How did the Tang Dynasty govern the Western Regions?

The Western Regions later evolved into the western regions of China, so Qinghai and Tibet also belonged to the Western Regions. So how did the Tang Dynasty govern the Western Regions? Let's have a look!

How did the Tang Dynasty govern the Western Regions?

Anxi Duhufu and Anxi Dadufu were the names of a military and political organization in the Tang Dynasty, which governed the four towns of Anxi. The largest jurisdiction once included the north and south of Tianshan Mountain, all the way to Dabie Mountain west of Qinling Mountain. After the separation of the northern dynasties, Anxi Dufu was in charge of the western regions south of Tianshan Mountain.

Reasonable placement of the former rulers of the western regions

Retained the political status of the former rulers of the western regions and Central Asian countries, appointed the former commander-in-chief or king as commander-in-chief and governor, and awarded the titles of corps commander, general, duke and king. Tribes and countries are required to pay tribute regularly and send their sons to serve. The succession of their kings, khans and chiefs may change and must be canonized and recognized by the Tang government. They exercised their functions and powers as officials appointed by the Tang government, and some tribal leaders were paid a fixed salary by the Tang government.

Strengthen currency control

In the monetary system, all parts of the western regions followed the monetary law of the Tang Dynasty to cast money for circulation, and the western Turkic currency combining Turkic and Chinese was unearthed on the north bank of Lake Issyk.

Strengthen military configuration

In order to consolidate and strengthen the rule of the western regions, a set of systems has also been established in military facilities. In all the important areas and traffic arteries under the jurisdiction of Anxi and Beiting, there are military units such as army, town, garrison, beacon tower and beacon tower, which are distributed in the north and south of Tianshan Mountain. "The army is 10,000, the small army is 1,000, and Wan Li is one after another." People of all ethnic groups must hold "passports" issued by the government and the state.

Where was the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty? In a narrow sense, the western region refers to the west of Yumenguan and Yangguan, and the jungle refers to the east of Pamirs, the east and south of Balkhash Lake and the vast area of Xinjiang. The western regions in a broad sense refer to all the regions that can be reached in a narrow sense, including Central Asia and West Asia.

Tang Priest Xuanzang and the Real Journey to the West

The most famous monk who went west to seek the Dharma and left a record of learning the scriptures was Xuanzang in the early Tang Dynasty. The Journey to the West, a novel based on his The Journey to the West, made Xuanzang (Tang Priest and Tang Sanzang) well known to all women and children. Contemporary Indian historians point out that it is impossible to reconstruct and study the history of India in the Middle Ages without the biography of Datang to the Western Regions, which records Xuanzang's westward journey.

Unlike Faxian, Xuanzang went by land and returned by sea. He traveled to and from the western regions. Emperor Taizong went west in the third year of Zhenguan (629) and returned east in the eighteenth year of Zhenguan (644). Passing through Loulan/Shanshan's hometown was his last trip to the Western Regions.