The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire in ancient Chinese history, and its rulers made outstanding achievements in many fields such as military, economic, and cultural. However, even such a powerful Tang Dynasty had to adopt a policy of harmony and proximity to alleviate the contradictions with the border ethnic minorities. What is the reason behind this? Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, once said that "Beidi customs are more important than internal affairs," which seems to give some clues. So, why did the Tang Dynasty choose this "weak" path of harmony? How did it implement this policy? What kind of results did the Tang Dynasty finally achieve through this policy? Let us find out.
The Tang Dynasty faced internal and external troubles in the early days of its establishment
In 618 AD, Li Yuan raised troops in Chang'an, overthrew the rule of the Sui Dynasty, and established the Tang Dynasty. However, the newly founded Tang Dynasty faced severe tests from within and without.
Internally, the decay of the Sui Dynasty, coupled with years of war and excessive taxation, led to continuous peasant uprisings throughout the country. Although Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor in Chang'an, the peasant rebels in various places did not subside. They either set themselves up as kings or installed new emperors, causing the Central Plains to be divided into multiple separatist regimes for a time. At the beginning of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the unification of the whole country became a top priority.
Externally, the Turkic tribes on the northern border of the Tang Dynasty were powerful and repeatedly harassed the Central Plains. The Turks were warlike and skilled in mounted archery, and were one of the most powerful nomadic peoples of their time. In the last years of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks took advantage of the gap to invade the south and once attacked the city of Chang'an, which brought a great threat to the unification of the early Tang Dynasty.
Faced with the dual dilemma of internal and external troubles, the Tang rulers had to first concentrate their efforts on quelling the peasant rebels at home, and at the same time temporarily adopt a policy of appeasement to ease the confrontation with the Turks. This special historical environment laid the foundation for the later implementation of the policy of peace and proximity in the Tang Dynasty.
In the process of quelling the domestic rebellion, Li Yuan successively defeated Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and other separatist forces, and gradually unified the Central Plains. But at the same time, the Turks took advantage of the chaos to constantly harass the frontier, which brought great resistance to the unification of the Tang Dynasty.
In 626 AD, Li Yuan sent troops on an expedition against the Turks, but due to the high mobility of the Turkic cavalry, the Tang army failed to achieve a decisive victory. In order to avoid a long-term confrontation with the Turks, Li Yuan decided to adopt a policy of peace and proximity, and married a female prostitute to the Turkic khan to ease the conflict between the two sides. This was the first attempt at the Tang Dynasty's peace policy.
Despite the impropriety status, the move did buy the Tang dynasty some respite. Li Yuan was able to concentrate his main efforts on quelling the peasant rebels in China, and finally completed the unification of the Central Plains during his reign. It can be said that the policy of harmony and proximity created favorable conditions for the great cause of reunification of the Tang Dynasty to a certain extent.
The origin and development of the pro-policy of harmony
The policy of harmony has a long history in China, and its initial germination can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. At that time, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, was repeatedly harassed by the Hun cavalry in the process of confrontation with the Xiongnu. In order to alleviate the contradictions between the two sides, the Han Dynasty began to try to establish an in-law relationship by marrying the royal woman to the Xiongnu Shan Yu. This was the initial prototype of the ancient Chinese policy of peace and proximity.
By the Tang Dynasty, the policy of harmony and proximity had been further developed and improved. At the beginning of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, the ancestor of the Tang Dynasty, faced threats from the Turks and other nomadic peoples. In order to avoid being overly distracted and affecting the great cause of unifying the Central Plains, Li Yuan decided to follow the example of the Han Dynasty and betrothed a female prostitute to the Turkic Khan. This was the first attempt at the Tang Dynasty's peace policy.
Despite the impropriety status, the move did buy the Tang dynasty some respite. Li Yuan was able to concentrate his main efforts on quelling the peasant rebels in China, and finally completed the unification of the Central Plains during his reign. It can be said that the policy of harmony and proximity created favorable conditions for the great cause of reunification of the Tang Dynasty to a certain extent.
After succeeding to the throne, Tang Taizong Li Shimin further established the tone of the Tang Dynasty's peaceful and pro-pro-policy policy. He believes that although the ethnic minorities outside the Central Plains are different from the Han nationality in terms of living habits and customs, they are fundamentally the people of the land of China. Therefore, the goal of the Tang Dynasty should not be to conquer by force, but to promote national integration through gentle means, and to realize the ideal of "one family in the four seas".
In order to better unite the alien races in the frontier, Li Shimin decided to let the princess of the clan replace the prostitute as the candidate for harmony. The first time in the history of the Tang Dynasty was to send a princess and relatives was during the Li Shimin period, when a princess was married to Ashinadur, the leader of the ethnic minority. This not only consolidated the friendly relations between the two sides, but more importantly, brought the culture of the Central Plains into the border areas and laid the foundation for ethnic integration.
