Cultural Diversity in Northern China during the Fifth and the Sixth Centuries

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thomas O. Höllmann
• Subject Area: Asian Studies ; Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2015 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 264146096

In retrospective the Chinese empire has been treated as a stable unity with homogeneity and continuity. Against this background it is not surprising to note that the epochs of fragmentation and foreign regimes are less attractive for the students of humanity than those long lasting dynasties such as Han, Tang, or Ming. This 'negligence' is notably prominent for the period between 221 and 588, in which several, partially non-Chinese, ruling houses simultaneously controlled the territory of the present-day China. When, if at all, confronted with the topic 'barbarians', who played a major role in the North, the focus has been generally put on the 'Sinicization' of these people, who were allured by the tremendous appeal of the Chinese culture. Otherwise one dedicates to those groups without grip on power such as the Zoroastrians from Central Asia, to whom the academic world has paid close attention in recent years. Meanwhile it is often overlooked that this 'interim period' had a decisive impact on the culture of the early Tang dynasty. Nonetheless, several recent studies have shown emphatically that the political and cultural interactions among the peoples on Chinese soil were more complex than those national unity constrained researches believe to be. This proposed project wishes to proceed from this insightful cognition with a research work which demonstratively utilizes primarily the archaeological remains. The majority of the data comes from the Shanxi Province, where a large number of non-Chinese peoples inhabited especially during the fifth and the sixth centuries. Their cultural traits and boundaries to others are clearly illustrated in the mural paintings in tombs, but also in the choice of grave goods. The access of the archaeological materials is guaranteed by the cooperation with the Archaeological Institute of the Shanxi Province.The foci of the project shall be: 1) the identification of the Xianbei and other tribal groups and their ways of life by means of pictorial informations, material remains and epigraphs; 2) the emergence of a supra regional 'identity' of the Tuoba, respectively the Xianbei (ethnogenesis), and its causes and consequences; 3) the stability of this new social order and its legacy.Some Xianbei and other foreign elements as well as their influences on the Chinese civilization are expected to be clarified through this project. With this the proposed project hopes to make a contribution in giving a revised view of the 'northern barbarians' during the early medieval China.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Qingjie Zhang