The Tang Dynasty was the most open dynasty in China, and it was also the dynasty with the least ethnic and racial discrimination. Of course, although the Tang Dynasty was open, it was possible to achieve no discrimination, how could it be? Even if you can't do it now, it's even more impossible to be harsh on the ancients more than 1100 years ago.
In the Tang Dynasty, ethnic minority merchants and foreign merchants were free to do business in the Tang Dynasty. Foreigners can also marry and have children in China, but there is one rule: Han wives and concubines cannot be brought back to China. For details, see the Tang Laws (Gaozong Edition): "If a person who enters the court and listens to him, he may marry a wife and concubine, and if he returns to the court, he will violate the edict."
How big are minority merchants and foreign traders
Hu Shang and BoKe are the collective names of ethnic minorities and all foreign merchants in the Tang Dynasty who have serious differences in race, customs and beliefs from the Central Plains. For example, western merchants and Persian merchants were called Hu merchants and merchants. The exclusive title of China's ethnic minorities is Shanghu. The exclusive title of the foreign merchant is Jahu. "Jahu" is mainly: Indian, Iranian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Korean and other countries of businessmen.
The Turks had ten thousand homes in Chang'an (Old Book of Tang, vol. 61, "Wen Yanbo Biography"), and Persian merchants had a special "Persian residence" (Tongjian, vol. 226, jianzhong yuan year). Merchants from various countries even reached the point of influencing politics and economics, "the children of the imperial guards in the capital and the envoys of the various armies and merchants, etc., have many money for the guests" ("YuanGui of the Book of The Imperial Household", vol. 999, "Foreign Ministers, Mutual Market").
There were many merchants in Yangzhou, and during the reign of Emperor Suzong, during the rebellion against Liu Zhan, thousands of People's Merchants were killed.
The customers in Guangzhou were mainly southern ethnic minorities and Persian, Dashi, Arab, Indian, and Thai merchants. Among them, the merchants in present-day Sri Lanka (Lion Country) are the largest.
During the Pang Xun Rebellion, his army captured Guangzhou and slaughtered the people in the city, of which 120,000 to 200,000 foreign merchants were killed (for details, see Fang Hao, "History of Transportation between China and the West", page 258, Yuelu Publishing House, October 1987).
Even after the "Anshi Rebellion" was put down, the scope and extent of the movement of ethnic minority merchants and foreign merchants was still relatively large. Why? This must start from the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, especially from the "Heavenly Khan" Tang Taizong. When The Early Tang Dynasty was relatively weak, Emperor Taizong did not see it as a threat.
This kind of mind can be said to be relatively rare in all dynasties.
Ancient paintings of Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty
Tang Taizong expressed his sincerity towards the minority forces and was very opposed to "if you are not of my race, your heart will be different."
When Emperor Taizong of Tang conquered Goguryeo in December of the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, the Qunchen believed that it was too close to Chang'an to put the Turks in Henan, and that there would be trouble, and that they should leave an army in Luoyang, on the one hand, to support the Eastern Crusade, and on the other hand to watch the Turks.
Li Shimin said, "Yi Di is also a human ear, and his feelings are not different from those of Zhongxia. The lord of man does not have to be suspicious of the outlier. Gaidzecha, then the four Yi can make like a family; if there is much suspicion, the flesh and bones will inevitably be revenge. Since "Zizhi Tongjian Zhenguan Eighteenth Year December"
Li Shimin said very simply, since they are a family, don't guess each other, this will only increase hatred. People who shout this sentence all day long are not good people. Whether it is the Central Plains or ethnic minorities, there are people who do wrong, if you take the partial generalization, then there is no good friend in the world.
After the western Turks surrendered, the envoys of the Western Regions asked Tang Taizong if he could open a trade route, and Li Shimin agreed. As a result, merchants surnamed Zhaowu traveled to the interior through the western region, and there were many in Wuwei, Chang'an, Luoyang and other places. At the same time, there were also a large number of Ethnic Minority merchants throughout the Central Plains, such as Turkic, Xueyantuo, Hui, Khitan and Dangxiang.
Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty
In the course of business with ethnic minorities, Emperor Xuanzong's Wang Zhongsi (Shuofang and Hedong Jiedushi, the main general against Tubo, had many military achievements, but because Tang Xuanzong blindly commanded the battle preparations in Shibao City, he was framed by Li Linfu and was almost killed in prison. A year later, in 749 AD, at the age of 45, he died of depression) bought horses at a high price, making the minority war horses scarce and the Strength of the Tang Army growing.
At the same time, An Lushan, a "Hushilang" who is proficient in the six minority languages, has gradually emerged.
Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty
Of course, some would say that they rebelled precisely because it was too good for them. However, An Lushan's rebellion was a struggle for power and profit within the ruling class. There were more ethnic minority generals in the Tang army, and there were also many Han generals on the side of An Lushan. The two sides are not a national war, but a war of the ruling class. If the supreme ruler was not corrupt, An Lushan would not dare.