The Tang Dynasty promoted the unique concept of harmony
The Tang Dynasty's policy of peace and proximity contained a unique and far-reaching concept behind it. This philosophy is not only reflected in the remarks of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, but also in the actual actions of the rulers of the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Taizong once said, "Beidi customs, more internal affairs, that is, to have a son, then my grandson." This sentence reveals the ultimate goal of the Tang Dynasty's implementation of harmony - national integration. In Li Shimin's view, although the ethnic minorities in the border areas are different from the Han people in the Central Plains in terms of living customs, fundamentally speaking, they are all Chinese people. The mission of the Tang Dynasty should not be to conquer by force, but to promote the exchange and integration between different ethnic groups through gentle means, and finally realize the ideal society of "one family from all over the world".
This concept of ethnic integration stems from the Tang people's self-confidence in Chinese civilization. The Tang Dynasty was a golden age for the development of ancient Chinese civilization, which reached unprecedented heights in terms of economy, culture, science and technology and education. The Tang people are well aware that the Central Plains culture is broad and profound, and has a strong ability to assimilate and absorb. Therefore, as long as the culture of the Central Plains is spread to the frontier and through cultural exchanges, the integration of different ethnic groups will be promoted.
It is based on this concept that the Tang Dynasty deliberately chose the royal princess as a relative when implementing the policy of harmony. After the princess married a different race, she could not only consolidate the friendly relations between the two sides, but more importantly, bring the Central Plains culture into the frontier and lay the foundation for ethnic integration.
The first time in the history of the Tang Dynasty was to send a princess and a pro-family was during the period of Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, a minority leader named Ashinadur submitted to the Tang Dynasty. In order to appease and consolidate the relationship between the two sides, Li Shimin selected a princess with outstanding appearance from among the royal women, named her "Princess Hengyang", and married Ashinadur.
This was unprecedented at the time. In ancient society, the status of royal princesses was extremely high, and they could generally only marry into the families of princes and generals. However, Li Shimin married the princess to a different race, and his intention was to promote ethnic integration through cultural exchanges. From this point of view, the Tang Dynasty's policy of harmony and proximity was indeed groundbreaking and forward-looking.
In addition to promoting ethnic integration, the Tang Dynasty also promoted peace and proximity for another important purpose, that is, to avoid unnecessary military conflicts. Compared with conquest by force, harmony is undoubtedly a more economical and humane path. It can not only reduce the confrontation between the two sides, but also resolve the contradictions to a certain extent, create a relatively peaceful external environment, and win valuable time for the development of the Tang Dynasty.
In the process of implementing the policy of peace and proximity, the Tang Dynasty also followed the policy of "meeting martial arts with literature". That is, while practicing peace, the Tang Dynasty did not completely abandon military means. On the contrary, it adopted the strategy of "combining rigidity and softness", decisively sending troops to strike when necessary, and alleviating contradictions through peace at the appropriate time.
A typical example of this strategy is the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. The Tibetans were a powerful nomadic people in the Northwest Frontier at the time, and their ruler, Songtsen Gampo, was ambitious and repeatedly provoked the Tang Dynasty. In order to solve the "old and difficult" problem of Tibet, the Tang Dynasty sent a large army to attack it on the one hand, and on the other hand, it pacified Songtsen Gampo by making peace.
In the end, Songtsen Gampo suffered enough military losses and had to ask the Tang Dynasty to marry the princess in exchange for peace. Tang Taizong married Princess Wencheng to him. After Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she spread the culture of the Central Plains to the local area and was greatly respected by the Tibetan people. Since then, the Tang Dynasty has maintained good relations with Tibet, and until the Anshi Rebellion, Tibet also sent troops to help.
The specific practice of the pro-policy in the Tang Dynasty
In the process of implementing the policy of peace and proximity, the Tang Dynasty adopted a series of specific measures and practices, which fully reflected the wisdom and foresight of the Tang people.
Tang Gaozu Li Yuan was the first to marry a female prostitute to the Turkic Khan, which won valuable time for the unification of the Tang Dynasty. Although the status of a prostitute was unseemly, it did ease the tensions between the Tang and the Turks.
After succeeding to the throne, Tang Taizong Li Shimin further improved the policy of peace and proximity. He believes that the royal princess marrying a different race can not only consolidate the friendly relations between the two sides, but more importantly, spread the Central Plains culture to the frontier and lay the foundation for ethnic integration. Therefore, Li Shimin decided to let the princess of the clan replace the prostitute and become the candidate for harmony.
The first time in the history of the Tang Dynasty was to send a princess and relatives was during the Li Shimin period. At that time, a minority leader named Ashinadur submitted to the Tang Dynasty. In order to appease and consolidate the relationship between the two sides, Li Shimin selected a princess with outstanding appearance from among the royal women, named her "Princess Hengyang", and married Ashinadur.
This was unprecedented at the time. In ancient society, the status of royal princesses was extremely high, and they could generally only marry into the families of princes and generals. However, Li Shimin married the princess to a different race, and his intention was to promote ethnic integration through cultural exchanges.
In addition to Ashinadur, the Tang Dynasty also married the princess to the leaders of other ethnic minorities such as the Tibetans, Uighurs, and Khitans. Among them, the most famous is the story of Princess Wencheng marrying Tibet.
