张骞（约前164年－前114年），字子文，汉中郡城固（今陕西省汉中市城固县）人，中国汉代杰出的外交家、旅行家、探险家，丝绸之路的开拓者。故里在陕西省汉中市城固县城南2千米处汉江之滨的博望村。

张骞富有开拓和冒险精神。西汉建元二年（前139年），奉汉武帝之命，由大汉帝都长安出发，甘父做向导，率领一百多人出使西域，打通了汉朝通往西域的南北道路，即赫赫有名的“丝绸之路”，汉武帝以军功封其为博望侯。

司马迁称赞张骞出使西域为“凿空”，意思是“开通大道”。张骞先后两次出使西域，打开了中国与中亚、西亚、南亚以至通往欧洲的陆路交通，从此中国人通过这条通道向西域和中亚等国出售丝绸、茶叶、漆器和其他产品，同时从欧洲、西亚和中亚引进宝石、玻璃器等产品。张骞被誉为“丝绸之路的开拓者”、“第一个睁开眼睛看世界的中国人”。

汉武帝元鼎三年（前114年），张骞病逝于长安，归葬汉中故里。

Zhang Qian (about 164 BC-114 BC), written by Ziwen, was born in Chenggu, Hanzhong County (now Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province), an outstanding diplomat, traveler, and explorer in the Han Dynasty, pioneering and founder of the Silk Road. The hometown is Bowang Village on the banks of the Han River, 2 kilometers south of Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province. Zhang Qian is full of pioneering and adventurous spirit. In the second year of the founding of the Western Han Dynasty (139 BC), at the order of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he set off from Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, with Father Gan as a guide. He led more than one hundred people to the Western Regions and opened up the North-South road from the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions. The famous "Silk Road", Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty named it Bowanghou with military merits. Sima Qian praised Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions as "cutting the air", which means "opening the road". Zhang Qian made two missions to the Western Regions, opening up land transportation between China and Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, and even to Europe. From then on, the Chinese used this channel to sell silk, tea, lacquerware and other products to the Western Regions and Central Asia. At the same time, products such as gems and glassware are introduced from Europe, West Asia and Central Asia. Zhang Qian is known as "the pioneer of the Silk Road" and "the first Chinese who opened his eyes to see the world". In the third year of Yuanding, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (114 years ago), Zhang Qian died of illness in Chang'an and was buried in the hometown of Hanzhong.

张骞两次出使西域，促进了中西经济文化交流。此后，汉朝和西域各国经常互派使者，大者数百，少者百余人。促进了双方贸易的发展，形成了“商胡贩客，日款于塞下”的景象。但是，处于西域东端的楼兰、姑师（后称车师）仍在匈奴的控制之下，他们在匈奴的挑唆下，经常出兵攻杀汉朝使者，劫掠商旅财物，成为汉通往西域的严重障碍。为确保西域通道，汉将赵破奴、王恢于元封三年（前108年）率700轻骑突袭楼兰，后赵破奴又率军数万击破姑师，并在酒泉至玉门关一线设立亭障，作为供应粮草的驿站和防守的哨所。

元鼎二年（前115年）随张骞至长安的乌孙使者回国，报告汉王朝的强盛后，增强了乌孙王昆莫对汉王朝的信任。他再次派使者到长安，表示愿得尚汉公主，为昆弟，请求与汉和亲。元封六年（前105年），汉武帝把江都王刘建之女细君作为公主嫁给昆莫，并赐乘舆服御物，为备官属宦官侍御数百人。细君死后，汉王朝又将楚王刘戊之女解忧公主嫁给乌孙王岑陬。这两次和亲，对于巩固汉与乌孙的友好关系，使乌孙成为汉在西方牵制匈奴的一支重要力量，以及发展双方经济、文化交流等，都起到了积极作用。

为了打破匈奴对大宛的控制并获得大宛的汗血马，汉武帝还于太初元年（前104年）和太初三年（前102年）两次派贰师将军李广利西征大宛，迫使大宛进贡良马几十匹，中马以下牡牝三千余匹。沿途中亚各国听说汉军征服了大宛国，无不大受震动。各国王公贵族纷纷派遣子侄跟随汉军回到中原，他们为汉武帝呈上贡品，并留在汉朝作为人质，表示对汉武帝的效忠。至此，张骞定下的用外交手段和贸易来扩张汉王朝在中亚影响力的策略取得了成功。此后，汉政府在楼兰、渠犁（今新疆塔里木河北）和轮台（今新疆库车县东）驻兵屯垦，置校尉。这是汉在西域最早设立的军事和行政机构，为后来设西域都护创造了条件。

