1. Before the Water Vapor Arrives
CN / 2021
From Studies in the History of the Renaissance
a. Water vapor from the ocean have difficulty reaching the center of Asia, which becomes dry. Even so, plants will grow, animals will survive, forcing humans to treat nature in a rough way. Highway in the desert is like a river that may stop flowing at any time, and the river that may stop flowing at any time has maintained this way for thousands of years. The Yarkand River looks bluer against the dust, it nourishes the desert poplar forest, which seems to exist in the Gobi like a miracle. People start to have expectations for nature, although this will disappear after 500 meters away from the river bank.
b. If the capital is Chang'an, will Xiyu as remote as it is today?
「從此*東下葱嶺東岡，登危嶺，越洞谷，谿徑險阻，風雪相繼，行八百餘里，出葱嶺，至烏鎩國**。」
——唐 玄奘，《大唐西域記》
*從此，指渴盤陀國，今新疆塔什庫爾幹塔吉克自治縣城東北石頭城遺址。
**烏鎩國，即莎車綠洲，今新疆莎車縣城。
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