The first direct trade relations that existed in antiquity between China and the Iranian-Turanian countries (from 114 BC to 23 AD and from 87 to 127 AD) were of immense significance for the expansion of the geographical knowledge of the Chinese. While previously their horizons barely extended beyond the borders of their homeland, they learned for the first time about the existence of great cultural peoples in the West when Zhang Qian returned from his great expedition to the lands along the Jaxartes and Oxus rivers. Soon after Zhang Qian had paved the way for regulated trade through the Tarim Basin and over the Pamir passes, they came into closer contact with these cultures, allowing them to discover new lands. By around 100 AD, when trade reached its peak, they eagerly gathered information about the Syrians, as they were more prominent at that time.