The Uyghur Empire (744–840)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Drompp
Keyword(s):  
Tarim Basin ◽  
Tang Dynasty ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
The North ◽  
The Tang Dynasty ◽  
Nomadic People ◽  
Eastern Inner Mongolia ◽  
Northern Tarim Basin ◽  
Economic Ties ◽  
River Valleys

The Uyghurs (Chinese Huihe迴 紇, Huihu回鶻) were a pastoral nomadic people living in the region of the Selenga and Orkhon river valleys in modern Mongolia; they spoke a Turkic language. The empire that they created on the steppe lasted for nearly a century (744–840) and played an important role, both politically and culturally, in East Asia. Centered on the Mongolian Plateau, the Uyghur Empire at its height controlled numerous other peoples within a territory that included lands to the north in the modern regions of Tuva and Buryatia, as well as some parts of the northern Tarim Basin and eastern Inner Mongolia.1 During its eventful history, the Uyghur Empire sent cavalry to help the Tang Dynasty put down the An Lushan rebellion, maintained strong political and economic ties with China, fought with the Tibetan Empire for control of important international trade routes, built cities on the steppe, celebrated its rulers’ achievements in stone stelae, and—uniquely in the world—adopted Manichaeism as its state religion. After their empire collapsed, the Uyghurs developed new polities in Gansu and the Tarim Basin that continued to exercise influence in Inner Asia.

scholarly journals The Transportation of Tax Textiles to the North-West as part of the Tang-Dynasty Military Shipment System

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-494
Author(s):  
MASAHIRO ARAKAWA ◽  
VALERIE HANSEN
Keyword(s):  
Tang Dynasty ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
The Tang Dynasty

Unfortunately the author's the name was misspelt throughout this article and also on the contents page of issue 23 (2). The correct name should have read ‘Masaharu Arakawa’.Cambridge University Press apologises unreservedly for any inconvenience or embarrassment caused by this error.

scholarly journals From Buddhist Story to Heroic Epic: A Comparative Study of the Epic of Geser and the Mulian Story

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-430
Author(s):  
Jung Kwanghun ◽  
Kim Hyunju
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Tang Dynasty ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Heroic Epic ◽  
The Tang Dynasty ◽  
Nomadic People

This paper compares narrative modification in the Mongolian heroic epic The Epic of Geser with that of the Buddhist Mulian story. The Mulian story, in which the protagonist saves his mother from the underworld gained widespread popularity in its time. Mulian Bianwen from the Tang dynasty, presents the scenes from the story in a very dramatic manner. The Mongolian Geser epic uses this motif but adapts the story to fit the characteristics of a heroic epic for nomadic people. Heroic epics must contain motifs that depict the image of their protagonist to present a collection of exemplary characters. To create a complete heroic epic, the story of Geser absorbed a religious story from another culture that was very popular at the time. In the present study, five scenes common to The Epic of Geser and the Mulian story are analysed to investigate how the original Buddhist story became a part of the heroic epic. This analysis considers the ways in which identical story motifs can be used for the different purposes according to the nature of the literary work.

The Transportation of Tax Textiles to the North-West as part of the Tang-Dynasty Military Shipment System

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
MASAHIRO ARAKAWA ◽  
VALERIE HANSEN
Keyword(s):  
Tang Dynasty ◽  
Tianshan Mountains ◽  
Central China ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
The Tang Dynasty ◽  
The Government ◽  
Military Campaign ◽  
North And South ◽  
Timely Delivery

From the inception of its military campaign into Central Asia via the Gansu corridor, the Tang dynasty had to ensure the shipment of extensive military supplies to support the activities of its occupying armies north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. Since the government paid soldiers’ salaries and bought supplies using silk, the timely delivery of silk from central China was critical. Most of the silk was collected in the central provinces under the zuyongdiao 租庸調 tax system, whether as stipulated payments of tax textiles or cloth-paid-in-place-of-annual-corvée tax. All this silk had to be shipped to the Western Regions. This article examines where this silk was made, how it was shipped to the north-west and how the system changed over time.

Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Course of History Since Middle Antiquity

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-119
Author(s):  
Li Zhi’an
Keyword(s):  
Song Dynasty ◽  
Tang Dynasty ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Southern Song ◽  
The North ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Tang Dynasty ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Southern Dynasties ◽  
Southern Institutions

Abstract Two periods in Chinese history can be characterized as constituting a North/South polarization: the period commonly known as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420ad-589ad), and the Southern Song, Jin, and Yuan Dynasties (1115ad-1368ad). Both of these periods exhibited sharp contrasts between the North and South that can be seen in their respective political and economic institutions. The North/South parity in both of these periods had a great impact on the course of Chinese history. Both before and after the much studied Tang-Song transformation, Chinese history evolved as a conjoining of previously separate North/South institutions. Once the country achieved unification under the Sui Dynasty and early part of the Tang, the trend was to carry on the Northern institutions in the form of political and economic administration. Later in the Tang Dynasty the Northern institutions and practices gave way to the increasing implementation of the Southern institutions across the country. During the Song Dynasty, the Song court initially inherited this “Southernization” trend while the minority kingdoms of Liao, Xia, Jin, and Yuan primarily inherited the Northern practices. After coexisting for a time, the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming saw the eventual dominance of the Southern institutions, while in middle to late Ming the Northern practices reasserted themselves and became the norm. An analysis of these two periods of North/South disparity will demonstrate how these differences came about and how this constant divergence-convergence influenced Chinese history.

Meadows of the North-Eastern Altai

2002 ◽  
pp. 22-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. V. Maltseva ◽  
N. I. Makunina
Keyword(s):  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Wet Meadows ◽  
Abies Sibirica ◽  
Dark Coniferous Forest ◽  
Hay Meadows ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Humid Area ◽  
River Valleys

The North-Eastern Altai is an ultra-humid area with climax vegetation represented by tall-herb fir (Abies sibirica) dark-coniferous forest. Its meadows belong to the class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea. The typical asso­ciation Aegopodio podagrariae—Dactyletum glomeratae originates in the watershed clearings after climax forests whereas ass. Hyperici perforati—Agrostietum giganteaereplaces the previous one under mowing and grazing. The Molinietalia wet meadows are widespread in the river valleys. The meadows of ass. Cirsio heterophylli—Calama­grostietum langsdorffii occur on wet soils in small depressions and along floodplain mire margins, and ass. Ca­rici ovalis—Deschampsietum cespitosae comprises typical floodplain hay-meadows on moist, nutrient-rich soils.

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