Tang Dynasty Crossing Guide: Chang'an and People's Life Manual

Chapter 31 Attention comrades who intend to enter the political world (4)
He is a mixed race of Hu people and Turkic people. Six years later, he led the absolute main force of the Tang border guards to attack the Central Plains, captured Luoyang, and went straight to Chang'an.Many of your children and grandchildren are still brave and brave, and signed up to join the army to punish the rebels, but when they opened the arsenal, they found that after a hundred years of peace, the longbows were broken, the arrow feathers were tangled, the blades were rusted, and the barrels of the guns were rotten; I have only seen beasts in traps, fights in the market, facing thousands of troops charging with drums, their legs were weak, they threw away their swords and guns, sat on the ground and cried, and let the frontier elite riders swing their knives and cut off their heads.

The city of Chang'an was destroyed, and Tang Jun died.

You sigh in the distant time and space, watching the fate of those forces that were enemies with Tang Jun.The Anshi Rebellion was pacified in eight years, and the family of the thieves was wiped out; the Turkic ups and downs, and its name finally disappeared in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong; The situation has changed for 300 years, and Li Tang, whom you are loyal to, is struggling to survive, and finally witnessed the foreign enemies being buried one by one in the trash can of history.

The last gleam of the Tang Empire also dissipated in the singing of camel bells.The sunset in the Western Regions, the river flowing eastward, the bucket handle pointing south, there are no more Han riding across the wilderness and desert, and the legend of searching for a prince for thousands of miles is only engraved in the history of historians.

① A drink between drugs and drinks, similar to today's health drinks.

② It is an old custom to bathe a baby on the third day after its birth.

References & in-depth understanding recommendations for this article:
Wang Yongxing. A Brief Discussion on the Military History of the Early Tang Dynasty. Beijing: Kunlun Publishing House, 2003
"Phoenix Man" Abe Nakamitsu's journey of studying abroad
Overseas students in Tang Dynasty

An exclusive news that caused a sensation throughout Japan.

In the third year of Emperor Renming's Chenghe (836), the imperial court issued an imperial edict to posthumously present a deceased "envoy to the Tang Dynasty" as two high-ranking officials. The edict said:

Therefore, the foreign students presented it to Zhongman, a courtier of the second grade Abe, who has been involved in the whales, and his career has become a rare one.There is only the chapter of breaking the sky, and the sound of the long pass.Pursue Ben Youyang, not only in the previous order, but also in the Chongban, so as to give the order.

The reason why this "Abe Nakamitsu" can be honored and mourned by Japan is not because he was born in a noble family, nor is it because the Abe family is closely related to the Fujiwara family of the first minister in Japan, nor is it even because he "was involved in "Jing Bo" successfully crossed the sea, and truly fulfilled the duty of a glorious envoy to Tang Dynasty.

The reason why he was highly valued and frantically sought after by the ruling and opposition parties was his astonishing achievements in the Tang Dynasty of "becoming a rarity in his career, learning from the sea and rising in the sea, and being promoted".

He is one of the very few high-achieving students who have passed the Jinshi exam among a large number of overseas students who went to the Tang Dynasty to study in the Imperial College.Jinshi is the most advanced subject in the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty. Among thousands of people who take the examination each time, only 30 to [-] people can pass the examination. Even local students in the Tang Dynasty have difficulty in being admitted. A foreign student Wanting to be a Jinshi is something that experts in study abroad guides lament as "difficult to reach the sky".

Not only that, but he also successively served in important positions in the court of the Tang Dynasty, such as Menxia Buque①, Wei Wei Shaoqing②, Secretary Supervisor③, Sanqi Changshi④, Annan Duhu⑤ and so on.He has deep friendship with the great poets of Tang Dynasty Li Bai, Wang Wei, He Zhizhang, etc. Even the "Tian Khan" Emperor of Tang Dynasty once wrote poems for him, what a supreme honor!

Abe Zhongman is also called "Abe Zhongma Lu", and his Chinese name is "Chao Heng".Although he left Japan at the age of 19, and never returned to his hometown until he died of illness in Chang'an at the age of 72, his deeds still spread throughout Japan and caused a sensation.

Ten years after Emperor Guangren treasured the tortoise, the Japanese emperor granted Chao Heng's family [-] horses of Dongbai and [-] tun of Baimian as condolences. ⑥
In the 22nd year of Yanli, Chao Heng was posthumously presented as a second-rank minister.

In the third year of Chenghe, the Japanese emperor added his gift from the second official to the second grade. ⑦
After returning from his studies, his companion Kibi Mabe, who was sent to the Tang Dynasty, created Katakana in Japanese.

