Tang dynasty： a glorious chapter in the history of world culture
Bu Ji Tu Volume (Partial) (Tang) Collected in Beijing Palace Museum, Yan Liben. The picture is selected from "Meteorology of Tang Dynasty-Study on Aesthetic Consciousness of Tang Dynasty"
Pieces of pigeon brocade are collected in Gansu Provincial Museum. The picture is selected from "Meteorology of Tang Dynasty-Study on Aesthetic Consciousness of Tang Dynasty"
The Tang Dynasty is one of the proudest times in the history of the Chinese nation. Strong national strength and prosperous culture. During this period, America has not been discovered by Europeans; Europe was in the dark Middle Ages, with ruined cities and deserted countryside. Only China, this land, presents a prosperous and prosperous scene. The Tang Empire has the largest material wealth in the world, as well as the most splendid and brilliant spiritual wealth in the world. Poetry, music and dance, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, architecture and gardens were indisputably at the highest level in the world at that time.
So, what is the aesthetic taste of people in the Tang Dynasty? Now, we can only ponder and imagine through the material works or written works left by the Tang people themselves. Reading Du Fu’s "two for the road", how beautiful and brilliant the scene of beautiful women traveling by the water in Chang ‘an, the capital! Not to mention the attitude of "receptive, aloof, sweet-mannered, sincere, with soft fine skin and well-balanced bone", we can see the women’s aesthetic view that fat is beautiful in the Tang Dynasty. Just look at the decoration of this noble woman: "their embroidered silk robes in the spring sun are gleaming, with a mass of golden peacocks and silver unicorns. And hanging far down from their temples Cuiwei leaves hang down the temples and lips. And following behind them Is a pearl-laden train, rhythmic with bearers. " Didn’t the craft level and aesthetic taste of that period show up? Let’s take a look at Wang Bo’s Preface to Tengwang Pavilion, which is located in remote Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, and there is also such a palace that worships Afghanistan: "Gui Dian Lan Palace is the body of hills and mountains. Embroidered and carved, Yamahara is full of vision, and Kawasawa is bold. Lu Yan, the home of Zhong Ming Ding Food; The ship Mijin, the green finch Huanglong. " Isn’t the prosperity, strength and highly developed civilization of the Tang Dynasty also evident?
Prosperous, affluent, powerful and open, full of vitality, this is the overall impression of the material civilization and spiritual civilization left by the Tang people. Appreciating the aesthetic taste and exploring the aesthetic concept of the Tang people is like overlooking the earth from a high altitude. The spiritual atmosphere, material civilization and the development level of spiritual civilization in the Tang Dynasty are all unobstructed.
As the person in charge of the key project of the National Social Science Fund "Meteorology of the Tang Dynasty —— Research on Aesthetic Consciousness of the Tang Dynasty", and as the main author of this book, I have said a lot about the Tang Dynasty. Here, I want to emphasize and supplement three points:
The Position of Tang Dynasty in the Cultural History of China
China, a country founded by Chinese, is not only the Han nationality in Chinese, but also many ethnic groups, which are collectively referred to as the Chinese nation today. The formation of the Chinese nation must be traced back to prehistoric times, and the people who lived in the vast areas with the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin as the core in prehistoric times were the source of the Chinese nation. According to Mr. Xu Xusheng, a famous archaeologist, it can be roughly divided into three groups: one is Huaxia Group headed by Yandi and Huangdi; Second, Dongyi Group headed by Shao Hao and Tai Hao; Third, Miao Man Group headed by Zhu Rong and Xiangdou. The three groups cover almost all the ethnic groups that later lived and developed in China. These ethnic groups first created prehistoric civilization together. Yangshao culture is mainly located in the west and middle of China, Hongshan Culture is mainly located in the northeast and north of China, Dawenkou culture and Longshan culture are mainly located in the east and middle of China, and Lingjiatan culture, Liangzhu culture and Shijiahe culture are mainly located in the south, middle and east of China. It’s hard to say which nation founded the core of these cultures. For example, Hongshan Culture is mainly inhabited by Turks, Uighurs, Khitans, Xianbei people, Mongols and Jurchens. Can we say that Hongshan Culture does not have the merits of their ancestors? Dawenkou culture and Longshan culture are the forerunners of Xia culture, belonging to Chinese orthodoxy, and this place belongs to Dongyi. Can it be said that Dawenkou culture and Longshan culture have no merits of Dongyi?
