S16: Silk Roads

• What is the silk road? (What is it not?)
• Tang in the World: What were patterns of interactions and exchanges between Tang and its neighbors?
• The Belt & Road Initiative: A modern day silk road?

• What kind of man is Zhang?
• What kind of woman is Yingying?
• Why does Yingying initially refuse to talk to Zhang?
• Why does Yingying’s attitude towards Zhang change?
• What role does poetry play in the relationship between Yingying and Zhang?
• What is the role of Hong-niang?
• Who seduced whom?

• How did Zhang change?
• Was Yingying wronged? Was Zhang made to suffer? Was he seduced?
• Who is the narrator of the story? How reliable is he?
• What is the story about?
• What can this story tell us about Tang society?

What can the story of Yingying tell us about women in Tang?

• The Tang dynasty is often viewed as a great age for women, supported by tomb art that visually represents elite women and court entertainers.
• These artworks depict women freely engaging in activities such as horseback riding, playing polo, and archery, as well as wearing low-cut gowns or even male attire.

• In the early eighth century, ideals of feminine beauty favored thin bodies.
• By the middle of the century, the perception of beauty had shifted significantly, with the ideal woman being depicted as fuller-figured, rounded, and dressed in generously cut clothing.

Yuan dynasty playwright Wang Shifu: Romance of the Western Chamber:

• Lady Cui discovers the situation.
• The maid Hongniang argues persuasively on behalf of the couple.
• Lady Cui fears the shame of a family scandal but reluctantly acknowledges the marriage.
• Lady Cui insists that Zhang Gong must go to the capital to take the examination immediately.
• Zhang Sheng passes the exam and returns; the couple finally reunites.

• Which ending do you prefer?
• Do you have a different ending in mind?

• Merchants were the most common and influential foreigners in Tang China, frequently depicted in the period’s art and literature.
• They brought a wide array of goods, including slaves, animals, exotic foods, textiles, and books that described foreign lands.
• By the ninth century, Uighurs became notorious for their dominance in the money-lending profession in Chang’an, leading to widespread disdain for their perceived arrogance and disregard for Chinese law.

• Besides money-lending, foreigners, particularly Sogdians and Tocharian speakers, also dominated the wine trade, running many wine shops.
• Central Asian music gained popularity throughout Chinese cities, blending with local music styles, particularly in urban entertainment venues.

• The term “Silk Road” is modern and was not used by the people along the trade routes, who named them after major cities like Samarkand or referred to them as northern or southern routes.
• Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the term in 1877 and was the first European to use Chinese historical data in maps of the region.
• The term became more popular after Sven Hedin’s 1936 book on Central Asia was translated into English as The Silk Road in 1938.

Sven Hedin:

• A Swedish explorer who launched the first scientific mission to Xinjiang in 1895, aiming to uncover the origins of ancient manuscripts.
• Departed from Merket on the Yarkand River and entered the Taklamakan Desert in search of the Khotan River.
• His expeditions raised awareness of Dunhuang’s archaeological significance and helped map the Silk Road routes.

Paul Pelliot:

• A French sinologist who visited Dunhuang in the early 1900s and discovered a vast collection of manuscripts in the Mogao Caves.
• His translations and analyses provided valuable insights into ancient Chinese culture and the Silk Road.
• Although he found important documents, his level of detail in reporting was less comprehensive than Stein’s.

Aurel Stein:

• A British-Hungarian archaeologist who led four expeditions to Xinjiang between 1900 and 1931.
• Discovered numerous important objects and documents during his excavations, including significant finds at Dunhuang.
• Wrote extensive and detailed reports about his findings, which are essential for reconstructing the original conditions of archaeological sites.
• His explanations of the burial circumstances of documents have served as a foundational reference for subsequent scholars.

• The Silk Road was often depicted as a straight and well-traveled route, but this was not true.
• Archaeological research has found no clearly marked or paved roads across Eurasia.
• Instead, the Silk Road consisted of a mix of drifting trails and unmarked footpaths.
• Travelers usually hired guides to help them navigate the routes.
• They often changed paths when they encountered obstacles.

Step 1: Gansu Corridor

• Travelers first navigate the Gansu Corridor, a 600-mile route between the Qinghai Mountains and the Gobi Desert.
• After reaching Dunhuang, they choose between the northern or southern route around the Taklamakan Desert, both leading to Kashgar.

Step 2: Through the Dessert

• Beyond Dunhuang lies Xinjiang, known as “New Frontierlands” by the Qing dynasty, previously referred to as Xiyu (“Western Regions”) by the Chinese.

Step 3: Pamir Knot

• After crossing the Taklamakan Desert, travelers face the Pamir Knot, where major mountain ranges like the Himalayas and Tianshan converge.
• From there, they descend toward either Samarkand to the west or India to the south.

• The Silk Road was often depicted as a straight and well-traveled route, but this is inaccurate.
• Archaeological studies show no clearly marked or paved roads, only a mix of drifting trails and unmarked footpaths.
• Most travelers typically covered shorter distances of a few hundred miles between their hometown and nearby oasis towns.

• Xuanzang was born into a scholarly family and initially received a strict Confucian education.
• At age 13, he entered a Buddhist monastery, inspired by his older brother, and became a fully ordained monk by 20.
• He studied Sanskrit and other foreign languages in Chang’an (modern Xi’an), the Tang dynasty capital.
• Confused by discrepancies in Buddhist texts, Xuanzang decided to pilgrimage to India to study Buddhism at its source in 629 CE.

• For 14 years, Xuanzang traveled, gaining official introductions from rulers along his route.
• In 643, he returned to China, crossing the Pamir Mountains to Dunhuang and arriving in Chang’an in 645.
• He dedicated the rest of his life to translating the Sanskrit manuscripts and wrote The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, documenting his travels and the cultures along the Silk Road.