Editor's note:
The beauty of the national treasure, through ancient and modern times, is used to carry the Tao, and it is magnificent.
Behind each rare cultural relic is the ingenuity and wisdom of the ancients, engraved with the cultural genes of the Chinese nation, and witnessing the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.
Starting from February 20, 2023, China News Agency's "East and West Questions" launched a series of plans for "Treasures of Town Halls" (2), using experts to explore the meaning of cultural relics and the stories behind them.
China News Agency, Xi'an, February 21st, title: How does Xi'an Forest of Steles "Town Hall Famous Steles" demonstrate the cultural integration of the Tang Dynasty?
——Interview with Jing Yali, a researcher at Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
China News Agency reporter Alina
The Forest of Steles Museum in Xi'an, where the inscription "like a forest" has a collection of a stele, which "narrates" a dusty past to the world, and demonstrates the cultural integration of the Tang Dynasty.
During the period of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Syrian missionary A Luoben came to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin ordered the prime minister Fang Xuanling to lead a guard of honor out of the city to welcome him.
During the Tang Dezong period, the "Nestorianism in Great Qin Dynasty Popular China Stele" (referred to as the "Northodox Monument") was erected in the Daqin Temple in Chang'an, recording the missionary process and teachings and regulations of Nestorianism for nearly 150 years.
What kind of history does the Nestorian Monument, known as the "first Nestorian document" in China, witness?
Why is it important?
How does a stone tablet "derived" an international knowledge?
Jing Yali, a researcher at the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West" to interpret this.
Video: [East and West Questions: The Treasure of the Town Hall] What kind of history does the "Nestorian Monument" of the Tang Dynasty witness?
Source: China News Network
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
Reporter from China News Service: Why did the Nestorian Stele collected by Xi’an Forest of Steles Museum become a “treasure of the town hall” and what kind of cultural exchange history did it witness?
Jing Yali:
The "treasure of the town hall" in the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, "The Great Qin Nestorian Popular Chinese Stele", records the history of Nestorian missionary work and Doctrine canon.
This stele was written by Jing Jing, a Nestorian monk, and written by Lu Xiuyan and inscribed on the forehead.
The stele is 280 centimeters high and 99 centimeters wide, with 32 lines of inscriptions, 62 characters per line, in regular script.
The "Great Qin" written on the stele generally refers to the scope of the Eastern Roman Empire, including Syria and other places.
Tang Dynasty "Daqin Nestorian Popular Chinese Monument".
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
The first and last lines of the inscription and the lower part of the stele and both sides are engraved in Syriac, and the left and right sides of the stele are engraved with the signatures of 70 Nestorian monks in Syriac.
This stele records the "precious fragments" of the spread of Nestorianism in the Tang Dynasty, such as the entry of Aluoben and others into China in the ninth year of Zhenguan, and the decree of Emperor Taizong in the 12th year of Zhenguan that "Yining Fang built a Daqin Temple".
During Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he ordered his brothers and five kings to come to Jingjiao Temple to set up an altar, and ordered Gao Lishi to send "Five Saints Portraits" to be placed in Jingjiao Temple, and to write a plaque for the temple.
During the Tang Dynasty, every Christmas day, they would also send delicious food to entertain the monks and so on.
Part of the rubbings of Tang Dynasty's Stele of the Popularity of Nestorianism in Great Qin Dynasty in China.
The lower part and both sides of the stele are engraved with Syriac.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
According to the Nestorian Monument, from Tang Taizong to Tang Dezong period when the stele was erected, almost all the supreme rulers except Wu Zetian expressed their favor for Nestorianism.
Under the idea of "inclusiveness and tolerance", Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism from Persia, and Nestorianism from Syria were able to spread in Tang soil.
In order to develop in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Nestorianism needed not only the permission and funding of the imperial court, but also the recognition and support of the local people, so it attached great importance to "localization".
For example, when determining the name of the church, because "Jing" has the meaning of "light" and "brightness", the religion was named "Jingjiao", which is a "bright and splendid religion", and its ancestor was called "Jingzun". It is "Jingmen", the church is "Jingsi" and so on.
Nestorianism also borrowed Buddhist and Taoist terms and combined them with Confucian ethics to promote charity relief and medical diagnosis.
More than 60 years after the Nestorian Stele was engraved, Buddhism encountered an unprecedented "Huichang Fa Difficulty".
Affected by this, Nestorianism was also severely damaged, and the Nestorian Monument was lost to oblivion.
Nearly 800 years later, the Nestorian Monument was unearthed in or near Chongren Temple (Jinsheng Temple) in the west of Xi’an in the fifth year of Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty (there are also three years). The site should be the former site of Daqin Temple in Yiningfang, Chang’an City, Tang Dynasty.
Reporter from China News Service: It has been nearly 400 years since the "Nestorian Tablet" was unearthed. Why did an international knowledge "derived" from a stone tablet?
Jing Yali:
In the nearly 400 years since the Nestorian Tablet was unearthed, there have been countless related research results at home and abroad, and a long-lasting international knowledge has been "derived" from a single stone tablet.
Its research fields generally include two categories. One is to investigate the shape, calligraphy, authenticity and unearthed time and place of the stele according to the stele type.
The second is to interpret the connotation of the inscriptions from the perspectives of linguistics, theology, and religious history based on the inscriptions.
Rubbing of Tang Dynasty's Stele of the Popularity of Nestorianism in Great Qin Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
A variety of Nestorian documents found in the Dunhuang scripture cave indicate that there were still Nestorian activities in Dunhuang before the scripture cave was closed (about the first half of the 11th century).
The copper cross found in Cave B105 in the northern part of Mogao Grottoes is inferred to be a relic of the Nestorians of the Song Dynasty.
