The Oficial Document Regarding the Investigation of the Camels Presented by the Kangju Envoy

In 1990, the document, The Oficial Document Regarding the Investigation of the Camels Presented by the Kangju Envoy (Slip No. II90DXT0216 ② : 877-883), was unearthed at the Xuanquan Posthouse Site. It was found with its binding intact and consists of seven slips. The first four slips contain appeal letters from Yang Bodao and other envoys of the king of the State of Kangju, while the last three slips are investigation documents from various levels.

The records detail an incident in 39 BC during the Western Han Dynasty, in which the envoy from the State of Kangju reported that camels presented to the Han emperor had changed from white to yellow and from fat to thin. This diplomatic dispute caused the Han-dynasty officials to jointly issue a directive mandating an investigation in Dunhuang Prefecture. Through this diplomatic dispute, the document reveals the process and manner of interactions between the Han Dynasty and the State of Kangju in the Western Regions, serving as a typical example of ethnic communication and exchanges.

After the trailblazing of the Silk Road, interactions between the Western Regions and the Central Plains became frequent. Records from the Han-dynasty bamboo slips of the Xuanquan Posthouse Site indicate that kings, nobles, and envoys from various Western Regions states traveled to the Central Plains. During the reign of Emperor Xuandi, Xuanquan Posthouse hosted envoys, hostages, and nobles from nine Western Regions states in two waves within a single month. The Han-dynasty's postal system provided food, transportation, and accommodation for these guests, ensuring their safe passage to Chang'an. The simultaneous arrival of visitors from various Western Regions states at Xuanquan Posthouse suggests a harmonious coexistence among the Western Regions along the Silk Road during this period. In addition to the prized horses highly valued by the Han Dynasty, contributes included lions sent by the envoy of the King of Zheyuan and camels by the King of Kangju. This exchange facilitated the introduction of a wide variety of goods from the Western Regions into the Central Plains through Dunhuang during this time.

《案驗(yàn)康居王使者獻(xiàn)駝冊(cè)》

1990年，敦煌懸泉置遺址發(fā)掘出土的《案驗(yàn)康居王使者獻(xiàn)駝冊(cè)》（簡(jiǎn)牘編號(hào)Ⅱ 90DXT0216 ② : 877—883），出土?xí)r編繩完整，全文由7簡(jiǎn)組成，前4簡(jiǎn)是康居王使者楊伯刀等人的申訴文書，后3簡(jiǎn)是各級(jí)調(diào)查文書。

文書記錄了西漢元帝永光五年（前39），康居王使者送給漢朝皇帝的駱駝?dòng)砂咨凕S色、由肥變瘦的申訴。這一外事糾紛事件，由漢朝中央主管“使主客諫大夫漢、侍郎當(dāng)”聯(lián)合下文給敦煌郡進(jìn)行調(diào)查。全文借由外事糾紛，反映出漢與西域康居國(guó)的交往過程和交往方式，是中西交通、民族交往的典型范例。

在絲綢之路開通之后，西域與中原的交往頻繁。從懸泉漢簡(jiǎn)的記錄中，可以看到西域各國(guó)國(guó)王、貴人和使者前往中原的記錄。漢宣帝時(shí)懸泉置曾在一個(gè)月內(nèi)分兩批接待了西域9個(gè)國(guó)家的質(zhì)子、貴人和使者，漢朝的郵驛為西域的客人們提供飲食車馬接待，并派人迎送他們到長(zhǎng)安。西域諸國(guó)的來客同時(shí)出現(xiàn)在懸泉置，也足以說明當(dāng)時(shí)絲綢之路上的西域各國(guó)和睦相處。而貢獻(xiàn)的物品除了漢王朝重視的良馬外，還有折垣王派使者貢獻(xiàn)的獅子，康居王派人貢獻(xiàn)的駱駝，從而使這一時(shí)期西域的大量物產(chǎn)經(jīng)過敦煌傳入中原。