Part 1 : China, Russia and Central Asia S. LIEU; Nestorian Angels from Central Asia and other Christian and Manichaean Remains at Zaitun (Quanzhou) on the South China Coast C. MACKERRAS; Xinjiang at the Turn of the Century, and the Causes of Separatism D. CHRISTIAN; Tsarist Russia in the Context of World History F. PATRIKEEF; An Elaboration of Empire: Russia's Eastward Expansion and the Imperial Military, 1584-1917 Part 2 : Politics, Conflict and the Perception of Empire C. BENJAMIN; The Origin of the Yuezhi J. MARKLEY, Gaozu Confronts the Shanyu: The Han Dynasty's First Clash with the Xiongnu G. WATSON; Images of Central Asia in the 'Central Asian Question' c. 1826-1885 K. NOURZHANOV; The Politics of History in Tajikistan: Reinventing the Samanids Part 3 : Cultural and Religious Exchanges along the Silk Roads E. C.D. HUNTER; Converting the Turkic Tribes F. KIDD, The Chronology and Style of a Group of Sogdian Statuettes K. PARRY; Japan and the Silk Road Legacy D. COURT; Concealing and Revealing Women in Central Asia: A Case Study of the Paranja.