From the perspective of officials and seclusion culture in the Tang Dynasty, what was the cultural system of Chang'an like?

Xi'an Tang West Market Museum

The Tang Dynasty was a unified Central Plains dynasty that developed and prospered after the Sui Dynasty. It had political stability, economic prosperity, cultural openness, and social stability. The development can be said to be the pinnacle of development in the ancient feudal dynasty of my country. The official examination culture of the Tang Dynasty also showed an open and inclusive form. Not only did there exist an official culture with rich heritage, but it also inherited the reclusive culture that had been pursued since the previous generation. In the cultural system of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, these two cultures actually coexisted, forming a dual cultural system of the Tang Dynasty. 1. The official culture that adheres to the traditional sages

The "scholar" class has always occupied an important position in Chinese history, and the official complex has always been the most basic spiritual requirement of most literati in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, official culture was also one of the cultures most admired by scholar-bureaucrats in the Tang Dynasty. This point has already begun to emerge from the "Qian Ye" system that was popular in the Tang Dynasty. "Qian Ye", also known as "running for official positions", means to obtain the favor of officials at that time by submitting letters, poems and songs. recommendation. So, why were literati in the Tang Dynasty so eager to become officials?

1. The loose imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty promoted the development of official culture

Literati in the Tang Dynasty were eager to become officials, mainly because of the imperial examination system initiated in the Sui Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty also experienced great development. In the Chang'an area of ??the Tang Dynasty, the political ideals of literati also began to ignite because of the increased opportunities to become officials.

The Imperial Examination in the Tang Dynasty

Compared with the imperial examination system in the Sui Dynasty, the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty was greatly innovative. The main innovation point is that, The imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty was not so strict and was the main way for literati to enter officialdom at that time. In the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, those who passed the regional selection could directly participate in the "provincial examination", and the admission standards were not complicated. This gave the literati at that time some hope of becoming an official. .

It was due to the influence of the imperial examination system that the literati in the economically developed Chang'an area at that time had an additional choice to become an official, and it also became a way for the literati at that time to realize their life ideals and social value, which naturally also promoted the development of official culture.

2. The formation of a large number of official families opened up a new path for scholars to rise

The official families in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty were also very developed, and the family culture of the official families was also the official culture. played an important role in promoting the formation of Members of these official families constituted the main group of officials in the Tang Dynasty. Not only did they have long-standing family connections, they inherited the official culture, and allowed the official culture to spread. They also relied on the imperial examination system at that time to obtain a large number of honors and spread the official culture. .

Literati who belong to official families are more eager to obtain fame and gain recognition from their families than other literati classes, which is also a reflection of their family tradition. Obtaining fame is also an important way for them to obtain upper-class status and realize their ideals. Therefore, a large number of members of official families are committed to taking official exams through various flexible systems such as the imperial examination system and the grace system, which also reflects their Confident side.

It is precisely because of the existence of many official families that the official culture in Chang'an area has a carrier, which can be disseminated and widely promoted. Therefore, from this aspect, the development of official culture cannot be separated from the development and role of a large number of official families.

The prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty

3. The orthodox Confucian culture boosted the positive ideas of scholars

As a cultural concept, the biggest boost behind official culture , is actually the existence of Confucian culture. Confucian culture has always been the mainstream culture during the Tang Dynasty and influenced the thoughts and ideas of many literati, especially in the Chang'an area. Due to the promotion of the rulers and the prosperity of the economy, Confucian culture became the culture of Chang'an at that time. orthodox culture. In the Analects of Confucius, Zeng Zi once said: "A scholar cannot be without great perseverance. The responsibilities are heavy and the road is long. Isn't it important to be benevolent when one takes one's responsibilities? Isn't it too important to die and die?" It can be seen that Confucian culture, It promotes official culture and recognizes the responsibilities of scholars.

“Cultivating oneself, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world” was also a complex that Confucian culture instilled in the scholar class at that time. Being an official has always been advocated by Confucius. The Confucian view of officials also expresses Confucian literature's management of the real world and its thinking about its own value. They believe that this is the unavoidable mission of scholars, and this is the "Tao".

From this aspect, the status of Confucian orthodox culture and the admiration for official culture formed the official complex of the literati in the Tang Dynasty, and also constituted the main ideological concepts of the scholars at that time.

4. The politically enlightened Tang Dynasty provided the scholars with faith

"The Tang Dynasty, the Kaiyuan Dynasty", these two words, not only for the Chang'an area of ??the Tang Dynasty The comments made by the prosperous people at that time also truly provided open political conditions for the formation of scholars' ideas. The Chang'an area is not only a symbol of economic prosperity and political stability, but also an important place for people with lofty ideals to realize their ideals, beliefs and political values.

This enlightened political environment and open academic environment also had an important impact on the formation of positive and enterprising values ??among the literati of the Tang Dynasty. The politics of the Tang Dynasty were open, and they even dared to reuse foreigners and foreigners in politics. For example, Changsun Wuji, the famous prime minister in the Tang Dynasty, actually belonged to the Xianbei ethnic group. He presided over the revision of "Tang Lv Shu Yi", the most important document in ancient China. One of the perfect laws.

