Zhang Qian

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/zhang-qian

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Zhang Qian born?Approximate year: 2nd century BC
2. When did Zhang Qian die?Around 114 BC
3. Where was Zhang Qian born?Likely Chenggu County, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China (during the Western Han Dynasty)
4. What is the career?Imperial envoy, diplomat, and explorer for the Western Han Dynasty
5. Who was Zhang Qian and why was he important?Zhang Qian was a Han Dynasty diplomat who traveled far west and helped start the Silk Road.
6. What happened to Zhang Qian when he first went on his journey?He was captured by the Xiongnu and kept for more than ten years before escaping.

Western Han Dynasty: A significant imperial period in Chinese history (206 BC – 9 AD) characterized by expansion, consolidation of power, and cultural flourishing.
Central Asia: A vast geographical region encompassing territories from the Caspian Sea to western China, historically a crossroads for trade and migration.
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom: A Hellenistic state established by Greek colonists in Bactria (modern Afghanistan) after Alexander the Great's conquests.
Parthian Empire: A major Iranian empire that controlled a vast area of Mesopotamia and Persia from the mid-3rd century BC to the early 3rd century AD.