Regional Culture of Wushi

In the Han Dynasty, Wushi County formed part of the territory of the ancient Kingdom of Wensu. During the Tang Dynasty, Wensu Prefecture was established with its seat at Dashi City, also known as Yuzhu. From the Yuan and Ming dynasties onward, it bore such names as Wochi and Wuchi referring to this region. After the 20th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1755), the official Chinese place name was fixed as Wushi.

In the 24th year of Qianlong’s reign (1759), an administrative minister was posted in Wushi. In the 9th year of the Guangxu reign (1883), Wushi Directly Administered Department was set up under Aksu Circuit. In the 2nd year of the Republic of China (1913), the department was reorganized into Wushi County. Since 1929, it has been under the jurisdiction of Aksu Prefecture.

Several mountain passes along the Tianshan Mountains lie within the county. Historically, this area was a vital thoroughfare on the middle route of the ancient Silk Road linking inland China with countries across Asia and Europe. Zhang Qian passed through here on his second diplomatic mission to the Western Regions.

Numerous cultural relics remain, including ancient roadways, ruined cities, grottoes, tombs and rock paintings, forming a wealth of historical sites.