Several Problems Of Sogdians In Dunhuang During The Tang And Five Dynasties

Some individuals of Dunhuang Sogdians have begun to reside in Dunhuang and engaged in the commercial trade since Wei and Jin Dynasty. In the period of Tang Dynasty, some tribes started to migrate to Dunhang and was completely localized into the citizens of Dunhuang during Five Dynasties period. Due to the scarcity of historical data and the ultimate disappearance of this tribe, a lot of puzzles have not yet been solved until now. In this thesis, some penetrating conclusions are made by discussing about several issues about Dunghuang Sogdians.This thesis mainly aims at presenting objectively the living condition of Dunhuang Sogdians, by analyzing all collected materials. It is verified that the latest period when this tribe settles at Dunhuang is in Cao and Wei Dynasty. Before Tang Dynasty, only some individuals and small groups entered into Dunhuang for business. Later on, they turned to be registered residents and scattered in some villages in Dunhuang. At that time, Sogdians were inclined to follow up and assimilate the local custom. In fact, this thesis is highly approved of Chen Guocan’s argument that the tribe is the decedent of Kang Yan Dian tribe who have moved to Mo Lake District during the early period of Tang Dynasty, during the year of 714 and 720. That Sogdians are accomplished in business has become a kind of national symbol. On the current situation, Dunhuang is just a freight station for Sogdians, but not a large commodity distribution center like GuZang. In Tang Dynasty, Sogdians advanced their quality of business forward. At that time, most of them assumed the office of market management as "Zuo Qian" and "Shi Bi Shi", but they had been identified into the population system of Tang’s villages and were endowed with farmland while they had to bear heavy corvee. With the deepening of localization, the marriage types of Sogdians were gradually diversified, changing from interior-tribe to cross-tribe marriages. According to the statistics of the marriage age on the male, it is concluded that the marriage age is related to the family status just as the local citizens, while, as a whole, their marriage age is higher than the local male. In summary, the revolution of Sogdians is identical with the social development and their gradually deepening localization.