China News Agency, Lanzhou, July 20th: "Longevity" Tuyuhun, how to witness the prosperity of the Silk Road?
——Interview with Chen Guoke, Director and Research Librarian of Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
China News Agency reporter Feng Zhijun
In recent years, with the discovery of the Tuyuhun (also known as Tuhun) royal tombs located in Wuwei City in the east of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, Tuyuhun, which has created one of the longest records of local ethnic regimes in China, has gradually unveiled its mystery.
It lasted three years and was included in the "Archaeology of Tuyuhun Royal Tombs in Tang Dynasty" project by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China. Many achievements have created a "first of its kind" in domestic archaeology, and was selected as "2021 New Archaeological Discoveries in China" and "Top Ten New Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2021".
Tuyuhun, which has existed for more than 350 years in Chinese history, is located in the transition zone between the farming civilization in the Central Plains and the grassland civilization in the north. How did it witness the prosperity of the Silk Road for centuries?
What contributions have you made to the integration and mutual learning of the East and the West?
Chen Guoke, director and research librarian of the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Dongxiwen" to interpret this.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Service reporter: Since 2019, the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology has established a Tuyuhun archaeological project team with a number of domestic scientific research units, and has continued to conduct archaeological excavations of the Tuyuhun royal family tombs in the Tang Dynasty in Wuwei area, Gansu Province. What new discoveries and major gains? During this period, a number of research results have created domestic archaeological "firsts". What is the truth about the life of the seemingly extravagant Tuyuhun royal family?
Chen Guoke:
Since 2019, we have carried out archaeological investigation, exploration and excavation in the Nanshan area of Wuwei. So far, 23 tombs of Tuyuhun royal family have been discovered, 4 tombs have been excavated, and painted pottery, gold and silver, lacquered wood, leather and silk have been unearthed. There are more than 1,000 sets of cultural relics, such as wooden Hu beds, large beds, six-curved screens, models of halberd houses, complete sets of military equipment mainly composed of iron armor, stationery supplies such as pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and various types of silk fabrics. It is the first or rare discovery of related cultural relics of the same period in China.
An epitaph was unearthed, and two columns of characters were found on the left side of the epitaph, which were preliminarily judged to be the characters of the Tuyuhun ethnic group.
Unicorn pattern and phoenix pattern brocade jacket unearthed from Murongzhi's tomb.
Photo courtesy of China News Agency, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
In fact, the tombs of the Tuyuhun royal family in Wuwei Tang Dynasty were carried out in strict accordance with the funeral etiquette of the Central Plains, and mixed with some funeral characteristics of the ethnic group, but they were by no means more luxurious.
The reason why many related cultural relics were discovered for the first time is because the preservation conditions in the Hexi area are better.
These latest archaeological research results have further enriched the cultural connotation of the Tuyuhun royal burial group and clarified the basic layout of the tomb group.
The tomb finds and related records of epitaphs are of great value to the study of a series of issues such as the history of Tuyuhun, the history of the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the ethnic minorities in the west, and the military establishment of the Tang Dynasty.
Now we have a clearer judgment and understanding of key issues such as the distribution of the Tuyuhun royal family tombs in Wuwei Tang Dynasty, the information of the tomb owners, and the burial system and burial customs.
Related archaeological research is a new beginning, and it is certain that as the archaeological work continues, there will be more important research discoveries worth looking forward to.
Distribution map of Tuyuhun royal family tombs.
Photo courtesy of China News Agency, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Reporter from China News Agency: As a transitional zone between the farming civilization in the Central Plains and the grassland civilization in the north, Tuyuhun created the longest record of ethnic minority local regimes of more than 350 years. Do the latest archaeological results provide further interpretation and evidence for this historical mystery?
Chen Guoke:
There are many reasons why Tuyuhun was able to establish the country for more than 300 years.
First, the core area of the Tuyuhun regime is located in the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where the Longshan, Qilian Mountains, and Taklimakan Desert serve as barriers to the east, north, and west, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau covers the south, forming a natural geographical closed loop, which is conducive to independent development.
Second, the Tuyuhun regime was established mainly during the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. At this time, the situation in the Central Plains was chaotic, the North and the South were divided, the ethnic groups were intermingled, and the regime was frequent. Houliang, Western Qin, Nanliang, Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, etc., Song, Qi, Liang, Chen, etc. in the south, and even Dangchang, Dengzhi, etc., a small minority regime.
These regimes have not been established for a long time, their strength is not strong, and they are opposed to each other. None of these regimes can achieve the ambition of combining the north and the south and completing the grand unification.
Therefore, in the midst of wars and disputes, Tuyuhun is not the focus of competition among major political regimes. In addition, the policy adopted by Tuyuhun itself is also a back and forth between multiple powerful regimes, and finally won a precious living space for itself and maintained its continuous development.
Thirdly, the rulers of the Tuyuhun regime were mostly "majority, burly and shrewd (tiáo chèn)", who led the Tuyuhun nation to formulate a reasonable development strategy, and thus achieved good development.
Fourth, Tuyuhun's political system is relatively open, and it belongs to the "feudal system" regime established on the basis of multi-ethnic integration.
The Murong clan, as khans, mainly ruled Qinghai Lake and the surrounding areas, and other areas would be divided into their own clan or other clan leaders as kings, and they would be divided and ruled.
