Why did the Han and Tang Dynasties manage the Western Regions, while the Ming Dynasty managed the Northeast?

Because the capital of the Han and Tang Dynasties was Chang'an, and a lot of effort was spent on managing the Western Regions, and good results were achieved, so the Western Regions were mainly managed during the Han and Tang Dynasties. In the Ming Dynasty, sea routes were already very developed, so the direction of business in the Ming Dynasty was Liaodong, Southeast and other northeastern regions.

People often like to compare the Ming Dynasty with the Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, because in fact, the Ming Dynasty developed very well. But those who have studied history know that the main business scope of the Han and Tang Dynasties was in the Western Regions, while the Ming Dynasty was in the Northeast. So why is there such a difference?

The reason for the geographical location of the capital: Because the capital of the Han and Tang Dynasties was in Chang'an at that time, it was geographically close to the Western Regions. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also focused on the Western Regions out of considerations of protecting their own capitals. The capital of the Ming Dynasty was relatively far from the Western Regions, so there was no need to deliberately manage the Western Regions.

The Ming Dynasty had developed sea routes: the land Silk Road first originated in the Western Han Dynasty, and one of the places it had to pass through was the Western Regions. With the gradual rise and prosperity of the Silk Road, the Han and Tang Dynasties also spent a lot of manpower, financial and material resources to manage the Western Regions well. During the Ming Dynasty, navigation technology also developed relatively quickly. Later, with Zheng He's successful voyages to the West, the reliance on land became even lower.

There are many reasons why the Ming Dynasty did not choose to continue to operate the Western Regions like the Han and Tang Dynasties. Because during the Ming Dynasty, it could completely rely on Liaodong, Southeast and other regions to support its country, so there was no fundamental There is no need to attach as much importance to the management of the Western Regions as during the Han and Tang Dynasties.