The above-mentioned example of Changsun Wuji can fully illustrate the degree of political openness in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, it also aroused the ideals of the scholars at the lower level of society at that time. Making achievements became their pursuit, and governing the country became their pursuit. It is also their yearning.

Buddha Statues of the Tang Dynasty 2. The hermit culture that broke away from worldly material desires

With the official culture so developed, in the Chang'an area, the hermit culture of the scholars in the Tang Dynasty did not disappear. On the contrary, they complemented each other and became a culture that opposed and influenced each other with the official culture of the time.

1. The influence of mature Buddhist thought

The rise of the hermit culture in the Tang Dynasty was closely related to the introduction of mature Buddhist thought at that time. In addition to Confucian culture, the Tang Dynasty actually inherited and developed the "three religions into one" proposition of the previous generation, which was dominated by Confucian culture, and was compatible with the three religions. Therefore, Buddhist culture was not suppressed at that time, but gradually developed.

The Tang Dynasty was a prosperous period for the development of Buddhism. Both rulers and common people respected Buddhist culture. Coupled with Xuanzang's large-scale advocacy of Buddhism after he traveled west to seek Buddhist scriptures and arrived in the Chang'an area, Buddhism developed more and more prosperously. There is a record in "New Book of Tang": "After Tianbao, many poets... placed their interest in monks and monasteries." It can be seen that at that time, Buddhist thought was also highly praised by literati.

The Buddhist idea of ??"transcending the world and forgetting things and self" also had an important influence on the literati at that time. After encountering disadvantages in the officialdom, the literati class accepted the thoughts and interests of Zen Buddhism, gradually became more psychologically sensitive, and continued to develop in the direction of self-liberation. Becoming an elegant person who "is indifferent to fame and fortune and hides his secrets" gradually became one of the life ideals of the literati class at that time. They began to look forward to the casual and peaceful Taoyuan life with natural tenure. For example, Tao Yuanming's "not bowing down for five buckets of rice" is an important embodiment of this kind of reclusive culture.

Therefore, the prosperity of Buddhist culture had an important impact on the formation of the hermit thought of the scholar class at that time.

Xuan Zang traveled to the west to learn Buddhist scriptures

2. The dissemination and promotion of the idea of ??seeking officialdom through seclusion

Furthermore, this official culture also promoted seclusion to a certain extent The culture was formed because many scholars pursued seclusion just to become officials.

Because the number of people admitted to the Jinshi Department in the Tang Dynasty was actually not very large, about twenty or thirty people each time, which was completely unable to meet the needs of many scholars to become officials. Furthermore, many ruling classes liked to recruit from reclusive people. Recruiting scholars made seclusion to seek official positions an important reason for the literati at that time to live in seclusion. At that time, hermits were respected by many classes, and the government even set up special recruitment subjects for hermits. This made the hermit culture and the official culture merge with each other, creating a shortcut for scholars at that time to enter the officialdom.

It is recorded in the book "New Talks of the Tang Dynasty·Hermitage": "Lu Zangyong first hid in the Zhongnan Mountains, and held important positions in the Zhongzong Dynasty. There was a Taoist Sima Chengzhen, and Ruizong welcomed him to the capital. ". It can be seen that seclusion at that time was not only a way for scholars to become officials, but hermits also became a class that was highly respected by the rulers.

From this point of view, using seclusion to seek official positions was one of the main reasons why scholars at that time chose to live in seclusion. Using seclusion to attract the attention of contemporary rulers was also a unique approach adopted by scholars in the Tang Dynasty. Although this idea of ??seeking official positions through seclusion is a manifestation of a negative hermit culture, it is also an important condition for the hermit style in the Tang Dynasty and promoted the development of hermit culture.

3. The popularity of being both an official and a seclusion embodies the spirit of the times

Among the scholar class in the Tang Dynasty, there was a popular trend of "being both an official and a seclusion". Serving as an official in China has provided a solution to the problems that have troubled Chinese scholars for many years. The influence of the dual thoughts of Confucianism and Buddhism led to the formation of a hermitage style that coexisted with the world and joined the world. This can be regarded as a unique hermitage culture in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Bai

Take the famous poet Li Bai as an example. He was both politically ambitious and fond of roaming. While living in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain, he also received many influences. The invitation from the ruling class has become a representative figure of a culture of "both official and private". Not only Li Bai, but also many poets in the Tang Dynasty, such as Cen Sen, Wang Wei and others, are representatives of this unique reclusive culture.

The emergence of this kind of reclusive culture of "both official and reclusive" satisfied the dual requirements of the literati at that time, and therefore became an important reason for the development of reclusive culture. 3. Summary

The coexistence of official culture and seclusion culture in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty was actually closely related to the political, economic, cultural and historical conditions at that time. Both cultures constitute an important part of Chang'an culture and form a dual cultural system of Chang'an culture. In the rich Chang'an culture, the official culture and the hermit culture are two indispensable components. The two cultures complement each other. Although they are opposed to each other, they integrate with each other during the development, forming the dual system of Chang'an culture.