From the Han Dynasty to the middle and late Qing Dynasty, what was the general name for the vast areas including the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang?
From the Han Dynasty to the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the vast areas including the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang were collectively called the Western Regions. Since the Han Dynasty, the narrow sense of the Western Regions refers to Yumenguan, the west of Yangguan, the east of Congling, the east and south of Balkhash Lake and the vast areas of Xinjiang. The western regions in a broad sense refer to all the regions that can be reached in a narrow sense, including Central Asia and West Asia. The Western Regions later evolved into the western regions of China, so Qinghai and Tibet also belonged to the Western Regions. In the Qing Dynasty, the scope of the "Western Regions" started from Dunhuang in the east, reached Balkhash Lake and Qingji in the west, reached the Lhasa border in the south, and reached the borders of Russia and Kazakhstan in the north, including many areas in southwestern Qinghai and northern Tibet.