A Study On The Northern Capital Of Tang Dynasty From The Perspective Of Ethnic History

As a multi-ethnic unified dynasty in the feudal society of China in the Middle Ages,the Tang Dynasty rulers attached great importance to the handling of ethnic relations.As the main stage for the integration of northern ethnic groups,the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty played an important role in containing the rebellion of various ethnic groups,defending and monitoring the northern regime,and safeguarding the two capitals.It was not only an important military city of the Central Plains Dynasty in the north,but also an important node for the Hu-shang and Ouigour messengers from the Western regions to conduct business in Chang ’an,Luoyang and other important places in the Central Plains.The management and construction of the annexed prefectures in the Tang Dynasty also most directly reflected the dynamic changes of the policies of the Tang Central government towards the northern frontier and the ethnic groups adjacent to the north in different periods.After Li Yuan,Emperor Gaozu,founded the Tang Dynasty in 618,it controlled only Guanzhong,Shanxi and Bashu,while in the north it was dominated by Tujue,Dangxiang and Tuguhun.On the one hand,with Taiyuan as the center,the Tang Court gradually built a defense and troop deployment system against the Tujue and the Ouigour and Khitan peoples in the north.On the other hand,the jimi policy is practiced in northern China,not only using them to assist the Central Plains dynasty to quell the rebellion,but also as a buffer against the northern tribes.During the reign of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong,with the demise of the Tang Dynasty of East Tujue,Xue Yantuo,West Tujue and other regimes,northern Xinjiang successively set up Dingxiang,Yunzhong,Shanyu(Hanhai-Yunzhong),(Yanran)Hanhai,Kunling,Mengchi and other departments to administer the tribes under their control.After Emperor Gaozong came to the throne,Tubo became stronger and stronger.After the destruction of Tuguhun,Tubo bordering the Tang Dynasty.After that,Tubo constantly fought with the Tang Dynasty for Hexi,Longyou and the Western Regions,and even made the Tang Dynasty abolish the four towns of Anxi.In 682,the remnants of the Turkic Party rebelled against the Tang Dynasty andrebuilt the regime.The Turkic households in the 24 prefectures that were formerly under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Garrison of Shanyu also rose up in response,resulting in the gradual decline of the imperial garrison of Shanyu.At that time,Emperor Gaozong had just died in the Tang Dynasty,and Wu Zetian had long controlled the supreme power.She successively removed the emperors and appointed Wu’s relatives.This series of actions angered the Li Tang royal family and the former ministers who were loyal to Li Tang,and they rebelled in various places.Although these rebellions were quickly put down by Wu Zetian,they greatly weakened the military strength of the Tang Dynasty,and many of Li Tang generals with outstanding military achievements were also stripped of their military power in this political struggle.After taking over the Zhou Dynasty of the Tang Dynasty,Wu Zetian was forced to shrink the border and pay more attention to the control of the east of Qinghai in the face of the new situation of the new Turkic regime moving southward for many times and the constant Tibetan invasion.In the first year of Heavenly Grant(690),she elevated Bizhou to be the capital of the North,acting as an important military and political organ under the jurisdiction of the North,which was also the beginning of Yangcheng of Jin as the secondary capital of Tang.After Emperor Zhongzong ascended the throne,he implemented a series of measures to weaken the political influence of the Wu and Zhou Dynasties and rebuild the authority of Li Tang in the north.The city was briefly abandoned as a result,but at this time the Tang Dynasty built a military outpost at Sanhujian,further north of the northern capital and further into the Turkic hinterland,as a new frontier outpost.In the tenth year of Kaiyuan(722),in order to appease the Turks and prevent the possible chain reaction caused by the rebellion of the Hu tribe by vassals of Liuhu Prefecture,Xuanzong decided to tour the north.In the following year(723),Xuanzong relocated the northern capital and left it behind.In the first year of Tianbao(742),the Northern capital was renamed Beijing.In the second year of the Upper Yuan Dynasty(761),Emperor Suzong abolished the title of Beijing and changed it to the Northern capital of Xuan,which was not abolished again until the end of the Tang Dynasty.Many scholars discussed the reasons for the establishment of the northern capital from the aspects of rulers’ feelings,military status and geographical location.However,the activities of multiple ethnic groups in Hedong during the Sui and Tang Dynasties may also be one of the important incentives for the Tang Dynasty to set Taiyuan as "Northern capital".By collecting and sorting out relevant documents and materials in the Sui and Tang Dynasties,and combining with the research results of other scholars,this paper aims to take the ethnic activities of the Tujue,Xue Yanda,Ouigour,Tuguhun and the attached Sogte,Dang Xiang and Shatuo ethnic groups active in the North at that time as a perspective,so as to further explore the ethnic concerns in the establishment and evolution of the northern capital.The purpose is to restore the important military status of the northern capital,as an important secondary capital of the Tang Dynasty,in soothing the internal ethnic groups,defending the external regime,and promoting the economic and cultural integration between the Tang Dynasty and other ethnic groups.