Chapter 24 4. Cultural aircraft carrier

Abe Nakamaro is going back to Japan. Abe Nakamaro, whose Chinese name is Chao Heng, came to Datang as a foreign student in the fourth year of Kaiyuan (716).At that time, he was nineteen years old, and he was accompanied by Jibei Zhenbei and the learned monk Xuanfang, both of whom were chosen at the moment.Abe Nakamaro, who entered the Imperial College to study, lived up to high expectations, and passed the Jinshi examination with excellent results. Now, we know at least three foreign scholars, namely Abe Nakamaro from Japan, Zhiyuan Cui from Silla, and Li Yansheng from Arab. The information here is worth pondering.

As mentioned earlier, the most difficult imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty was Jinshi.Because other subjects, such as Mingfa and Mingshu, select professional and technical personnel.The establishment of the Jinshi Department is to serve as a talent reserve for senior officials and politicians of the empire, so it does not assess professional skills, and has higher requirements for basic quality and comprehensive ability. So, what is Jinshi science examination? Sutra postings, essays, current affairs policies.Pasting scriptures is to select some passages from Confucian classics to fill in the blanks, essays are to write poems and parallel essays, and current affairs policy is to discuss current policy countermeasures.The first test is basic knowledge, the second is a talent show, and the third is equivalent to a dissertation.With such a comprehensive assessment, it is no wonder that it is not easy to pass the exam.

For foreigners, it is even more difficult. Abe Nakamaro succeeded in one fell swoop.After that, he stayed in Chang'an and became an official of Datang, where he lived for decades.In the twelfth year of Tianbao (753), Zhong Malu, who was homesick, was appointed by Emperor Xuanzong as the envoy of the Tang Dynasty to Japan. When the news came out, the ruling and opposition parties were reluctant to part, and Wang Wei and others, who were famous for a while, wrote poems to bid farewell.Abe Nakamaro wrote the famous "Return to the Country by Order" and gave it to Chinese friends-a sword in his life, and left it as a gift to his friends.

What is this indicating? Abe Nakamaro has been integrated into Datang. In the Tang Dynasty, there are many foreigners like Zhong Malu, and the reasons for their integration are also varied.For example, after the Sasanian Dynasty was destroyed by the Arab Empire, the exiled Persian royal family could not restore their country, so they had to die in Chang'an.But more people don't want to leave after they come, such as those envoys who are Lai at the Honglusi State Guesthouse.The problem is, not all foreigners are taken care of by the Tang Empire, so what attracts others? Wealth, opportunity, institutions, culture.

Of course, profit-seeking businessmen come for huge wealth, or opportunities to make money.This is actually thanks to Emperor Sui Yang.Due to the opening of the Grand Canal, the two Silk Roads, land and sea, were basically connected.Business travelers landed at Guangzhou Port, entered Hongzhou via Meiling, and then entered the Qiantang River eastward. They could travel smoothly from Hangzhou to Yangzhou, Luoyang, and to Chang'an, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road. As the capital of the world, Chang'an is a big market for international trade.Here, the imperial government set up the Municipal Bureau and the Municipal Bureau, which were responsible for business management and standard measurement, and were also responsible for stabilizing prices.The policy of small profits but quick turnover has stimulated consumption, and stable and low prices have made Hu merchants from afar profitable.As a result, foreign capital groups dominated by Sogdians, Persians and Arabs formed naturally.

Hu people's business groups are very professional, and even manipulate and monopolize some businesses.Once, a certain temple got a treasure donated by the benefactor after finishing the dojo, which was about several inches long and shaped like a rotten nail.The monk didn't know the goods, so he took them to Xishi and asked Hu merchants to appraise them.Hu Shang only glanced at it, and immediately said: Where did it come from?Make an offer! The monk decided that the lion would open his mouth and ask for a price of 100,000. Hu Shang laughed out loud.It wasn't until the monk raised the price to 500,000 that Hu Shang said unhurriedly: Let me tell you, this is worth 10 million.

Only after the transaction was made did the monk know that it was a Buddha bone. The authenticity of this matter is unknown, but Hu Shang's long-sleeved skills are beyond doubt.In their eyes, Datang, which is open to the outside world, is simply heaven.That's right, Chang'an is a cornucopia, and Yangzhou is a gold-selling cave. Of course, they are happy to leave. However, if you look at it this way, you are just a businessman. What more people value is the opportunity to make contributions.Before the Anshi Rebellion, as a world empire, the Tang Dynasty was filled with an atmosphere of heroism and pioneering spirit; as a mixed dynasty, they opened their doors to all talents regardless of race.Therefore, the ministers included Kayeji from Tianzhu, the famous generals included Gao Xianzhi from Goguryeo, and the diplomats included Li Miyi from Persia.

