang is a Han Chinese Kingdom during this time.
*was. ESL! No past tense in Chinese 🤷🏻♂️
Turpan, #Xinjiang happened to be the site where Disney shot part of the #Mulan film. Turpan used to be part of Jushi Kingdom which spoke Tocharian branch of Indo-European language before Han Dynasty
During Han-Xiongnu wars, Han Dynasty pushed Xiongnu out of Tarim Basin and made oases city states vassals including Jushi 車師 Kingdom in Turpan depression.
But Han Dynasty eventually collapsed into Three Kingdoms during which time Kingdom of Wei re-asserted control over Tarim Basin during reign of Cao Cao’s son Cao Pi
During Three Kingdoms era, Wei Kingdom’s control of Tarim Basin is actually quite tenuous compared to Han Dynasty but it retained firm foothold of Turpan where Han dynasty had established few military colonies
Barely 11 years aft Jin Dynasty reunification of Three Kingdoms, War of Eight Princes in 291 AD tore apart peace, and allowed steppe nomad to invade Northern China.
Tens of thousands of Han Chinese refugees fled war-torn Northern China to seek shelter in relatively peaceful Turpan. Thus began the Han Chinese Kingdom of Gaochang 高昌. Gaochang existed as a buffer state btw Northern Wei and Rouran Khaganate during era of Ballad of #Mulan
Tomb Mural unearthed from Astana Cemetery in Turpan, #Xinjiang from Gaochang Kingdom Era depicted tomb owner in Jin Dynasty era dress
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