Page:From Kulja, across the Tian Shan to Lob-Nor (1879).djvu/21

 Syawush retired with his bride, and settling at Kung—probably Katak, the ruins of which now exist near Lob, at twelve or sixteen days' journey N.E. of Khoten, made it the capital of his government of Khoten and Chin, or, as it is usually styled, Machin, which together comprised the southern and eastern portion of the great basin known as Eastern Turkestan.

The Bactrian kingdom of Soghdiana, invaded by Alexander the Great about 300 B.C., was in its turn overthrown by the invasion from the north of the great Yuechi, or Tokhar, a branch of the Tungun or Eastern Tartar people, who were driven from their lands westward to the banks of the Hi river just anterior to 200 B.C. by the Hiunguns or Huns, who conquered all the country from the borders of China to the Volga, which they held with varying success till their power over the territory of Kashgar was broken, and they were subjected to the Chinese about 94 A.D., in which year the city of Kashgar was captured and annexed to China. For a long period this region was under the rule of Chinese governors, but gradually passed into the hands of petty independent princes, who were strong enough to throw off their subjection to the empire, but who maintained a kind of allegiance, by sending periodical embassies to China. In fact it is recorded that such embassies from the extreme frontier states were of very frequent occurrence, owing to the