With the efforts of Chao Heng, Master Jianzhen, an eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty, traveled to Japan to the east, and introduced the profound meaning of Buddhism to Haidong...

Numerous teachers in Japanese aristocratic schools spontaneously recommended Chao Heng’s deeds to students in the classroom; those parents who hoped that their children would become dragons and daughters would become phoenixes were even more excited and envious, all eager to train their children to be the second and third. Chao Heng...

The company will help you time travel to become a Japanese aristocratic man who has a close relationship with Chao Heng and studied in the Tang Dynasty together. Through personal experience, you will have a zero-distance understanding of "Phoenix Man" Abe Nakamitsu's overseas study journey.

When you woke up successfully through time travel, you found that you were in a shrine that should be luxurious and noble in theory, but it was quite simple from the perspective of modern people or Tang Dynasty people at that time.

This is the fifth year of Kaiyuan (717) of the Tang Dynasty, the first year of the Japanese pension.Dozens of people knelt down and danced piously in front of the Sumiyoshi God. You should be able to understand it after spending a little time patiently. This is before the mission to the Tang Dynasty departs. .

Is jumping god useful?It should be said that it is basically useless.

When Japan first sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, they usually took the northern line, boarded a boat in Namba (today's Osaka), passed through the Seto Inland Sea, departed from Hakata (today's Fukuoka), traveled northward along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, and then along the Liaodong Peninsula Go westward from the south bank, cross the Bohai Sea, land on the Shandong Peninsula, and then go west to Luoyang and Chang'an by land.Most of this route is along the coast, which is safer and there are fewer shipwrecks.

But later, Japan and Silla (the ancestor of today's Korea) on the peninsula began to fight, and it was not safe to take the northern route, so they took the Nandao Road, that is, went south from Kyushu, along the southern Tanegashima, Yakushima, and Amami Islands to the south. It straddles the East China Sea in the northwest, lands at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and then goes north by the canal.This route mainly sails in the vast East China Sea, and it is difficult to reach the shore, and the risk is relatively high.Since changing this route, apart from a miraculous safe return, none of the other repatriation regiments sank the ship and survived the death.

But you don't have to worry, just follow the handsome and gentle brother next to you and share his aura of the protagonist.This little brother is Abe Nakamaro, and he is not called Chao Heng at this time.

Both of you are overseas students. In this group of 500 people, there are more than a dozen young nobles with the same status as you.500 people are divided into four large ships. On the ship, your status is a little higher than most people, such as navigating personnel such as Zhicheng, ship master, ship builder, helmsman, boatswain, sailor; Shi Sheng①, archer , Sheng Sheng ②, Miscellaneous Envoys, Yu Sheng ③, Forging Students, Casting Students, Fine Workers and other miscellaneous workers are theoretically serving you.In addition, professionals such as Yiyu, main gods (priests), physicians, onmyojis, painters, divination ④, and long voices ⑤ on the ship are not as high-status as you.

However, there are officials of the fourth and fifth ranks who really command and manage these four to five hundred people, and they are the ones who hold the power of life and death at sea.

The highest commander of this regiment is called the county magistrate of Dojibi, and he will go to the palace in a while to receive the sword from the emperor.The festival knife means that he was ordered by the Japanese emperor to manage the mission to Tang Dynasty. Anyone below the deputy envoy can use this knife to hack and kill at will without paying for his life.

① An admonisher responsible for advising the emperor.

② Deputy Director of the Royal Guard of Honor Administration.

③Director of the National Library
④ Deputy Chief of Menxia Province.

⑤He was the chief executive stationed in present-day Vietnam by the Tang Dynasty.

⑥From "Continued Japanese Chronicle" Baogui Ten Years (779) May Bingyin Article.

⑦From the "History of Japan" Volume [-].

The subordinate of the envoy is the ambassador, and your ambassador is called Daban Shanmoru.The next level is the deputy envoy, named Fujiwara Mayo.Then there are judges, recorders⑥ and other administrative and diplomatic officials below, who can give orders on the ship.As for you international students, it is better to be obedient.

You have paid homage to ghosts and gods, and the king (the Emperor of Japan also ordered a few words, "You should be respectful and respectful after you arrive in the Tang Dynasty, and don't be disgusted by others"). You and Abe Nakamaro received the tuition and living expenses issued by the imperial court. , each with forty horses, one hundred cottons, and eighty duancloths.The servants you take with you will each receive a small living allowance.