The system established by the Sui and Tang Dynasties was also a magnet because it was the most advanced in the world at that time.As a result, these systems were transplanted to Japan.Even the appearance of Chang'an City was moved to Nara almost intact. What is more attractive is culture. What is culture?Culture is a way of life, and Tang people's life is full of fun and poetry, and they advocate knowledge, wisdom and talent.If a person is talented and suave, he will have many fans. There is a story that illustrates the problem very well. One day during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, poets Gao Shi, Wang Changling and Wang Zhihuan were having a drink in a restaurant and met several singers of the Royal Orchestra.It was winter, and there were slight snowflakes in the sky.The three poets evaded to listen to the songs by the stove outside, and agreed at the same time to determine their ranking in the poetry world by the number of poems sung by the singers.

However, the singing is either Wang Changling's or Gao Shi's.Wang Zhihuan began to lose his composure.He pointed to the best one among the singers and said: If she doesn't sing my poems later, she won't compete with you in her life. The most beautiful one finally spoke up: the Yellow River is far above the white clouds, an isolated city of Wanren Mountain.Why bamboo flute complain willow, spring is not degree Pass.This song, which was sung directly and resoundingly, was recognized as the most exciting. The poet and the singing girl got acquainted and spent a day happily. The authenticity of this matter is also impossible to test, but the atmosphere reflected is very reliable.In fact, due to the imperial love of this way and the promotion of imperial examinations, poetry has become a way of life and communication, a trend and fashion in the Tang Dynasty, as well as a status symbol of the upper class and a common upbringing of the ruling class.It's no wonder that Du Mu can feel like a duck to water in Yangzhou's brothel.You know, he is not wealthy.

This eloquently proves the high degree of civilization of Datang.Because only in highly civilized countries can poets have such a lofty status, so many people write poems, and there are many talented people.Behind the star-studded celebrities, there should be a larger number of authors and readers. Was Abe Nakamaro attracted by this atmosphere? Maybe, maybe. What is known for sure is that every time Tang envoys were sent to China, they would collect a large number of Tang poems and bring them back to Japan, and reciting poems and composing Fu has also become a compulsory homework for the Japanese royal family and dignitaries.Emperor Saga of the Heian Dynasty, who was at the same time as Tang Xianzong and Tang Muzong, even wrote poems that were not inferior to those of the Tang Dynasty: the spring dawn on the cold river is clear, and the flowers on both sides of the river fly to the night to be brighter.Sea bass roti, water shield vegetable soup, after the meal, singing and walking with the moon.

Not to mention sculpture, painting, calligraphy, music and dance. This is also an area that cannot be counted, and perhaps only two points need to be emphasized.The first is that as a unique art style in China, calligraphy is also very popular in Japan and Silla.Emperor Saga of Japan, Master Kukai and Cui Zhiyuan of Silla all have famous works handed down from generation to generation.The second is the Tang Dynasty music and dance spread to Japan and Tianzhu, which was deeply influenced by the culture of the Western Regions.In fact, music and dance from the Western Regions has already overwhelmed Chinese music and dance in Chang'an, and Hu Xuanwu and Zhezhi Dance (read like this) are more popular among the upper class.The waist is soft and the sweat is drenched in rain, and the music and dance of the Western Regions are simply charming. If you have charm, you will have the ability to spread, and if you have the ability to spread, you will have vitality. Datang just built such a platform for communication and dissemination, the needs to be met are two-way, and the benefits are also two-way.Foreign culture opened the eyes of Tang people and enriched their hearts, while Tang system and Tang culture enlightened the minds of other nations.As a result, Datang became a huge cultural aircraft carrier, from which envoys, businessmen, monks and overseas students from various countries and nationalities took off and spread the splendid Chinese civilization to East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, Western Europe and North Africa. A worldwide empire was thus born.

---

Notes: , Jian Bozan's "Outline of Chinese History", Wang Zhongluo's "History of the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties", and Kigaze Yasuki's "The Splendid World Empire: Sui and Tang Dynasties".