The spread of Nestorianism in the Yuan Dynasty was reflected in the writings of Westerners who came to China at that time. For example, when Marco Polo came to China, he still found that there were many Nestorians, and told him about his ancestors' belief in Nestorianism.
With the discovery and verification of new Nestorian relics, the research on Nestorianism has always been in the ascendant in academic circles at home and abroad.
Reporter from China News Service: Among the cultural relics of Xi'an Forest of Steles with inscriptions "like a forest", what other famous inscriptions have the "imprint" of cultural exchanges?
Jing Yali:
The Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum has thousands of stone cultural relics, among which "Bukong Monk Stele", "Dou Shilun's Epitaph" and "Wu Deying's Epitaph" all witnessed the "grand scene" of cultural exchanges between the East and the West in the Tang Dynasty.
The Stele of Monk Bukong in the Tang Dynasty is an inscription erected by disciples of Monk Bukong to recount the achievements of his predecessors. It mainly records the life story of Bukong and his succession.
Shi Bukong is a native of North India. He entered the Tang Dynasty since he was a child, and learned Tantric Buddhism from King Kong Zhi. He went to India and the Lion Kingdom to learn Buddhist scriptures, and brought a large number of Tantric classics back to Chang'an for translation.
Together with Kumarajiva, Xuanzang and Zhenyi, he is also known as the four major translators of Chinese Buddhism.
In the three dynasties of Xuanzong, Suzong and Daizong, he was regarded as the "National Master of Empowerment".
His disciple, Hui Guo, once taught Tantric Buddhism to the Japanese monk Kukai in Qinglong Temple, and Kukai passed it on to Japan after returning to China.
"Bukong Monk Monument" in Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Yuanshe
Rubbing of "Bukong Monk Stele" in Tang Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
Dou Shilun was a painter and craftsman in the Tang Dynasty. He was born in a prominent family in Guanlong.
The Dou family had marriages with the royal families of the Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang Dynasties, and had family traditions in craftsmanship.
Influenced by the blending of multiple cultures, Dou Shilun, combined with his profound family knowledge of craft ingenuity, created the "Lingyang Gongswatch" with the motifs of pheasant, fighting sheep, Xiangfeng, and wandering lin.
"Lingyang Gongyan" is the inheritance and innovation of the Sassanian-style bead ring pattern. The pattern is decorated with a ring, and the single-layer bead ring has developed into a double-layer composite bead ring.
While selecting traditional Chinese animals such as dragons and phoenixes, the theme pattern also absorbs common auspicious birds and beasts in overseas fabrics, such as lions, elephants, peacocks, etc., as well as a variety of imaginative winged beasts.
This style of brocade patterns had a profound influence on the brocade patterns of the Tang Dynasty and surrounding countries, and is a historical witness of the exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations along the Silk Road.
A rubbing copy of Dou Shilun's Epitaph in Tang Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
Rubbing of "Dou Shilun Epitaph" in Tang Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
Wu Deying was born in a family of eunuchs. In the seventh year of Tang Dazhong, he supervised the Lingnan Jiedu soldiers and horses and also served as a city ship envoy.
The "Market Envoy" he serves is in charge of the affairs of foreign ships, inspecting ships entering and leaving the harbor, and managing foreign businessmen.
Guangzhou is the political and economic center of Lingnan. Since Tang Dazhong at the latest, it has become a common practice to supervise the army and lead the city ship envoys. The city ship envoys have changed from temporary dispatches to permanent envoys with a fixed term, and their candidates have gradually changed from court officials to emperors. The retainers and eunuchs around him.
This not only shows that the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to Lingnan trade, but also proves from the side that Lingnan trade in the Tang Dynasty played a pivotal role in China's overseas trade, reflecting the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road at that time.
A rubbing copy of "Wu Defang's Epitaph" in Tang Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
Rubbing of "Wu Defang's Epitaph" in Tang Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum
Reporter from China News Service: The inscriptions and cultural relics of Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum involve many ancient Chinese calligraphers. How does the museum use calligraphy as a "medium" to promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries?
Jing Yali:
The source of Xi'an Forest of Steles can be traced back to the end of Tang Dynasty and the five dynasties' review of "Kaicheng Stone Classic" And the first migration of the stele of "Shitai Xiaojing" was finally formed in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the second year of Yuanyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1087 A.D.), it was moved to the present site, which has a history of more than 900 years.
It is a thematic museum mainly focusing on ancient inscriptions and stone inscriptions. It has collected thousands of cultural relics such as steles, epitaphs, stone carvings and religious statues from the Han Dynasty to the Republic of China. It is known as the stone library of Confucian classics. A rich archive of historical materials and an intuitive history of the development of Chinese characters.
Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum.
Zhang Yuanshe
Xi'an Forest of Steles occupies a high position in the history of Chinese culture with its precious calligraphy inscriptions, and is a temple of calligraphy art well-known both at home and abroad.
The Tang Dynasty calligraphers Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Ouyang Tong, Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Zhang Xu, Huai Su, etc. all have their works exhibited in the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, and the "Five Chinese Characters" are treasures in the Xi'an Forest of Steles.
Since the 20th century, the Xi'an Forest of Steles Calligraphy Hall, as an important platform for Shaanxi's foreign cultural exchanges, has become a window for foreign friends to appreciate the essence and artistic charm of Chinese calligraphy.
(over)
Respondent profile:
Jing Yali, a second-level researcher at the Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, concurrently serves as a director of the Shaanxi Provincial Social Science Information Society, a director of the Xi'an Tang Dynasty Cultural History Society, a member of the Chinese Tang History Society, and a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Public Cultural Service System Expert Committee.
Presided over the national social science project and six Xi'an social science projects, mainly engaged in the research of ancient philology and inscriptions.