Four or five hundred people boarded a boat and went south from Kyushu. It took about 30 days or even longer to sail to mainland China.Typhoons, tsunamis, huge waves, and shipwrecks are almost certain to be encountered on the way... You just need to hold on to Abe and use him as a lifebuoy.

After finally drifting ashore, you gather all survivors and nod your heads.Not bad, all the main officials are here.Those water craftsmen don't need to go to Beijing, they stay in the local area and wait, and the county magistrate of Duojibi will lead the administrative officials and you overseas students to report to the local government first.

At this time, you began to feel the gap between you and Abe Nakamaro—his Tang dialect, that is, Middle Ancient Chinese, is very good, and he can be used as a translator.As for you, although you have also learned the compulsory course Tang Yan when you competed for international students, you can only speak dumb Chinese, and you can speak in writing, but you can speak miso when you open your mouth, and you were laughed to death.

Fortunately, in addition to the foreign students who can learn Chinese, there are also special translators in the mission, many of whom are from Silla. They have served as language translators between the Haidong countries and the Tang Dynasty for a long time, and they also know the way.After meeting the officials of the Tang Dynasty, the head of your regiment opened his mouth and said: "I have an edict from the Emperor of Japan..." After hearing this, the Silla translators relayed it to the Tang people, and it became: "The vassal king of the Japanese kingdom in the East China Sea went to the Celestial Dynasty ..."

As long as you Chinese-speaking international students keep silent, both parties will be happy.Exchanging certificates and exchanging gifts, the local government issued a "public inspection" to you, indicating that the dozens of people in this group were missions who floated to the local shore, and their identities have been verified, and they are not fugitive slaves and traitors from the mainland. There is no need to stay in trouble to meet the emperor and guard the checkpoints when crossing the road.

After you have taken this document, you can go on your way to Chang'an.At the same time, the local government will also send messengers to report to Chang'an by post and ride, and the Japanese mission to Tang Dynasty is here again!
After the Chang'an court received the report, it usually ordered the government along the way to take care of the mission, so that they would not let them cross the ocean and land, but starve to death on the way to Chang'an.After the envoys from the Tang Dynasty arrived in Chang'an, the envoys of the Tang court led horses out to greet them, and offered wine and meat to comfort them. Afterwards, the envoys got on the horses and were led into the capital by the envoys.Then the Tang envoys were sent to present the tribute, and the Emperor Tang issued an edict to reward them. He received the Japanese envoys, gave a banquet in the inner hall, and conferred titles on the envoys.

This is the activity of those envoys and ambassadors. International students like you and Abe Nakamaro are not treated so well.When you entered Beijing, you explained the purpose of studying in the Tang Dynasty to the Honglu Temple who was in charge of the reception. The officials of the Honglu Temple immediately got into trouble and told you, stroking their beards, that this will have to wait. They will go to the Imperial College to ask if there is any student vacancies. .

The Central University of the Tang Dynasty, Guozijian, had six branches, namely Guozixue, Taixue, Simenxue, Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics.

Among them, Simenxue, Taixue, and Guozixue mainly study Confucian classics. The relationship between these three colleges can be roughly understood as undergraduate, master, and doctorate.Simen School recruits descendants of low-level officials and outstanding folk talents, with a maximum of 300 students; Taixue recruits descendants of officials with a fifth rank and above, with a maximum of 500 students; Guozi School recruits descendants of officials with a rank of three or above, with a maximum of 300 students .

Students from these three colleges have to take ten-day exams, monthly exams, quarterly exams, annual exams and graduation exams.For those who have excellent grades in the graduation exam and are willing to continue studying, four-subject students can be upgraded to Tai students, Tai students can be upgraded to Guozi students, and Guozi students can... No promotion, Guozixue will let you eat for nine years at most Fan, after nine years, I will kick you to take the imperial examination, and if you fail the exam, you will be kicked back to your hometown and starved to death.

As for the other three colleges, they all put more emphasis on vocational skills education.The law school is for cultivating legal talents. Calligraphy teaches calligraphy and Mandarin, and arithmetic teaches you to learn mathematics and economics. These were looked down upon by serious scholars at the time, and most international students would not go to these three schools. So I won't go into details.

As an international student, he received certain preferential treatment in the Tang Dynasty, that is, he could directly enter the Taixue to study without having to go through the level of the Four Schools.But, of course, the premise is that you have to pass the inspection and audit by the Honglu Temple, the Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial College, and think that your level is enough to directly enroll in the lectures.Otherwise, foreign devils who can't even understand Tang Yan, squat down and listen to old masters shaking their heads and reciting scriptures. Isn't that a waste of national educational resources?
① A low-level official in the institution of the Japanese "Taizhengguan" (equivalent to the Shangshu Province of the Tang Dynasty).

