若羌县位于新疆维吾尔自治区东南部，塔里木盆地东部，塔克拉玛干沙漠东南缘。若羌自古以来就是内地通往中亚和新疆通往内地的第二条战略通道，也曾是古丝绸之路的必经要道，地理优势极为突出，战略地位十分重要。
　　“若羌”原作“婼羌”，最早见于西汉时期，是西域诸多国家中的一个小国。汉文帝前元四年(前176)，婼羌改为楼兰国。据记载，那时的楼兰国人口总共有14000多人，商旅云集，经济繁荣，是丝绸之路上的一个繁华之邦。西汉初年，楼兰国有时成为匈奴的耳目，有时归附于汉朝，在汉和匈奴两大势力之间尽力维持着政治生命。而汉和匈奴也对楼兰实行怀柔政策。张骞出使大月氏归国后，汉武帝曾派大军讨伐远方的大宛国，又多次派遣使者出使西域诸国。这些使者在经过楼兰时，楼兰人屡次为匈奴通风报信，并攻劫西汉使者。公元前108年，汉武帝派兵讨伐楼兰，俘获了楼兰国王。楼兰王将一名王子送至汉王朝作为人质，同时也向匈奴送去一个王子，表示在匈奴和汉朝之间严守中立。后来，在匈奴做人质的楼兰王子安归被立为国王，楼兰倾向于匈奴，成为汉朝的心腹大患。汉朝命令楼兰国向出使西域的汉朝使者提供向导和饮用水，遭到拒绝，两国之间的关系恶化。公元前77年，大将军霍光派手下的军官傅介子领几名勇士前往楼兰，设计杀死了楼兰王安归，立其弟尉屠耆为王，并改国名为“鄯善”，迁都扜泥城（今新疆若羌附近）。唐代诗人王昌龄在《从军行》中借用傅介子斩楼兰王的典故写道：“黄沙百战穿金甲，不破楼兰终不还。”表明将士誓平边患的决心。其后，汉朝廷常遣吏卒在楼兰城的故地屯田，白玉门关至楼兰城，沿途设置烽燧。
　　魏晋及前凉时期，楼兰城成为西域长史治所。东晋以后，中原地区群雄割据，混战不休，无暇顾及西域，楼兰逐渐与中原失去了联系。到了唐代，中原地区强盛，唐军与吐蕃又多次在楼兰兵戎相见。大诗人李白的《塞下曲》中有“愿将腰下剑，直为斩楼兰”的名句，可见楼兰在唐时还是边陲重镇。然而，距今约1600年前，楼兰古国消失，只留下了古城的遗迹。
　　1900年3月，瑞典探险家斯文·赫定在沿着塔里木河向东寻找罗布泊的过程中，无意间发现了楼兰古国的遗迹。他在这里发掘出了大量文物，包括钱币、丝织品、粮食、陶器、写有汉字的纸片、竹简和毛笔。楼兰古国终于向世人展现了它神秘的一角。
　　＞Ruoqiang
　　Ruoqiang County is located in the southeast of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,the eastern part of the Tarim Basin,southeast edge of the Taklimakan Desert.With its very prominent geographical advantages and important strategic position,Ruoqiang has been the second strategic gateway for inland areas to access Central Asia and Xinjiang,as well as a must route on the ancient Silk Road since ancient times.
　　Known as〝Nuoqiang"in ancient times,Ruoqiang was first acknowledged as a small country among the many countries in the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty.In the 4th Qianyuan year of Emperor Wen's reign during the Han Dynasty(176 B.C.),Nuoqiang changed its name into Loulan.According to records,with a total population of 14,000,Loulan was a bustling and prosperous country on the Silk Road where merchants and travellers gathered and economies boomed.During early years of the Western Han Dynasty,the Kingdom of Loulan tried to maintain its political life by toggling between the two big brothers of the Hans and the Huns.Sometimes Loulan served as the Huns'agent;other times it claimed allegiance to the Hans.The Hans and the Huns adopted a policy of appeasement towards Loulan.After Zhang Qian's return from Dayuezhi,Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dispatched army to crusade against the distant Dayuan Kingdom.The emperor also sent envoys to visit countries in the Western Regions on several occasions.When these envoys arrived in Loulan,they were spied by Loulan for the Huns,and robbed by the Loulans.In 108 B.C.,the Han troops crusaded Loulan and captured the Loulan King who sent a prince to the Han Dynasty as a hostage.The Loulan King also sent a prince to the Huns,showing its determination to maintain neutrality between the Huns and the Hans.Later,the hostage prince at the Huns was crowned the Angui King of Loulan.Hence Loulan turned to the Huns and became a scourge of the Hans.Han Dynasty commanded Loulan to supply drinking water and guides to the Han mission in Loulan but was refused,an incident causing the deterioration of relations between the two countries.In 77 B.C.,General Huo Guang sent his military officer Fu Jiezi to head a mission to Loulan where they plotted a scheme and killed the Loulan King Angui and crowned his younger brother Wei Tuqi.Loulan was renamed Shanshan with its new capital moved to Yuni city(near present-day Ruoqiang in Xinjiang).In his poem titled〝comfort line"the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Changling wrote the following lines borrowing the Fu Jiezi killing the Loulan king allusion:〝wear shining armor we fight in the desert,we will not return home until Loulan is conquered",indicating the determination of frontier soldiers to put down troubles on the frontier.Since then,the Han imperial court frequently sent officials and soldiers to the old Loulan city to reclaim the land.The imperial court also built beacons along the way from Yumenguan Pass to Loulan city.
　　During the Wei,Jin and the Former Liang Period,Loulan city came under the jurisdiction of the Secretary General for Western Regions.After the Eastern Jin Dynasty,the Central Plains were separated by warlords.Endless wars prevailed the Central Plains.The Western Regions were totally ignored.Loulan lost contact with the Central Plains.By the Tang Dynasty the Central Plains recovered its strength.The Tang army and the Tibetans fought over Loulan several times.As described by the famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai in his Frontier Song:〝willing to use my sword for killing the Loulan enemies".It was evident that Loulan was still a frontier town.About sixteen hundred years ago,the ancient Loulan city vanished,leaving only traces of the ancient city.
　　In March 1900,the Swedish adventurer Sven Hedin in the process of looking eastward along the Tarim River for Lop Nur,inadvertently discovered the ruins of the ancient Loulan country.Here he unearthed a large number of relics,including coins,silk,grain,pottery,paper scraps with Chinese characters,bamboo letters and brushes.The ancient Loulan Kingdom had finally allowed the world's people to peep into its mystery.