Coupled with the nomadic nature of frequent migration, it is very flexible in both attack and defense. Unless it is attacked by a comprehensive large-scale attack, it will not easily destroy the country.
The tomb-suppressing beast unearthed from Murongzhi's tomb.
Photo courtesy of China News Agency, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
China News Service reporter: Tuyuhun's "sense of existence" in historical records is not uncommon, but since the rise of Tubo, it seems to have suddenly disappeared from the long history. How to get a glimpse of important historical clues and facts through continuous archaeological research?
Chen Guoke:
The rise of the Tubo dynasty was very fast. In the early 6th century AD, the Tubo was not very powerful, but it began to rise rapidly in the middle of the 6th century, reached its peak in the middle of the 8th century, and then went to extinction.
Due to the harsh environment and lack of resources in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau where Tubo is located, it has always been a consistent principle for Tubo to keep looking for opportunities to expand outwards in the process of its rise.
During the specific implementation of the Tubo expansion policy, limited by the special geographical environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, breaking through to the north has become the most ideal way for Tubo to expand outward. Target.
Therefore, since the beginning of the 6th century, there has been constant friction between Tubo and Tuyuhun, and they have slowly penetrated and eroded with their powerful strength.
Before the demise of the Tuyuhun regime, the tendency of the Tuyuhun nation to become Tubo was very obvious, and it was finally wiped out by the Tubo in 663.
After being destroyed, some Tuyuhun people fled to the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and some Tuyuhun people stayed in Qinghai area. Due to the loss of the fixed barrier provided by the national regime, the Tuyuhun people who fled to the mainland gradually became Sinicized, while the Tuyuhun people who stayed in Qinghai Then gradually Tubo.
In terms of archaeology, the tombs of the Tuyuhun royal family in Wuwei Tang Dynasty excavated in recent years are obviously the tombs of Tuyuhun people after Sinicization, while those found in Qinghai have been selected as the top ten new archaeological discoveries in the country in 2019 and 2020. Gou No. 1 Tomb" and "2018 Xuewei No. 1 Tomb" are the tombs of Tuyuhun people after the Tubo transformation.
The tombs of the same ethnic group in the same period showed different cultural appearances, which is an objective manifestation of the Tuyuhun people's gradual loss of their national independence.
China News Service reporter: According to historical records, from the white mountains and black waters in the northeast, they migrated thousands of miles to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to establish a country, and they straddled almost all communication channels between the east and the west. contribute? What are the inspirations and lessons for today?
Chen Guoke:
Tuyuhun's contribution to commerce, trade and cultural exchanges between the East and the West is mainly reflected in the fact that after he established his political power in Qinghai, he ruled a large area from eastern Xinjiang to western Sichuan and southeastern Long. The ancient road of east-west traffic: "Tuyuhun Road".
Especially during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties of the Sixteen Kingdoms when Tuyuhun established the regime, the current situation in the Central Plains and Hexi was turbulent.
Therefore, Tuyuhundao has become the best choice for pedestrians, caravans, envoys and monks from the East and the West.
It is the unhindered flow of Tuyuhundao over the past century that has provided the possibility for North-South exchanges in the context of troubled times, and made important contributions to the exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations.
Wine vessel unearthed in the tomb of Tuyuhun.
Photo courtesy of China News Agency, Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
In the tombs of Tuyuhun in the Tang Dynasty in Wuwei, the cultural characteristics of Han, Tuyuhun, Tubo, northern grassland and other ethnic groups can be seen, which is a physical testimony to the diverse integration of Tuyuhun ethnic groups.
At the same time, the confirmation of the three major mausoleum areas of "Yanghui Valley", "Baiyang Mountain" and "Mausoleum of Great Khan" also corresponds to the political situation of Tuyuhun itself, and is an important reference for understanding the setting of Tuyuhun's regime.
There are a lot of physical and written materials unearthed from the Tuyuhun royal tombs in Wuwei Tang Dynasty. Through the detailed study of these materials, a solid basis can be provided for the history of Tuyuhun, especially the development history of Tuyuhun after returning to the Tang Dynasty.
At the same time, it can clarify the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the ethnic minorities in the west such as Tuyuhun, especially the way of governance of the minorities after naturalization by the Tang court, as well as the setting of relevant policies and the establishment of Jizhou Prefecture.
The past serves as a lesson for the present. The governance policies, forms of communication, cultural integration and other related situations of the ancients can also provide a great degree of inspiration and reference for our current “Belt and Road” construction.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Chen Guoke is currently the director and research librarian of the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
He has participated in more than 50 archaeological investigations and excavations, such as active scientific research, large site protection planning and cooperation with infrastructure construction, and presided over the completion of Zhangye Xichengyi Metallurgical Site, Subei Mazong Mountain Jingbaoer Grassland Jade Mine Site, Dunhuang Hanxia Jade Mine Site , Heishuiguo Tomb Group, Foye Temple Bay-Xindiantai Tomb Group, Qingyang Xinzhuang Tomb Group, Wuwei Haizang Site, Zhuanglang Wangjiayangwa Site, Tianzhu Tuyuhun Murongzhi Tomb and other important archaeological excavations.