The Khanate Of Kipchak And The Communication Between China And The West During The Mongol Yuan Dynasty

The Khanate of Kipchak , founded by Jenghiz Khan's eldest son Jochi and his descendants, had played a complicated and important role in the history of the relationships between China and the West in Mongol Yuan Dynasty. This article, composed of three parts, studies the influence of it on the economic and cultural communication from its politics, economy, culture and its relationships with other countries.The first part briefly discusses the problems of Batu's westward conquest, the Khanate of Kipchak's territory and its changes.The second part concretely studies the domination which the Khanate of Kipchak had over the territory beside the roads of the communication between China and the West, the useful domination policies (the perfect yizhan system, the emphatic policies of commerce, its good political condition etc.) and their influence on the communication between China and the West. This part also studies the work of the Steppe Silk Roads. Here are the main ideas: The domination over the territory beside the Steppe Silk Roads gave certain physical supports and good conditions to the communication between China and the West; The good domination policies also supplied some convenient conditions to the communication.The third part precisely studies the political and economic relationships of the Khanate of Kipchak to the house of the grand khan of Mongol, Egypt, Ire Khanate and Christian Europe. This part also studies the influence of the relationships on the communication. The author comes to some conclusions as follow: The Khanate of Kipchak kept the submissive relation to the house of the grand khan and supported the supreme khan of Mongol Empire in the inner politics and the policy to the outside, which gave certain supports to the early communication in the Mongol Yuan dynasty; The Khanate of Kipchak should account for the stop of the communication caused by the foundation of the Khanate of Ogotai which had been supported by the Khanate of Kipchak during the period of the reign from Berke to Mangu Timur; The short-time stop of the communication was also Mongolian central government's tragedy. The relationships of the Khanate of Kipchak to Yuan dynasty began to become normal during the course of the reign of Tuda Mangu ,Tula-buqa and Toqatai khan, in which the Khanate of Kipchak gave certain devotions to "peace" of the Mongol Khanates. Their relations had been best after the separation of Mongol Empire during the time of ozbeg and Janibeg's reign which was. the rush hour of our economic and cultural intercourses with the Khanate of Kipchak and other west countries. The development of the relationships to Egypt accelerated the intercourses between this two countries, which indirectly widened the ways of the Sino-Arab communication in the economy and cultures. The relations to Ire Khanate had been very bad for a long time. This stopped the convergence of the Steppe Silk Roads and the Oasis Silk Roads. In other side, this helped the intercourses between Ire Khanate and Christian Europe.