At the foot of the Heavenly Mountain, by the lake of the Great Ching (Lake Issyk Kul), the Silk Road bids farewell to the Gobi Desert of Xingjiang and enters the fertile and lush prairie of Central Asia. In ancient times, ambassadors, merchants, monks and soldiers have all traveled this way. They climbed over the Heavenly Mountain, bid farewell to the dangerous peaks along the Pamir Highland, and then traveled along the banks of the river Chu. They first rested their tired feet at the city of Suyab (now Tokmak in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan). Here they replenished their supplies, traded silks, and then continued their journey to other countries in the Western Territory.

Transportation Crossroad for old Civilizations

Suyab was what Hsuan Tsang described as "a city of water and leaves". In 630 A.D., it was here that he met the Tuche King, Yehukur Khan, who was hunting in the area. Fifty years later, the ruler of Tang Dynasty regarded Suyab as one of the four border cities that maintained peace and order in the west. This was the farthest border city to the west of the Chinese territory.

This city was once a prosperous center of the silk trade. Today, following the demise of the Silk Road, it has long been buried under barren land and weeds.

Here was the crossroads of the Asian Continent. From China, people came along the Silk Road. Whether they were traveling north or south, they always passed through Suyab and then moved on along the Chu river valley. From here the Silk Road divided into two. The north-bound route was called the Prairie Road, while the southern was named the Green Continent road. From the northern bank of the main river Syr Darya going northwest, one entered the region of Kazak and the prairie of southern Russia. Going south would take one to the group of green lands along the river Zeravshan. From there one could travel further over the mountains of the Hindu Kush to reach Afghanistan and then India. Or, one could take a detour around the Sea of Salt and the Sea of Li to move west to Persia, Arabia, and Rome.

The pilgrimage undertaken by Hsuan Tsang followed the southern border of the Prairie Road moving west and then crossing the river Syr Darya. He then traveled south and entered the group of green lands. Here in Central Asia he no longer met only east asian faces. Tall, rough-looking and bearded nomads passed along side. Merchants with blue eyes and hooked noses were also among his fellow travelers. He saw people of many races passing him by.

Here in the artery of the Asian continent many great conquerors have passed through. There were Cyrus the Great from ancient Persia and Alexander the Great from Macedonia. There were, from China, the emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and emperor Tai from the Tang Dynasty. There were the Kushan dynasty from Yue-chi, the Sassanian dynasty from Persia, the Halife empire from Arabia, Genghis Kahn from the Mongolian empire and the Timur Empire. All of them have, at different times, occupied the world stage.

Before of the arrival of Islam, Central Asia was the home of various religions: Muni, Chi, Buddhism, and Jin. Each took center stage at different times. What Hsuan Tsang saw when he came here was a melting pot of civilizations from China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greece, and Rome.

After Hsuan Tsang set off on his journey, he encountered his first great danger. For seven days and nights, he and his entourage climbed perilous mountain trails. The wind was icy and biting, sand flew about everywhere, and stones hurtled through the air. One third of his entourage, as well as a great number of cattle and horses, froze to death.

Hsuan Tsang called it Mount Ling [Victory Peak or Pik Pobedy on Western maps], a precipitous mountain covered with glaciers. Mount Ling is the highest peak in the Tianshan Mountain Range, located between Xinjiang and Kyrgyzstan. Hsuan Tsang started his journey from Ahksue and climbed the 7 thousand foot Khan Tengri. He then chose to cross the peak on the south west called Bedel. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Bedel was a major crossing point between the western Turks and the people in Talimur.

That ancient crossing point for merchants, Bedel, has long been closed. A building that belonged to a joint venture gold mining company was erected on the top of the mountain range. The major connecting point between China and Kyrgyzstan has also moved southwest to Turugart which is about 500 kilometers away. Today Bedel is no longer part of the Heavenly mountain ranges. It belongs to the Pamir Highland and is the only point that connects China to the capital of Kyrgyztan, Bishkek.