Abstract：The Silk Road was a path for the circulation of goods, and with the flow of people, it brought about cultural integration and mutual learning among different ethnic groups. The Han and Tang periods in China marked the peak of the Silk Road, and also represented the height of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and foreign civilizations. Since Zhang Qian’s mission to the Western Regions, which led to the opening of the Silk Road, there has been a continuous flow of people on this route. Envoys, merchants, and monks traveled incessantly between China and the Western Regions. Through the medium of the Silk Road, China conducted extensive exchanges of commodities, knowledge, and faith with countries along the route, including Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia.
China’s silk and silk technology, as well as iron casting techniques, were spread to Central Asia, West Asia, and even Europe, exerting significant influence on the social life and economic well-being of various countries. By absorbing China’s silk technology and iron casting craftsmanship, Persians also produced advanced products such as Persian brocade and damascened iron, which were introduced to China and had an impact there. This exemplifies the bidirectionality and mutual benefit of cultural exchanges. The products from the Western Regions that were introduced to China, such as grapes, alfalfa, pomegranates, walnuts, cucumbers, carrots, sesame, and other plants, as well as Western Region artifacts like the Hu bed, deeply penetrated Chinese society and influenced China’s dietary culture and lifestyle. In addition to the exchange of goods, India and Persia were also renowned for their knowledge in astronomy and medicine. During the Han and Tang dynasties, China’s knowledge in astronomy and medicine was significantly influenced by India and Persia. For example, during the Southern Dynasties period under the Liu Song regime, He Chengtian, influenced by extraterritorial astronomy, compiled and promulgated the Yuanjia Calendar throughout the country. This calendar overcame some issues present in traditional Chinese astronomy and had a significant impact on the development of Chinese astronomy. During the Tang Dynasty, there were renowned “Three Astronomers from Tianzhu (India)”, among whom the most famous, Qutan Xida, authored the Kaiyuan Zhanjing, and translated the Indian Jiuzhi Calendar, introduced to China many astronomical and mathematical concepts that were not available in traditional Chinese astronomy. In the field of medicine, the “Four Great” theory of Indian medicine has had a significant impact on traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, the ophthalmology of India and Rome was also quite renowned in China.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, a variety of religious beliefs were introduced from the Western Regions and integrated with the local beliefs in China, promoting a transformation in the religious concepts and social ideologies of the Chinese people. Among these, Buddhism had the most significant impact. Additionally, religions from outside the region such as Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism also merged with Chinese indigenous beliefs, forming a part of the medieval Chinese belief system. Taking Buddhism as an example, after being introduced to China in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it reached its peak from the Wei and Jin periods to the Tang Dynasty. In its efforts to spread more effectively in China, Buddhism intentionally leveraged the pre-existing Confucian and Taoist ideologies to help the Chinese understand Buddhist concepts. Although this approach might sometimes seem a bit far-fetched and not entirely precise, it nonetheless played a significant role in integrating Buddhist teachings with the local Chinese culture. Buddhist philosophy absorbed Confucian and Taoist ideas, leading to the formation of many distinctively Sinicized Buddhist schools that developed their own systems. These schools innovated in Buddhist theory, exerting a broad and profound influence on the development of Chinese thought. The Buddhist theories that had been transformed in China also influenced Indian Buddhism, a phenomenon referred to by Ji Xianlin as the “reverse flow” of Buddhism.
In addition to Buddhism, the religions from the Western Regions that were introduced to China include Zoroastrianism, Nestorianism, and Manichaeism, collectively known as the “Three Foreign Religions”. Zoroastrianism was the belief of the Sogdian people in Central Asia. With a significant number of Sogdians engaging in trade or settling down in China, Zoroastrianism, as the primary faith of these Sogdian communities, became widely spread throughout the country. As the Sogdians got gradually integrated into Chinese society, Zoroastrianism also merged with indigenous Chinese beliefs. Some Zoroastrian rituals even penetrated deeply into Chinese society, becoming a part of local Chinese customs. Manichaeism and Nestorianism were both introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty. To achieve better missionary results, both Manichaean and Nestorian followers consciously borrowed thoughts from Buddhism and Taoism, in order to facilitate a better understanding and acceptance of their doctrines by the Chinese people. This missionary strategy exemplified the fusion of faiths and ideas along the Silk Road. The integration of multiple religions had a significant impact on Chinese social thought, religious beliefs, and folk activities, together forming an integral part of the historical and cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.
赵大旺 刘进宝. 汉唐时期的丝绸之路与中外文明互鉴[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 0, (): 1-.
Zhao Dawang Liu Jinbao. The Mutual Learning Between China and Foreign Civilizations along the Silk Road from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 0, (): 1-.