The division of Huaxia originated in the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which entered the civilized era, mainly in the Zhou Dynasty. Since then, the Han regime living in the Central Plains has been collectively referred to as Xia, while the minority regimes living around it have been collectively referred to as Yi. Han culture is mainly farming civilization; Yi culture is mainly nomadic civilization. The difference between foreigners and Xia is a viewpoint put forward by Confucianism, but this viewpoint is not mainly the difference between nationalities, but the difference between cultures. Confucianism believes that the most important or final judgment is to look at the culture. The culture recognized by Confucianism is the ritual and music civilization, which was a progressive culture at that time. Although this culture has its own core, it is not closed. It is open, and Yi and Xia have always absorbed each other. The essence of the integration of Yi and Xia is the integration of cultures, which will inevitably lead to the integration of the nation and the establishment of the Chinese nation.
Ethnic integration is a huge project, which began in prehistoric times, developed in Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties, and reached a climax in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Its outstanding manifestation is that the minority regimes in the Northern Dynasties have learned from Chinese culture one after another and all advertised themselves as Chinese orthodoxy. Among these regimes, the Northern Wei Dynasty is the most outstanding. After more than 200 years of division between the North and the South and disputes among small countries, China achieved reunification, first in the Sui Dynasty and then in the Tang Dynasty. Li Tang Dynasty, with Xianbei descent, inherited the Chinese culture of Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties as its mainstream culture, but the culture of Tang Dynasty was much more open than that of Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties.
Two aspects of the ethnic policy in the Tang Dynasty deserve special attention. One is that "China is safe and self-satisfied". This was Wei Zhi’s suggestion to Emperor Taizong, who accepted it. Because the Tang Dynasty devoted itself to national construction, the brilliant achievements of the Tang Empire made the "four foreigners" fear and admire, and naturally they were willing to submit from the heart. The second is "equality between Hu and Han". Emperor Taizong said: "since ancient times, China has been valued, and I have been disdainful. I have always loved it as one, so I have always depended on it as my parents." Emperor Taizong employed a large number of non-Han officials without wearing "race" glasses, and even made them important military commanders. This situation was almost absent in other dynasties in China. There is no discrimination against people of ethnic minorities. Emperor Taizong arranged the Turks who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty to live and live in places not far from the capital, and gave them some economic support. In his view, those who submitted to the Tang Dynasty were the people of the Tang Dynasty, and they should be given preferential treatment because they came to live in a new place.
It is precisely because the Tang Dynasty adopted the correct policy towards ethnic minorities that in the history of China, the dynasty that handled the relationship between the central government and neighboring ethnic minority regimes best was the Tang Dynasty. Because the Tang Dynasty used the method of affinity to establish kinship with ethnic minority regimes, ethnic minority regimes called the Central Plains Dynasty Uncle, and this title continued until the Song Dynasty. Emperor Taizong was honored as "Tiankhan".
In 788 AD, Xinjiang wrote to the Tang Dynasty, please change the name of the country to "Uighur" and "just take the roundabout as light as a stork". In 838 AD, Tang Wenzong conferred the title of Uighur Khan, and a written record of "Four poles in the sea, but the old seal in the Tang Dynasty, one in the world, on the same track with me" was left in Quantang Wen. It should be said that the Chinese nation, with Chinese culture as its core, was truly formed in the Tang Dynasty.
The position of the Tang Dynasty in the history of world culture
The Tang Dynasty existed in the history of China for nearly 300 years from 618 to 907. During this period, the West belonged to the dark Middle Ages. In Europe, there are frequent wars, smog and economic depression. Looking back at Asia, Japanese aristocrats clashed, political power changed, and the capital moved several times; In South Asia and West Asia, several countries coexist and civil strife continues. In 651 AD, the Great Food attacked Persia, and the king of Persia asked the Tang Dynasty for help. It can be said that in this era, the relatively safe place in the world is the Tang Dynasty, and the relatively rich place is also the Tang Dynasty. Not to mention, Chang ‘an, the capital, is praised as a paradise on earth by many foreign businessmen, which is Yangzhou in a remote place and a sacred place for Chinese and foreign businessmen. "Rich in money, riding a crane to Yangzhou" is not empty talk.
At this time, China-Tang Dynasty adopted an open foreign policy. China’s doors are wide open, and the Silk Road on land and the Silk Road on the sea are unimpeded. So, not only the nearby Japanese and Silla people came, but also distant Europeans, Indians, cannibals and Persians. Not only people came, but also things came, and various foreign religions such as Nestorianism (a branch of Christianity), Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism also came. According to the Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty had contacts with more than 300 countries and regions, and Chang ‘an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, became the center of the world: political center, economic center, cultural center, religious center, education center, science and technology center and entertainment center. As Wang Wei wrote in his poem: "heaven’s nine doors reveal the palace and its courtyards, and the coats of many countries bow to the Pearl Crown." (an early audience at the palace of light harmonizing secretary jia zhi’s poem) Foreigners came to China to study, work, do business and spread religion. Some people fell in love with China and stayed in China. Some people even became senior officials of the Tang government, such as Japan’s Chao Heng (formerly known as Abe Zhongmalu), who came to China with Japan’s ninth Tang envoy in the fifth year of Tang Kaiyuan (717) to study in Imperial College, and then worked in the Tang Dynasty. In international communication, the communication between Japan and China is the most stable, friendly and successful. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Japan had contacts with China, and Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty also gave the official seal to the Japanese king. By the Tang Dynasty, Sino-Japanese exchanges reached their peak. According to historical records, Japanese envoys to China were sent to Tang Dynasty no less than thirteen times.
