The Study On Transportation In The Yuan Dynasty Based On Depictions In Yuan Poetry

The vast territory of the Yuan Dynasty made "travelogues" an important theme in Yuan poetry.The extensive and rich content of Yuan travelogue poetry serves as a vivid and authentic record of Yuan transportation,and is an important historical material for the study of Yuan transportation.Through Yuan poetry,it can be seen that the Yuan Dynasty inherited the transportation trunk lines of the Song and Jin Dynasties and established a more complete transportation network centered on Dadu.With the expansion of the territory,the roads in the border areas had new extensions and developments.Compared with the Song and Ming Dynasties,the main change in Yuan Dynasty roads was the increase in quantity,while the changes in the transportation routes of many regions were not significant.In addition to showcasing the developed transportation network in the vast territory of the Yuan Dynasty,Yuan poetry provides detailed and vivid descriptions of the conditions of secondary roads in different regions,which are beyond the reach of other types of historical materials.Yuan poetry also reflects the changes in Yuan transportation tools,mainly in two aspects:a preference for animal-powered transportation tools and the regionalization,specialization,and improvement of ships’ manufacturing technology.Compared with the previous dynasties,the transportation facilities of the Yuan Dynasty have undergone new developments,and the infrastructure of land transportation centered on road,relay stations,and bridges,and water transportation centered on canal construction,have become more perfect.However,from the actual transportation experiences of the Yuan people recorded in Yuan poetry,there were still some deficiencies in the management of water and land transportation facilities in the Yuan Dynasty,which often hindered traffic flow.Yuan poetry also reflects the distinct hybrid transportation etiquette of the Yuan Dynasty.On the basis of adhering to the traditional Mongolian customs,the Yuan rulers also accepted the traditional transportation etiquette of the Han region.In terms of transportation customs and taboos,the changes in the beliefs of water gods in the Yuan Dynasty were the most prominent,with many new variations.Compared with other transportation historical materials,Yuan poetry has unique historical value and can complement other historical materials.It is particularly important for the study of secondary transportation routes,specific road conditions,transportation facilities,and the transportation concepts of the Yuan people.However,Yuan poetry as transportation historical material also has some limitations:first,it is difficult to determine the exact time and location of writing,and second,the recorded transportation conditions be distorted by the subjective emotions of the poets.Therefore,it is necessary to analyze specific problems in conjunction with other historical materials.