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The Western Regions are divided into a broad and narrow sense, and the Western Regions in the broad sense, that is, the western region, refers to the area from Yangguan and Yumen Pass to the west, all the way to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The western region in the narrow sense is from Yangguan and Yumen Pass to the west, and the area east of the Pamir Plateau (ancient named Onion Ridge) is today's Xinjiang.
As the only meeting point in the world of Chinese culture, ancient Greek and Roman culture, Indian culture, and Persian culture, Xinjiang, as a region where farming culture and grassland culture have long collided and blended, and as a major carrier of the motherland's diversified and integrated culture, the Western Regions culture has reflected the characteristics of the Central Plains culture in many aspects in many periods.
Pre-Qin period: faience pottery culture and jade road
Xinjiang faience pottery and Gansu faience pottery
A large number of Neolithic cultural relics have been found in Xinjiang, which have obvious common characteristics with the Neolithic cultural relics in the northern part of the mainland. The faience pottery excavated from the tianshan north road cemetery in Hami City, Xinjiang, and the closeness of the shape and ornamentation to the Central Plains show that the Xinjiang region and the Central Plains region have been linked for a long time.
The Tomb of Lady Hao unearthed Hetian Jade and Jade Gate Pass
In 1976, archaeologists excavated 756-year-old jade from the tomb of Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan Province, about 3200 years ago, and after testing, it was basically Xinjiang Hetian jade. The ancients specially set up the Jade Gate Pass.
Since the Shang Zhou Dynasty, a large amount of jade in the Central Plains has been taken from the Kunlun Mountains. The Jade Road became the link between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Western Regions. During the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was ordered to send an envoy to the Western Regions, opening up a smooth path for cultural exchanges between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, and opening a new chapter in the spread of Central Plains culture to the Western Regions.
The influence of the Central Plains culture on Shanshan
Former Liang Western Regions Governor Shi Li Bai documents
The ancient kingdom of Loulan later moved to Isu (Milan) and was renamed Shanguo. In the western region of Hantong, Loulan established close ties with the Central Plains Dynasty. King Loulan repeatedly sent princes into the Han Dynasty as protons, and later most of them returned to China and became the king of Loulan, deeply influenced by Han culture. Coupled with the fact that the Han Dynasty soldiers came to Yixun to develop and operate, Shanshan was increasingly influenced by the Han cultural tradition, which is also a reasonable thing. Since shanshanguo is a special western cultural circle in which the Han and Lulu cultures are used together, the Central Plains Han culture and the Jiandra immigrant culture are parallel, so it is bound to reflect two different aesthetic consciousnesses in its culture and art. Sven Hedin and Stein found a considerable number of Chinese and paper documents from Loulan. The Japanese explorer Tachibana Ruichao found Li Bai's documents in Loulan as a strong corroboration.
The prince married for thousands of generations
Longevity and longevity of the grandchildren of the brocade
"Five stars out of the East to benefit China" brocade arm guard
A large number of tapestries from the Central Plains were unearthed from Shanshan and its Western Jingjie (Niya), and the production techniques and artistic style were completely Han Chinese. Archaeologists have found many tapestries with the words "All the best" and "Longevity, Great Benefit to Future Generations" in the tomb of Nyahan. Of particular importance is that Xinjiang archaeologists found a woven brocade of "five stars out of the East and China" at the Site of Niya, a cultural relic that has attracted the attention of the world, which is obviously a gift from the Central Plains Dynasty. It is a powerful proof that the Han and Jin dynasties had a very close relationship between shanshan and the Central Plains in politics, economy, and culture.
The influence of the Central Plains culture on Khotan
Silk Princess Diagram
Among the several ancient Khotanese paintings unearthed by Dandan Urik, the information of the Central Plains painting conveyed by a "Silk Princess Figure" is intriguing. The story of the western transmission of silk from the Central Plains reflects the fact that Khotanese silkworm industry was transmitted from the Central Plains, and reflects the profound influence of Han silk culture on Khotan. From the perspective of painting method, the portrayal of the main characters, the setting of the scenery and the narrative description show the characteristics of the Central Plains, and the concepts and techniques of the Painting Art of the Central Plains are obvious.
Portrait of Li Shengtian in Dunhuang
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties of the Central Plains were disputed, and the connection between the Western Regions and the Central Plains was blocked. However, Li Shengtian, the king of Khotan, had always maintained close contact with the Central Plains, and sent envoys to express his sincerity to the central court of Kaifeng, and the Later Jin Dynasty crowned Li Shengtian as the king of Khotan. Li Shengtian and the Northern Song Dynasty returned to the rebel army to make the Cao family an in-law, forming an inseparable flesh-and-blood relationship. In the art gallery of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, the huge portrait of this "Great Dynasty Treasure in Khotan" of "Controlling the Western Province, Heart Racing North Que" is impressive, wearing a crown and a Han costume, telling us the history of Han culture going deep into the Western Regions.