The Tibetans were a powerful nomadic people in the Northwest Frontier at the time, and their ruler, Songtsen Gampo, was ambitious and repeatedly provoked the Tang Dynasty. In order to solve the "old and difficult" problem of Tibet, the Tang Dynasty sent a large army to attack it on the one hand, and on the other hand, it pacified Songtsen Gampo by making peace.
In the end, Songtsen Gampo suffered enough military losses and had to ask the Tang Dynasty to marry the princess in exchange for peace. Tang Taizong married Princess Wencheng to him. After Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she spread the culture of the Central Plains to the local area and was greatly respected by the Tibetan people. Since then, the Tang Dynasty has maintained good relations with Tibet, and until the Anshi Rebellion, Tibet also sent troops to help.
In addition to marrying princesses to different races, the Tang Dynasty also adopted a number of other practices when implementing the policy of peace and kinship. For example, when the princess married far away, the Tang Dynasty would send a large number of literati and craftsmen to accompany her, bringing the culture and technology of the Central Plains to foreign lands.
Taking Princess Wencheng as an example, at that time, there were painters, musicians, doctors, martial artists and other talents who accompanied her to marry Tibet. They spread the culture of the Central Plains in Tibet, introducing painting, music, medicine, and martial arts to the local area.
At the same time, the Tang Dynasty would also build Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and other religious sites in foreign areas to spread Buddhism, Taoism and other Central Plains religious culture. For example, in Tibet, there are famous temples such as the "Big Buddha Temple" and "Mahayana Temple" built by the Tang people.
It can be said that while the Tang Dynasty was promoting the policy of peace and proximity, it was also vigorously promoting the culture of the Central Plains. In this way, the culture of the Central Plains gradually took root in the border areas, laying the foundation for ethnic integration.
Of course, the Tang Dynasty also followed the policy of "meeting martial arts with literature" when implementing the policy of peace and proximity. That is, while practicing peace, the Tang Dynasty did not completely abandon military means. On the contrary, it adopted the strategy of "combining rigidity and softness", decisively sending troops to strike when necessary, and alleviating contradictions through peace at the appropriate time.
The effectiveness and impact of the pro-friendly policy
The Tang Dynasty's policy of peace and proximity achieved remarkable results at that time and left a far-reaching impact on later generations.
First of all, the policy of harmony won a favorable external environment for the prosperity and development of the Tang Dynasty. By marrying the princess to the leaders of the frontier ethnic minorities, the Tang Dynasty established a relationship of marriage with these foreign regimes, and the contradictions and conflicts between the two sides were alleviated. In this relatively peaceful external environment, the Tang Dynasty was able to concentrate its main efforts on domestic construction, which promoted the development of various fields such as economy and culture.
Taking the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet as an example, after Princess Wencheng married Tibet, the relationship between the two sides remained friendly for a long time. Tubo not only did not harass the borders of the Tang Dynasty again, but also sent troops to help during the Anshi Rebellion, which made great contributions to the reunification of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that the policy of harmony and proximity created favorable conditions for the development of the Tang Dynasty to a large extent.
Second, the Tang Dynasty's policy of harmony promoted the exchange and integration of different ethnic cultures. After the princess married a foreign race, she would bring a large number of literati and craftsmen with her to spread the culture and technology of the Central Plains to the border areas. At the same time, the Tang Dynasty would also build Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and other religious sites in foreign areas, introducing Buddhism, Taoism and other Central Plains religious cultures into the local area.
Taking Princess Wencheng as an example, at that time, there were painters, musicians, doctors, martial artists and other talents who accompanied her to marry Tibet. They spread the culture of painting, music, medicine, and martial arts of the Central Plains in Tibet. In Tibet, famous monasteries such as the "Great Buddha Temple" and the "Mahayana Temple" were also built to spread the Buddhist culture.
In this way, the culture of the Central Plains gradually took root in the border areas, laying the foundation for ethnic integration. After a few generations, the culture of the border areas was basically assimilated into the Han culture of the Central Plains. It can be said that the Tang Dynasty's policy of harmony and proximity made an important contribution to promoting national integration and realizing the ideal of "one family from all over the world".
Finally, the Tang Dynasty's policy of peace and proximity also reflected the foresight of its rulers. Compared with conquest by force, harmony is undoubtedly a more economical and humane path. It can not only reduce the confrontation between the two sides, but also resolve the contradictions to a certain extent and create a relatively peaceful external environment.
Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, once said, "Beidi customs, more internal affairs, that is, to have a son, then my grandson." This sentence reveals the ultimate goal of the Tang Dynasty's implementation of harmony - national integration. In Li Shimin's view, although the ethnic minorities in the border areas are different from the Han people in the Central Plains in terms of living customs, fundamentally speaking, they are all Chinese people. The mission of the Tang Dynasty was not to conquer by force, but to promote the exchange and integration of different peoples through gentle means.
It can be said that the Tang Dynasty's policy of harmony and proximity not only solved the practical problems at that time, but also contained advanced national concepts. It reflects the Tang people's self-confidence in Chinese civilization, and also demonstrates the wisdom and foresight of the Tang rulers. It was this wisdom that enabled the Tang Dynasty to stand tall in that turbulent era and become one of the most powerful empires in the world at that time.