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Abstract Sogdians in Central Asia continually moved out because of engaging in trade,doing missionary work and ravages of war.The most noticeable were those who immigrated into China along the Silk Road and had an important effect on the Chinese society,culture and even politics during the mediaeval times. Scholars at home and abroad have systematically analyzed the settlements of immigrant Sogdians and their descendants,especially in Hexi Corridor,the capital Chang'an and Hebei area.Longyou in the southeast of Gansu province,the region located between Hexi Corridor and Chang'an,was the transportation pivot,eastward to Guanzhong, westward to Hexi Corridor and Qinghai,southward to Sichuan,and northward to Ningxia respectively,and was also the place where Sogdians must pass through.But what were their traces in Longyou area? What historical records and cultural relics were left behind? What was the distribution of their settlements and how did these Sogdians live in Longyou area? Generally speaking,not much attention has been paid to this research topic and few studies have been focused on Sogdians in Longyou area,which is nearly a blank in the study of the settlements of Sogdians along the Silk Road,and impaired our knowledge of immigrant Sogdians and their descendants.It is well known that the historical materials about Sogdians are rare and fragmentary,and it is even difficult to distinguish some of their nationality.However,we can find some information about Sogdians who settled in Longyou area in ancient books,excavated epitaphs,tomb relics,cave inscriptions,Dunhuang manuscripts as well as other cultural relics. By exploring and analyzing these historical records and unearthed relics,we can have some preliminary information about the distribution of settlements and the living conditions of Sogdians and their descendants in Longyou area, such as Tianshui, Longxi, Lanzhou, Hezhou, Chengzhou,Xiping and Kuozhou.As the core of Longyou area,Tianshui(Qinzhou)and Xiping(Shanzhou)have larger settlements of Sogdians.Excavated in Tianshui,the coffin platform with screens has the feature of Sogdians and has already been verified by the same type of Sogdian tombs in Xi'an.The Shi clan in Chengji was the representative of the Sogdians who settled there. Some Sogdians or their descendants took up the posts of Taishou of Xiping and Cishi of Shanzhou during the period of the Later Liang Kingdom of the Sixteen States,the Western Wei,and Northern Zhou dynasties,especially the Shi clan who inherited the titles Cishi of Shanzhou and Jungong of Xiping,which had authoritative power in the local area.For the other districts of Longyou,the author digs into as many related materials as possible in order to uncover the traces of Sogdians and their off-springs there.It should be noticed that the Mi clan of Longxi and Cao clan of Xiping even formed famous surnames(junwang),recognized and accepted by the Chinese society dominated by Confucianism and could be compared with the An clan of Wuwei,the Shi clan of Jiankang,the Kang clan of Kuaiji,and the Kang clan,Shi clan and Mi clan of Jingzhao, which has significant social and cultural meanings.In general,Sogdians and their descendants settled,traveled,traded,became officials,or even set up military settlements in the region of Longyou,and formed their famous surnames in mediaeval times,which made them become a part of local people in Longyou area.So to speak,exploring and analysing the traces of Sogdians who once lived in Longyou area will make up for the deficiency of the regional study of Sogdians along the Silk Road.
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