Thank you, Khai, for this fascinating story! Language and culture contact is always about so much more …

Thank you, Siyao, for this interesting example! I didn’t know about Princess Wencheng, and will try to learn more!

Thanks, Rebecca! Have added hallyu to my list of research project choices for next year 🙂

References:
Aboutthefoundation. (n.d.). http://www.nomfoundation.org/nom-script/What-is-Nom-?uiLang=en.
Phan, P., & Rhodes (2015), A. Mission and catechesis.

Thank you very much for these two articles, which makes me understand the importance of cultural mediators in language and cultural transmission. After reading this article, I thought that the person who promoted language and cultural contact is Princess Wencheng in the Tang Dynasty. She was selected by Emperor Taizong of Tang to marry Songtsan Gambo, the leader of Tibetan Empire, as a way of strengthening the alliance of the two empires. According to a legend, Songtsan Gambo sent envoy Dongzan Lu to Chang’an, the capital of Tang Dynasty, to propose a marriage. Dongzan Lu had to compete with six other envoys who also proposed a marriage between Wencheng and their leaders. Eventually, Dongzan Lu won by correctly answering three questions from the Minister of Tang, and therefore Princess Wencheng married Songtsan Gambo. At that time, the relationship between Tang and Tibet was extremely tense. Princess Wencheng brought not only money, but also the culture and technology of Tang to Tibet, such as paper making, metallurgy and wine making technologies. The farming tools and professionals brought by her greatly increased the yield of their land. She and her maids also taught Tibetan women the techniques of weaving and embroidery. At the same time, the Tang Empire also absorbed a large amount of Tibetan culture. After the death of Songtsen Gambo, Princess Wencheng participated in the design of Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple. Songtsen Gambo and Princess Wencheng made important contributions to the alliance between Tang and Tibet. Today, statues of Songtsen Gambo and Princess Wencheng are enshrined in the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, China.

Thank you, for your detailed response! I wish European powers had made similarly restrained decisions. We would have been spared the evils of colonialism and might not be in the climate crisis in which we find ourselves today …

Thanks for your reply, Ingrid. After researching various books and articles that related to the Ming’s navy. I summarize three main reasons that why the Ming gave up their naval advantage.
Firstly, it violates the ruling strategy of the Kaiyuan of the Ming Dynasty. In the strategic policy of ruling the country, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty made it clear that the military forces should be mainly concentrated in the north to fight against the intrusion of the nomads. As we all know, the nomads in the north have always been the biggest interference to Ancient China. However, in the reign of Yongle, Zheng He aroused the navy and went to South Asia seven times.
Secondly, because the navy is too powerful and the weight of international trade too large, it has shaken the foundation of our country – agriculture. Zheng He’s expedition was fascinating in the world at that time; it led to prosperous international trade. However, it just led to the economic prosperity of the coastal areas in China. Much wealth flowed into private businessmen, and it caused the distribution of wealth to be unequal. This resulted in the accumulation of wealth along the southern coast in trade rather than agriculture. However, in the Ming Dynasty, there were still strong enemies in the north, so the military consumption was enormous. The military consumption was based on agriculture, so it would be meaningless for the country to develop maritime trade or build a powerful navy.
Lastly, Zheng He had created the advantage of finances during this period, which was a threat to the Ming emperor. We must admit that Zheng He’s voyages was sure to bring great wealth accumulation, and Zheng He became as rich as the rest of the world. In addition, it also brought Zheng great personal prestige and consolidated his power. The Ming government feared that this force would threaten its regime. Therefore, Ming gave up their navy advantage.

Dear Alicia, thank you for this concise and informative introduction to an inspiring linguistic and cultural mediator!

When it comes to cultural broker, this reminds me of Xuan Zang. Xuan Zang became a monk when he was a teenager and studied Buddhism seriously. However, he found that the translation of Buddhist scriptures was too wrong, so he determined to go to Tianzhu (India), the birthplace of Buddhism, to obtain the true scriptures. Xuan Zang set off westward in 627 AD, and returned to Chang’an with more than 650 Buddhist scriptures in 645 AD. After returning to China, he immediately began a large-scale translation of Buddhist scriptures, translating 74 Buddhist scriptures before and after, about 1,300 volumes. Xuan Zang also wrote a book of “The Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty” based on his travels, which recorded the situation of 110 countries he personally visited and 28 countries rumored to be. Now, this book has been translated into several languages and has become a world famous book. Xuan Zang, as a mediator, has made great contributions to the development of Chinese culture and the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, especially between China and India.

Overall, mediators plays important role in language and culture contact.

Reference:
Sen, T. (2006). The travel records of Chinese pilgrims Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing. EDUCATION ABOUT ASIA, 11(3), 24-33.

Thank you, Lydia! I find Zheng He and his naval successes fascinating, too. And the big imponderable that European colonialism could not have gotten off the ground as it did if the Ming had not inexplicably lost interest in naval exploration. I’m curious to know what Chinese historians say about why the Ming gave up their naval advantage?

Thank you, Tu, for looking up these terminological debates! Like most boundaries, this one, too, seems a bit artificial and maybe less clear-cut in practice …

Thanks, WAA! I’m glad you liked the post – maybe it will help you to discover your love of history, after all 🙂