The influence of the Central Plains culture on Guizi
Stuart box music and dance diagram
The world-renowned Guizi music dance also draws nourishment from Han culture. The sheng, kite, zither, drum (rattle), etc., commonly used in the Guizi music dance, are all ancient instruments from the Central Plains. In the relics box music and dance diagram unearthed from the Guizi Zhaoli Temple, the musical instruments used by the people who sang and danced included the big drum and the drum drum, which were exactly the same as the Central Plains system, and the general's appearance and attire were quite similar to the ancient opera characters of the mainland, and the whole picture was full of strong Han cultural colors.
The influence of Central Plains culture on Gaochang
Gaochang unearthed classic Chinese texts
Gaochang was the gateway of the Central Plains Dynasty to manage the Western Regions, the Western Han Dynasty set up a lieutenant here, the Eastern Han Dynasty set up the Western Regions Long History, wei and Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to political turmoil and war, the inland Han people from the Hexi region to the Western Regions, Gaochang became the most concentrated place of Han people. Later, there was a regime divided by the Han Chinese, which doomed the dominance of Han culture. Among the texts that people here often read are Confucian classics, and a large number of manuscripts of Chinese classics have been unearthed in Turpan.
Nuwa Fuxi human head snake body diagram
In the gaochang tomb, a large number of hemp or silk nuwa Fuxi human head snake figure has been unearthed, this kind of nuwa Fuxi image that prevailed in the Central Plains at the time of the two Han Dynasties is a symbol of the ancestors of China and ancient civilization, which not only confirms the general prevalence of Han Dynasty burial customs in Gaochang, but also strongly illustrates the strong desire of the local Han people to get spiritual sustenance from the maternal culture, who have been adhering to the Central Plains cultural tradition for generations. Gaochang has always been filled with a very strong Han cultural atmosphere.
Chess Lady Figure
Many silk paintings unearthed from gaochang tombs show a distinct Han Chinese painting style. For example, the "Picture of the Lady of Chess" excavated from the Astana tomb, in the middle of the face, is the image of the two noble ladies playing against each other, and it is also the image of the Noble Lady of the Central Plains with a high bun, red eyebrows, wide robes and wide sleeves, and a plump posture. The lines of the picture are smooth and vivid, reflecting the level of Sheng Tang painting.
Female warriors of domestic work and figurines of horsemen
Civil and military officials
A large number of funerary clay figurines and wooden figurines unearthed in Turpan can be called the fine works of sculpture art, such as the riding figurines, which are the dresses of noble ladies that prevailed in the Middle and Tang Dynasties, the eunuch figurines with majesty, and the Tang people are rich; the literary officials are busy with official affairs. These clay and wooden figurines are funerary objects. The production is very delicate, vivid and beautiful, just like the sentient beings of the Han society of the Tang Dynasty.
Diverse and integrated Chinese culture
In summary, we can see that Chinese culture is like the source of water, the culture of various ethnic groups in the western region is like thousands of tributaries, the culture of the western region belongs to the main body of Chinese culture, and the culture of the western region, no matter what is different in the region, is inseparable from its own main culture. The Japanese scholar Haneda Hiroshi said in his "History of Western Culture" that "culture is self-evident, and it also entered here with them (the Han Chinese)." This can be seen from the fact that many of the materials belonging to the Han culture obtained by the expeditions from the East and the West recently cannot deny the fact that the Han culture has been gathered here since ancient times. ”
Because of this, Western culture and Chinese culture are one and the same and pluralistic relationship. Chinese culture is the main culture of all ethnic groups in the western region, so no matter how many times there have been temporary interruptions in cultural ties in history, Xinjiang's unification with China has always been the mainstream of historical development.
Resources:
Xinjiang Youth Publishing House, Wang Rong, "Echoes of Western Culture"
Xinjiang Education Publishing House, Concise Reader of Local History of Xinjiang
Baidu Encyclopedia
Baidu Images
Interesting articles from past issues:
1300 years ago, Bu Tianshou, a primary school student in the Western Regions of Tang Dynasty, opened his school with oil poems
Xinjiang Tuvan fur skis, why is Altay the origin of human skiing?
Box or dumplings? Gu Ailing's favorites, from the Winter Olympics to the Silk Road Gaochang
"Furnace Street", "Cheshi Lane", "Nianzi Ditch", "Water Mill Ditch", Urumqi those place names with industry color
Construction began on the seventh day of the first lunar month, and it is said that the "Gongfu City" in Urumqi 80 years ago
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the god of wealth was greeted, and it was said that urumqi was the "god of wealth building" in that year
Metaverse, or a new epoch? The new discovery of the Red Mountains in Urumqi shocked the world
Culture runs Xinjiang Dawu City, tourist attractions - Urumqi those ditches
Culture runs the city of Dawu in Xinjiang, and the history of Tuntian is seen from the place name of Urumqi
Lao Fan of the Western Regions: Zhang Qian of xinjiang's local history sent envoys to Wusun and Hanhe in the Western Regions
Culture run Xinjiang Dawu City, ergong or ergong?
Author's introduction: Xiyu Lao Fan, a post-80s western culture enthusiast, a senior historical researcher in the middle school entrance examination, focuses on Xinjiang's historical and cultural writing and the history education of the middle school entrance examination, and believes that helping others is to help yourself.