②Musician.

③ Jade workers.

④Professionals responsible for divination and fortune-telling.

⑤ Musician leader.

⑥ Send low-level officials in the Tang mission.

One year, 210 six international students came to Silla country at a time, and only seven of them got the admission notice, and the remaining 200 were all sent back to their home countries; there was another time when [-] students came from Bohai country, and they just went to Shandong. Ten people were kicked back.Is it easy for you to get into the highest university in the world?

Why is quota control so strict?Because once you are admitted to school, the Imperial College will allocate free dormitory for you, provide free food every day, and only charge a small symbolic tuition fee (it was called "Shuxiu" at the time).Students who enter Guozixue and Taixue pay three bolts of silk each, and students who enter four schools pay two bolts of silk. Non-official children also have a reduction policy for poor students. Just pay one bolt of silk just like the students of the three vocational colleges.You have to raise funds to gather some wine and meat to treat the teachers to dinner. After that, you can live and eat in the Imperial College for as short as six years, as long as nine years, or even longer.It’s okay to cook more meals in the cafeteria. The main reason is that the capacity of the dormitory is limited. A group of students must move out after graduation to free up beds before recruiting new students, so the number of students must be stuck.

You and Abe are very lucky. There are still a lot of vacancies in Taixue this time, so the written test and interview are relatively loose. The main questions are about family background, inspecting the foundation of Sinology and character and etiquette. Seeing that you two are sincere , with better cultural literacy, it’s all over.The staff took the two of you to go through the admission procedures and assigned dormitories. You moved your luggage out of the Sifang Pavilion and moved into Taixue, and thus became a glorious student of the Tang Dynasty Taixue.

At the same time, you also broke up with other members of the mission to Tang Dynasty.The ambassadors usually stay in Chang'an and the mainland for about a year. They can visit and buy books and shop everywhere, so as to fully appreciate the customs and customs of the Tang Dynasty.Before sending Tang envoys back to the country, there is a farewell ceremony as usual, with a banquet and drinks, presenting gifts, and cherishing farewell.

For the remaining Tai students, let’s get to know your principal and teachers first.

The president of your university, whose official name is "Guozijian Jijiu", is a high-ranking official from the third rank.He also has administrative personnel such as Si Ye, Cheng, and Zhu Bu of the Imperial College under him.As for the university teachers who teach you, there are various titles such as doctorate, teaching assistant, and direct lecturer. A teacher can lead [-] to [-] students.The higher the college level, the fewer students the teacher leads.

During your nine-year study at Taixue, the main textbook content is the "Nine Classics" of Confucianism, which are divided into the Great Classics, the Middle Classics, and the Small Classics according to the number of words, and are also divided into compulsory courses, elective courses, and professional courses.

The great classics are "Book of Rites" and "Chunqiu Zuozhuan"; the middle classics are "Book of Songs", "Zhouli" and "Rituals";Students can choose the corresponding Confucian classics to study according to the regulations. The standards include "two classics" (one major classic, one small classic or two middle school classics), "three classics" (one major, one small, one classic each) and "five classics" (big classic and one small classic). "Book of Songs", "Book of Changes", "Shangshu") and other levels. "Book of Filial Piety" and "The Analects of Confucius" are public compulsory subjects.The length of study is also stipulated for each scripture: "Book of Filial Piety", "The Analects of Confucius" and "Analects" are a total of one year; "Li" is two years each; "Book of Rites" and "Zuo Zhuan" are each three years.

In addition to these Confucian classics, if you want to sit in on the courses of Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematical Sciences, it is also allowed.One of your classmates named Kibi Makoto spent a lot of time and energy on jurisprudence and calligraphy. Later, he returned to China and created Japanese law and katakana.

As for Abe Nakamaro, you noticed that besides studying Confucian classics hard, he also likes to participate in public questioning activities.

①Guozijian Jijiu, the principal of the highest central institution in the Tang Dynasty.

The teaching methods of Taixue in the Tang Dynasty mainly included lectures, questions, and reading.Lectures and readings are taught by teachers and students, and questions are a bit like debates. Many teachers and students express their opinions on a topic and debate repeatedly.If the person participating in the quiz has good manners, good eloquence, and excellent knowledge, he will often attract a large number of onlookers, and his reputation will spread quickly.

(End of this chapter)