Tang Dynasty (5th to 8th century) China was known for its foreign affairs and success in territorial expansion mainland, and was considered the golden age for cultural and artistic prosperity. It was also a glorious period for economic, political, and military expenditures. To have done so, China had to extend its resources. They heavily relied on the Silk Road, which proved to be very important as a trade network with Central Asia. Turfan, a city located in the east of Xinjiang, was one of the more important cities along the Silk Road as it was not only made up of people from both China and Sogdiana, an ancient Iranian civilization, where the Chinese culture could mix and spread, it was also the best place to learn and spread the Chinese language. Additionally, the Turfan state used paper to make clothing and objects for the deceased. The need for paper paved way for a trade network between Iran and Turfan, and become an important tool to record Chinese history. Being “a highly bureaucratic regime” (Hanzen), the Tang Dynasty was closely observed and recorded, providing insight into the empire’s economic development, political influence, and social system.
Bibliography
Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road : A New History with Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
