Which Han emperor sent Zhang Qian on his mission to the Western Regions?

The Han emperor who sent Zhang Qian on his mission to the Western Regions was Emperor Wu of Han. The first mission began around 139–138 BCE, during the Western Han dynasty, as part of the emperor’s effort to find allies against the powerful Xiongnu confederation.

Zhang Qian was sent west to contact the Yuezhi, a people displaced by the Xiongnu. He was captured and held for years, but eventually escaped and reached Central Asia. Although the Yuezhi declined to form the military alliance Emperor Wu wanted, Zhang returned with valuable information about lands including Dayuan, Bactria, and Parthia.

His reports encouraged further Han diplomacy, trade, and military expansion toward Central Asia. Later missions helped establish connections that became part of the network now called the Silk Road. Emperor Jing, Emperor Wen, and Emperor Gaozu ruled earlier periods of the Han dynasty, but none commissioned Zhang Qian’s famous Western Regions expedition.