ABSTRACT
One of the most famous exploits of the Former Han Dynasty is the expedition by Kan Yen-shou and Ch'en T'ang into Central-Asia in the 3rd year of the Chien-chao period. The most obvious translation of the words t'u-shu would be: "charts and documents". In this meaning the expression is well authenticated in Han times. The discovery of a highly developed art of painting during the Han and earlier has been one of the surprises of modern Sinology. An authoritative painting was made of the battle with the Shan-yu also have, in fact, a description of this fight in Ch'en T'ang's biography. The narrative is unusually vivid; it does not describe the battle from the general's point of view at all, but it looks like an account of an eye-witness, bringing out the dramatic moments of the battle.
