From Sui and Tang Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties, how to comprehensively view the development of ancient transportation?

The Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties is the mature period of China's traditional traffic culture. The expansion of its territory and the enhancement of its national strength, coupled with the characteristics of opening to the outside world during the Tang Dynasty, formed the "East Asian Cultural Circle" centered on the Tang Dynasty. In terms of transportation, it is the interweaving of more rigorous transportation routes in China, the development of postal system, the development of transportation tools, the development of transportation facilities, the finalization of traffic customs, and the prosperity of overseas transportation.

In terms of domestic transportation routes, land transportation lines centered on Chang 'an and Luoyang extend in all directions, and avenues have been built between counties. These roads are connected layer by layer, forming a dense traffic network. Especially in the south, during this period, with the economic development in the south, more and more economic metropolises emerged, such as Yangzhou, Guangzhou and Jingzhou, which quickly became important transportation hubs and shouldered the heavy responsibility of connecting the north and the south. The most famous event in this period was the excavation of the Grand Canal in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Supported by the powerful national strength of Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was a great project that amazed the world in response to the urgent need of North-South exchanges.

Map of the Grand Canal in Sui and Tang Dynasties

The change of postal service in Sui and Tang Dynasties was that postal institutions began to have architectural nature, which was designed for people with status, which was very different from the postal kiosks in Han Dynasty. In terms of transportation, the transportation in this period was more complex and diverse, the shape of cars increased, and the use of shoulder straps became more common. There has been a major breakthrough in shipbuilding technology. The production of flat-bottomed seagoing vessels and sharp-bottomed seagoing vessels is more suitable for offshore or ocean navigation. The invention of the car and the boat was an attempt by the working people in ancient China to use mechanical power on the boat. Generally speaking, in terms of transportation, it is developing in a more convenient and comfortable direction, and in terms of transportation, it is developing in a direction of greater carrying capacity and faster speed.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the traffic system was more mature and detailed, and the government made strict regulations on people's navigation, downtown travel, entry and exit of customs and Tianjin in the form of law. In addition, the Tang Dynasty also promulgated the Ordinance Order, which was the earliest traffic etiquette regulation in China. In terms of transportation facilities, private hotels are booming and earning considerable income. In the capital, important ports and docks, private hotels can be seen everywhere. Its prosperity is closely related to the influx of foreign businessmen during this period. In addition, the establishment and improvement of bridges such as stone arch bridges facilitate people's travel.

In terms of traffic customs, farewell programs, such as fear of going far, farewell, folding willows, farewell and soft feet, have become popular and fixed, and become an important part of China's traditional traffic culture.

Fold the willow to bid farewell.

In terms of overseas transportation, the Silk Road in this period is worthy of the name. During the Tang Dynasty, the desert was unified from the north to the south, and the fur road of the northern grassland reached a prosperous stage. The Southwest Silk Road and the ancient tea-horse road leading to Yunnan, Myanmar and India have long been the only way for religious believers. The vigorous governance of the Western Regions in the Sui and Tang Dynasties also ushered in the reopening of the Silk Road in the Western Regions. On the Maritime Silk Road, the Tang Dynasty was able to cross the Indian Peninsula to the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and reached the Red Sea and Africa for the first time.

In a word, the all-round prosperity of the Silk Road has realized the direct docking of eastern and western civilizations, and also promoted the economic and cultural development of Central Asia and West Asia. In addition, Korea and Japan exchanged frequently on the basis of developed transportation in the Tang Dynasty, and ushered in the great development period of their respective countries on the basis of absorbing advanced civilization in the Tang Dynasty.

Second, the ancient traffic in the Song and Yuan Dynasties During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the ancient traffic in China went to a mature and perfect stage. After the development of the Han and Tang Dynasties, its overall appearance changed greatly.

First of all, in terms of overseas traffic, land traffic has shrunk and maritime traffic has flourished in an all-round way. During this period, the achievement in marine routes was the opening of a direct route across the Indian Ocean. On this trade route, in addition to silk trade, porcelain has also become a hot commodity. In addition, with the development of the Maritime Silk Road, Southeast Asia has become a bridge between East and West, and gradually prospered through transit trade.

Urban Traffic in Riverside Map of Qingming Festival

Of course, the prosperity of foreign traffic undoubtedly benefited from the advanced science and technology in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Needham once said: "Whenever people look for a specific historical material of science and technology in China's literature, they often find that its focus is in the Song Dynasty, whether in applied science or pure science." It was with the support of advanced science and technology in the Song and Yuan Dynasties that the compass was applied. The application of the compass in navigation was a great change in navigation technology, marking the arrival of the era of surveying navigation. In addition, the appearance of balance rudder and the maturity of watertight bulkhead technology are the necessary conditions for ships to sail in the ocean during this period.

Secondly, in terms of domestic transportation, land transportation lines are more mature, especially in the Yuan Dynasty, developed post roads were established between the four khanates and the provinces in the Central Plains, and avenues were also built between the provinces and states, and between the counties under the provinces-such a three-level transportation network laid the traffic pattern in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In terms of waterway transportation, the dredging of the Song Si Canal and the Grand Canal in the Yuan Dynasty became an important route for water transportation and communication between the North and the South during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and was the lifeblood of the Song and Yuan governments.

Yuan dynasty territory

Third, in terms of transportation system, the order of ceremonies is spread all over the country and has become a rule that everyone should abide by. With the development of maritime trade, the imperial court in Song and Yuan Dynasties set up the Municipal Shipping Department and promulgated the Maritime Shipping Law and other related laws. During this period, due to the development of commerce, the economic function of the official financial system gradually emerged. In terms of postal service, the government and postal service gradually merged, collectively known as "postal service", which can be used for the formal delivery of government decrees, military orders and documents, as well as for receiving guests, and the postal service system is becoming more and more mature.

Third, the decline of ancient traffic in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The traffic in Ming and Qing Dynasties inherited the previous dynasties in terms of traffic routes, traffic technologies, traffic customs and traffic systems, which was a summary of China's traditional traffic culture. During this period, the inland transportation network has reached perfection through the development of the previous dynasty, and what the government has done is nothing more than repairing and renovating the roads. Traffic customs and traffic systems are gradually fixed. The rules of people traveling by car and boat, the taboos of traveling, and the customs of Cao Gang and caravan were summarized and passed down during this period.

Zheng He's Sailing Chart to the West

In terms of overseas transportation, the Ming and Qing Dynasties can be divided into two stages. Before the middle of Ming Dynasty, China's shipbuilding technology reached its peak. On the premise of the strong national power of the Ming Dynasty and the propaganda of the political purpose of national prestige, Zheng He's feat of going to the West was realized. Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas opened the longest route in China's history and expanded the influence of the Ming Dynasty. China was able to have friendly exchanges with Asian and African countries, spread China's advanced culture, and opened up an eastern route for the great discovery of world geography, which can be said to be the last glory of China in ancient world history. After the mid-Ming Dynasty, due to the changes in the western world and the "closed door" policy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the foreign traffic in this period gradually declined.