The Study Of Craftsman In Western Region Of The Yuan Dynasty

At the beginning of the 13 th century,the Mongolian tribes rose up in the northern desert plateau.Later,Genghis Khan and his descendants launched three western expeditions that swept the Europe inland.During the Western Expedition,when the Mongols attacked and slaughtered the city,a large number of skilled craftsmen were retained to serve them,and they moved to China with the Mongolians.They were successively placed in the Mongolian grasslands and other areas in the Central Plains,and were employed by the Mongols.After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty,with the unification of the country and the stability of the society,various systems and related institutions of the government were gradually established.In the face of these Western craftsmen,the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty arranged them to enter into different bureau according to their skills.At the same time,the government has also formulated relevant policies to strengthen the management of craftsmen in the Western Regions in order to ensure the inheritance of their craft.There are many types of craftsmen in the Western Regions who moved to China,mainly including: artisans,goldsmiths,tanners,drapers,winemakers,sugarsmiths and artillers.The handcrafted products that followed were rich in variety,mainly including various kinds of excellent textiles,weapons for attacking the enemy and different types of drinks of the Western Region.These products are basically used by Mongolian rulers and are monopolized by the government.As some of the Western government craftsmen gradually turned to the national craftsmen,the excellent handicraft manufacturing techniques in the Western Region also flowed into the civil society in Central China.It promoted the technical exchanges between the handicraft industry in the Central Plains and the Western Regions,and brought about far-reaching development in the social handicraft industry in Yuan Dynasty.