汉武帝和张骞的成功谋略为中国赢得了贸易、建设和统一的保障，对东西方历史都具有深远的意义。汉武帝元封六年（前105年），汉使沿着张骞的足迹，来到了今伊朗境内，并拜见了安息国国王。汉朝使臣在献上了了华丽光洁的丝绸，安息国王非常高兴，以鸵鸟蛋和一个魔术表演团回赠汉武帝，这标志着连接东方的中国和西方的罗马帝国的丝绸之路正式建立。在之后的岁月中，不论在东方还是在西方，张骞的名字都被人们所牢记。使汉朝与西域各国建立了友好关系，西域第一次与内地联系成一体，促进了西域社会的进步，也丰富了中原的物质生活。

Zhang Qian's two missions to the Western Regions promoted the economic and cultural exchanges between China and the West. Since then, the Han Dynasty and the countries of the Western Regions often sent envoys to each other, with hundreds of large ones and more than one hundred small ones. It promoted the development of trade between the two sides, and formed a scene of "businessmen and customers, entertains under the frontier". However, Loulan and Gushi (later known as Cheshi) at the eastern end of the Western Regions were still under the control of the Xiongnu. Under the instigation of the Xiongnu, they often sent troops to attack the envoys of the Han Dynasty, looted business and property, and became the obstacle for Han Dynasty to the Western Regions. In order to ensure the passage of the Western Regions, the Han generals Zhao Ponu and Wang Hui in Yuanfeng three years (108 years ago) led 700 Qingqi to raid Loulan. Later, Zhao Ponu led tens of thousands of troops to defeat the aunt and set up a pavilion on the front line from Jiuquan to Yumen Pass. Barrier, as a post for the supply of food and grass and a defensive post.

In the second year of Yuanding (115 BC), Wusun envoy returned to Chang'an with Zhang Qian and reported the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, which strengthened Wusun King Kunmo's trust in the Han Dynasty. He once again sent an envoy to Chang'an, expressing his wish to win Princess Shanghan as Kundi’s wife and ask for peace mareiage with Han. In the sixth year of Yuan Feng (105 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty married the daughter of Jiangdu King Liu Jian's daughter Xijun to Kunmo as a princess, and gave them to the court to serve hundreds of eunuchs. After the death of Xijun, the Han Dynasty married Princess Liu Wu, the daughter of Chu Wang, to the Wusun Wang Cenzuo. These two peaces marriages have played a positive role in consolidating the friendly relations between Han and Wusun, making Wusun an important force for Han to contain the Xiongnu in the West, and developing the economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides.

In order to break the Xiongnu's control of Dawan and obtain Dawan’s hard work, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also sent the second division general Li Guangli to the west in the first year of Taichu (104 years ago) and the third year (102 years ago) twice. Forcing Dawan to pay tribute to dozens of the best horses, more than 3,000 horses middle size horses. Along the way, countries in Central Asia heard that the Han army had conquered Dawan, and they were all shocked. The kings and nobles sent their nephews to follow the Han army back to the Central Plains. They presented tributes to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and stayed in the Han Dynasty as hostages to show their allegiance to Emperor Wu. So far, Zhang Qian's strategy of using diplomacy and trade to expand the influence of the Han Dynasty in Central Asia has been successful. After that, the Han government stationed troops in Loulan, Quli (now Hebei, Tarim, Xinjiang) and Luntai (now east of Kuqa County, Xinjiang), and set up school lieutenants. This was the first military and administrative institution established by the Han in the Western Regions, which created conditions for the later establishment of the Western Regions.

The successful strategies of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Zhang Qian not only won guarantee of trade, construction and unification for China, but also were of far-reaching significance to the history of both the East and the West. In the sixth year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (105 BC), the envoy of the Han Dynasty followed Zhang Qian's footsteps to the territory of present-day Iran and met with the King of Parthian Kingdom. The envoys of the Han Dynasty presented gorgeous，bright and clean silk. The King of Parth was very happy and gave back to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty with an ostrich egg and a magic performance group. This marked the official establishment of the Silk Road connecting China in the East and the Roman Empire in the West. In the years that followed, Zhang Qian's name was remembered by people in both the East and the West. The Han Dynasty established friendly relations with the countries of the Western Regions, and the Western Regions were connected with the inland for the first time, which promoted the progress of the society of the Western Regions and enriched the material life of the Central Plains.