| Lixuan - Where Legion Lost and Found | |
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| Jan 19, 2006 20:58 | #11   |
 | Try this link: http://www.icc.org.hk/ |
| Jan 30, 2006 22:45 | #12 |
| Hi rita, Interesting that you are looking at this lost city of Rome. I am reading David Harris's book 'Black Horse Odyssey' which he wrote after coming to china in 1989 to see if he could locate the city. You probably have no chance to read his book but it is a good read. In fact it is the second time for me. holiday reading! He taught in Lanzhou University, even got married in Lanzhou to his Australian wife and made two trips Yongchang ans surrounding districts and worked with other scholars and historians in Lanzhou before travelling all the way from Rome, Italy back to China retracing the steps. The men are reported to be captured soldiers who were pressed to defend the region by the ruling party of the time. Li jien (which is the old Wade Gile pinyin) was thought to have meant Rome or the Roman World. I'll send you a few more snippets from the book next time I get online. I would love to come see the place myself as he reports seeing huge areas of broken walls and there was supposed to be other significant buildings in the area. All very intriguing to say the least. And a recent documentary on DNA and genes conclused they will not give anything new evidnce unless like you say they find close relatives. Look forward to hearing more on your visit. |
| Feb 5, 2006 21:01 | #13 |
| Thanks Jabarootoo, I am quite interested in the information you provided. I surely will have something more to tell when I get back. I am also interested in the book -'Black Horse Odyssey' (maybe I can get one copy from www.amazon.com) you mentioned written by David Harris. Actually I graduated from Lanzhou University. It'll be good to know when exactly did Mr. David Harris teach and live in Lanzhou University. ---------------------------------------------- I am looking so forward to your 'snippets', thank you so much in advance!  |
| Feb 5, 2006 21:51 | #14 |
| I am very interested in history.I am trying to find places to go and see diferent minorities of china. please tell me where you saw these caucasion looking people.Where is Lixuan? province and closest big city. I can take a train down on my next vacation.Thanks ,Stephen up by Harbin. |
| Feb 5, 2006 23:37 | #15 |
| The place I mentioned is located in Yongchang County, Gansu Province. It is usually off the consideration of regular travelers. There is one city close to it called Jinchang, but Jinchang is too small to have a railway station or an airport. You can take train from Lanzhou - the capital city of Gansu Province, and get off at Hexipu Station, then catch a taxi to Jinchang. If you take bus from Lanzhou to Jinchang, you can get off at Yongchang County, but I seriously doubt if you can find a nice hotel/ hostel to stay. The condition will be very limited. P.S. The bus ride from Lanzhou to Jinchang is crazy, it has to cross a mountain (I forgot the name) where the attitude is over 4,000 meters and covered by snow all over the year. I took once, the bus I took almost crushed another car together with another truck on that spot!! |
| Feb 6, 2006 20:26 | #16 |
| Hi Stephen, Not sure that there is anything tangible to see of the romans except perhaps the ruins but if you are interested, the Urumuqi Museum in XinJiang Province has the mummified bodies of about 13 people believed not to be of Chinese origin. Of course they may be totally unrelated to the Lijiang 'Romans' but interesting all the same. Hi Rita, Looks like you found the book and are able to get it. Harris was in Lanzhou on two occasions but he was there before and during the 'Tian en men' Incident from March to May 1989 which was probably a long time before you were there but you may know some of the people he mentions who worked closely with him during his stay. Enjoy your reading. |
| Feb 6, 2006 20:32 | #17 |
| Sorry Rita, A correction. Harris made three trips to Lanzhou prior to writing the book. He may have been back since?? |
| Feb 10, 2006 08:14 | #18 |
| There was this a folklore that Lixuan had at one time been settled down by members of the Roman Legion that lost in a war with the Parthinians ( or something like that; around the present area between China/India ). These alleged Roman soldiers were taken prisoners-of-war and some probably ended up in Lixuan which was along the Ancient Silk Road. Random excavations are still in progress. Apparently some of the residents there have non-Chinese features - light coloured hair, straight nose, high cheekbones and sunken eyes. A DNA was taken on a few of these residents but they showed Iranian bloodline instead. Now it seems that the residents there take the opportunity to stage some Roman displays regularly to attract tourists !! No, I have not been there too. |
| Feb 12, 2006 20:04 | #19 |
| Thank you, Pinetree, for the valuable information. I really need a lot of tips/ information like that! |
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