Shi Yuntao

Shi Yuntao is a second-level professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Chinese， Beijing Foreign Studies University， and an Evergreen Scholar of Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is a director of the Chinese Tang History Society and the China Overseas Transportation History Research Association， deputy director of the Silk Road Professional Committee of the China Dunhuang and Turpan Society， and an academic member of the Tang Poetry Road Research Association of the Chinese Tang Dynasty Literature Society. He is engaged in the research of Han and Tang history and literature， the Silk Road and the history of Sino-foreign relations.

The Silk Road is a road of great significance to promote the progress of human civilization. The poems， prose， novels， and variant texts of the Han and Tang dynasties all have rich Silk Road connotations， reflecting the transportation conditions， natural features， historical changes， and Sino-foreign exchanges of the Silk Road. The economic and trade activities of the Silk Road and the achievements of foreign civilizations have become literary images， which have stimulated people’s interest and inspiration in creation， and injected fresh blood and strong impetus into literature.

The Relationship Between the Silk Road and Literature in the Han and Tang Dynasties

Shi Yuntao

Social Science Academic Press (China)

April 2024

128.80 (CNY)

Since the concept of the “Silk Road” was proposed， the study of the Silk Road has enjoyed a scholarly history of over a hundred years， yielding rich results as a global subject. In this field， many renowned scholars have emerged both domestically and internationally， with the Silk Road fostering numerous outstanding and even master-level scholars. In recent years， due to the inclusion of “Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor” in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the advocacy of the Belt and Road Initiative by President Xi Jinping， the study of the Silk Road has garnered widespread attention， leading to an unprecedented research boom. A previously obscure field has quickly become a hot topic， with research that was once mainly focused on history and archaeology now attracting talents from various fields and disciplines， all establishing connections with the Silk Road and engaging in its study. Against this backdrop， a long-neglected topic has surfaced， with the relationship between the Silk Road and literature becoming a focal point and a new growth area in academic research.

The relationship between the Silk Road and literature is not artificially imposed but naturally formed. Originally， there was no such road; it was formed by people traveling along it. The Silk Road， the most significant route promoting human civilization， was also created by people traveling. Literature is an image reflection and emotional projection of human social life， and its development and changes are barometers of social and historical developments. Literature aesthetically represents human social history. With the existence of the Silk Road， there came literature reflecting it. Although the term “Silk Road” did not exist back then， this road of economic trade， cultural exchange， East-West dialogue， and civilizational interaction had long become a subject of literary expression. Its transportation conditions， natural scenery， historical changes， economic trade activities， and cultural exchanges inspired people’s creative interests and imagination， injecting fresh blood and strong motivation into literature. The impact it had on literature， in terms of depth and breadth， is likely unparalleled. Chinese literature has deep cultural connotations of the Silk Road， and the countries along the Silk Road have produced literature related to its culture， the extent of which has yet to be fully evaluated.

Among scholars studying the Silk Road and the history of foreign relations， many have noticed literary materials. Chen Yinque used the method of mutual verification between poetry and history to study the poetry school of Yuan and Bai， and some of his textual research in Manuscript of the Investigation of Yuan and Bai’s Notes and Commentary on Poetry involves the Silk Road and cultural exchanges， such as his research on the poem Yinshan Road， which involves the silk and horse trade between the Tang Dynasty and the Uighurs. American sinologist Edward Schafer’s The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tang Exotics， Japanese scholar Ishida Mizumaro’s Spring of Chang’an， and Xiang Da’s Chang’an of the Tang Dynasty and Western Region Civilization all use Tang poetry to examine foreign products， Hu people， and Hu people’s music and dance. Yan Gengwang’s Tang Dynasty Transportation Maps also uses Tang poetry to study the postal road network of the Tang Dynasty. They have all achieved gratifying results， but systematic research on the relationship between the Silk Road and literature is a recent development. Zhang Qingli， a reporter for the Chinese Social Sciences Today， published an article on March 14， 2018， titled The Literary Landscape of the Silk Road Becomes an Academic Focus， stating: “The Silk Road， as an important route for East-West exchanges in ancient history， played a significant role in trade and cultural exchanges. Various transportation activities and the rich local customs along the way were presented in contemporary literary works， forming a unique ‘Silk Road’ literary landscape. What kind of realm did the Silk Road bring to ancient Chinese literature? What scenes can be glimpsed from the literary landscape of the Silk Road? With the rise of humanistic research on the Belt and Road in recent years， the Silk Road in the literary landscape has attracted the attention of many literary researchers.” In this article， the author specifically mentions: “In recent years， the study of Silk Road literature has received strong support from the state. For example， Shi Yuntao’s 2017 National Social Science Fund’s later-stage funding project ‘The Changes of the Silk Road Witnessed by Tang Poetry’; Qiu Jiangning’s major project ‘13-14 Century ‘Silk Road’ Travel Literature Collection and Research’ funded by the National Social Science Fund.” In recent years， researchers have not only received national and provincial-level humanities and social science project approvals for research on the relationship between the Silk Road and literature but have also successfully published and released several influential academic works. But this is just the beginning; there is still much to be done in the study of the relationship between the Silk Road and literature.

Silk Road literature is distinct from the study of the relationship between the Silk Road and literature. Silk Road literature refers to poems， essays， travel notes， customs records， and miscellaneous accounts produced by travels on the Silk Road， as well as novels and dramas reflecting the content of the Silk Road. The study of the relationship between the Silk Road and literature is an academic activity focused on examining this relationship. Silk Road literature is the object of study in the research on the relationship between the Silk Road and literature. To engage in this research， one must first understand the history of the Silk Road’s development and then comprehend the literature imbued with Silk Road connotations. This allows for interdisciplinary， cross-cultural， transnational， and cross-linguistic research on the Silk Road and literature. No single country or scholar can dominate this field; like Silk Road research， it requires collaboration among scholars from different countries and various disciplines. From an academic perspective， the study of the relationship between the Silk Road and literature involves history， literature， archaeology， art， ethnology， religious studies， iconography， and geography， making it a vast undertaking that requires long-term effort. Our current research is only the beginning.

In recent years， I have attempted to study the relationship between the Silk Road and literature. My academic background is in Han-Tang history and literature， so my research is mostly limited to the relationship between the Silk Road and Han-Tang literature. However， even within this scope， my research is only preliminary and has not reached a deep level. This book is divided into four sections， covering several main aspects of the relationship between the Silk Road and literature: cultural exchange and various literary forms， Silk Road transportation and Tang poetry， cultural exchange and literary imagery， and foreign relations and literature. This book is not a systematic and complete study of the relationship between the Silk Road and Han-Tang literature; it is merely a thematic exploration of several specific issues. There are many immature understandings and numerous errors， and I hope to receive corrections from scholars to further promote in-depth research on the relationship between the Silk Road and literature.