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The name "flax" is commonly used in various historical records of ancient China, and there have been continuous debates about the specific meaning of "flax". The "flax theorists" believe that due to climate characteristics, sesame cannot be introduced and cultivated in the northwest region of China, so "flax" inevitably refers to flax with better cold resistance. This paper maintains that the term "flax" in historical literature refers to sesame rather than flax. Meanwhile, archaeological achievements in the northwest region of China indicate that sesame may have spread to Xinjiang, China through Central Asia during the pre-Qin period, and have been active in the social and economic life of the northwest region for a long time since then. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]