Long-term work by Northwest University's archaeologists in Central Asia helps trace stories of the ancient Silk Road, Wang Ru and Wang Kaihao report in Xi'an.

More than 2,000 years ago, on a mission of peace and to bolster exchanges, an envoy from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) named Zhang Qian (164-114 BC) entered the heart of the Eurasian continent.

Embarking from the capital Chang'an — modern-day Xi'an in Shaanxi province — on his arduous and pioneering journey in 138 BC at the request of the then emperor, Zhang was in search of the Greater Yuezhi, a nomadic group that migrated from China to Central Asia during the Han Dynasty. His aim was to persuade the Greater Yuezhi to establish an alliance.

He finally reached the destination, and thanks to his diplomatic trek across Central Asia, the long, historic saga of the Silk Road began.

Centuries have passed since then, and sand and time have hidden much history. But for the past 15 years, Wang Jianxin, an archaeology professor at Northwest University in Xi'an, has been working on sites that may have played a part in long forgotten stories.