A large number of foreigners come to China, and many Chinese go abroad. According to the Arab Suleiman’s Travels to the East, the ships in China are extremely huge, and the waves in the Persian Gulf are sinister. Only China ships can sail unimpeded. Tens of thousands of porcelain pieces of the Tang Dynasty were found in the Foster site in the southern suburbs of Cairo, Egypt, and an iron foundry opened by the Tang people was also found in Sarawak, northern Borneo, Nanyang. Chinese went abroad not only to do business and run enterprises, but also to study and spread Buddhism.
The benefits of opening up are worldwide, which is of great significance to the economic and cultural development of China and the world. Being able to do the open cause so well is mainly due to the consciousness of the Tang people. First, they have valuable cultural self-confidence. Of course, there are also bad habits that China boasts, but more cultural consciousness and self-confidence. In fact, the culture of the Tang Dynasty was advanced in the world at that time. On the other hand, they have a broad mind and a courteous attitude. In the early years of Kaiyuan, Japanese emissaries asked the Tang Dynasty to send Confucian scholars to teach Confucian classics. According to etiquette, Japanese students should go to school to study. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty changed the convention of "learning by courtesy, not by teaching" and sent famous Confucian scholars to give lectures on the residences where Japanese students stayed, so as to meet the requirements of the emissaries, without being arrogant and stingy because of the country’s strength.
The above is enough to show that the Tang Dynasty was the common home of the Chinese nation and the center of world culture at that time. What made the Tang Dynasty such a lofty position was its political, economic, military and cultural strength, its national unity policy of integrating foreign countries with Xia, getting along on an equal footing and being tolerant and generous, and its open, atmospheric, friendly and fair foreign policy.
The Enlightenment of the Tang Dynasty to the Revival of the Chinese Nation
The Tang Dynasty is the eternal pride of the Chinese nation, and its brilliant achievements deserve our respect and study. However, we do not copy the Tang Dynasty, but surpass it and create a modern China far more brilliant than the Tang Dynasty.
The important enlightenment given to us by the Tang Dynasty mainly includes the following points:
First of all, adhere to the concept of Chinese national integration. The Chinese nation is not just one nation, but there are many nationalities, and today there are 56 nationalities. Although they are not the same nation, they share common cultural blood, common political, economic and cultural interests, and a unique and common home. What the Tang Dynasty did well in this respect was mainly in the concept and the realization that the Chinese nation was a family. Since we are a family, we must learn from each other, learn from each other’s strengths, and forgive each other for common interests. Emperor Taizong once discussed the foreign policy with Beidi with his lieutenants. He said that military action could solve the problem, but it was only temporary and many people would die. In fact, it’s not bad to kiss. "I’m a whole parent, and if I can benefit from it, I don’t care about a woman!" The customs of Beidi are mostly due to internal affairs, and since I have children, my grandson can definitely know it. " What’s wrong with saying so well and having so many grandchildren?
Thirdly, adhere to the concept of "community of human destiny". The community of human destiny is a universal truth. Today, when we are building a modern and powerful country, we must join hands with countries and nations that treat me equally in the world to meet all kinds of challenges from political economy to natural environment. Our people must live a good life and the people in the world must live a good life. As an old saying goes, it is really good to be good to be good to everyone.
Secondly, opening up is a crucial reason for the success of the Tang Dynasty. Openness is based on self-confidence, and self-confidence is based on a strong foundation. They influence and push each other. The Chinese nation has never been so open as it is today. The important reason is that we have never been so confident and so powerful. There is no end to the opening-up. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), we will build our motherland more prosperous along the socialist road suited to China’s national conditions and make greater contributions to the cause of peace and happiness of the people of the world.
The Tang Dynasty is a thick book with infinite wisdom, which is worth studying, studying, reflecting and absorbing repeatedly.
The Tang Dynasty is a bright banner, which leads us to the glorious future of rejuvenating the Chinese nation.
Pay homage to the Tang Dynasty, surpass the Tang Dynasty and revive China. (Author: Chen Wangheng, a professor and doctoral tutor at the School of Literature, Wuhan University)