The silk weaving industry flourished during the Tang Dynasty, what was so special about the silk products of that time?

Silk is an important product of the ancient Chinese economy, in the self-sufficient small peasant economy, silk is indispensable, and because of the existence of silk, China in history has been called? Silk country? and the trade routes with foreign countries were also called the Silk Road because of the large amount of silk trade. Silk Road? Silk, is an important product of China's history and civilization, but also an important legacy of China's traditional civilization, and when it comes to silk, have to mention is the Tang Dynasty, especially the Sheng Tang, this period is the development of ancient Chinese silk and trade in an important period of time, especially in the silk trade, but also to reflect the export of China's feudal silk fabrics trade.

The Sheng Tang period, in addition to the economic, cultural and political aspects of the very prominent, in terms of trade exchanges, but also full of prominence, and this period, it is the development of the silk road trade in a period of great prosperity, this time the sea as well as the road Silk Road carrying countless fine silk fabrics, from China, to the distant foreign countries.

So how much silk was there in the Tang Dynasty? Enough for domestic sales and still have a surplus to export overseas? Indeed enough, according to historical records, in the Tianbao, the Tang government a year will be able to have more than 7.4 million pi, more than 1.85 million tons of cotton, more than 10.35 million ends of cloth, which is not a small number, although it can be said that this can be said to be the most prosperous year of the entire Tang Dynasty silk industry, but it can be seen that other periods of the production of cloth will not be less than that, enough to be used for foreign sales.

First of all, it is clear that what is referred to in this article as the ? Sheng Tang? The time specified in the year 712 to 755 AD, which is under the rule of Tang Xuanzong during the Tang Dynasty, this period can be said to be the most prosperous period of the entire Tang Dynasty, both in political, economic and cultural, social and other aspects can be said to be extremely prosperous. And this period of silk export scale is also the most Tang generation, just through the tribute trade output of the number of silk fabrics, than the other periods of the Tang dynasty output more than the sum of the foreign trade, and thus this period of silk industry is very typical of foreign trade.

Of course, although the use of all ? foreign trade? This word, the Tang Dynasty foreign trade and what we now call foreign trade is still fundamentally different. The silk fabrics of the Tang Dynasty foreign trade, said the main is divided into two categories, a class of output, a class of input. Most of the input is tribute to the region to offer? Tribute? And most of the output through the tribute or mutual market, and in any case, the silk fabrics of the Tang Dynasty are monopolized by the official, and therefore, the trade activities of this period has some special features.

One, the official monopoly

Sheng Tang period of silk fabrics are strictly controlled by the government, with specialized institutions dedicated to the management of foreign trade in silk fabrics, in the central government has set up the Jin Department of Langzhong, foreign ministers and Honglu Temple and other institutions responsible for the local, mainly rely on the Mutual Supervision of the management of specific affairs, especially in the sea after the rise of trade in Guangzhou, and other places also specializing in the dispatch of the city of Hublot to manage the normal conduct of maritime trade, and to manage the normal conduct of maritime trade. to specialize in the management of the normal conduct of maritime trade. In addition, in order to prevent improper private trade, the Tang government also set up a special called? The Tang government also set up a special system called system, but all the people who want to pass through the ferry, Jin pass, must first apply for? The Tang government also set up a special system called the "Passage System". This system, on the one hand, can manage the movement of people, on the other hand, it can also prevent the improper trade of the private sector, to prevent the government banned the flow of prohibited goods to the overseas, resulting in unnecessary losses.

And in the Sheng Tang Dynasty, silk fabrics are mostly banned or restricted within the ranks of the private sector can be exported to trade in silk fabrics is very little, even so, these are not banned or restricted silk fabrics can not be traded at will, the place of export also has very strict regulations, if the violation of the provisions of the law, then it will be a harsh legal sanctions.

Two, not really economic exchanges, but political exchanges

Sheng Tang period of silk trade and what we now call the economics of foreign trade? Foreign trade? Is not the same, it is very focused on political, rather than economic. At this time the silk foreign trade is mainly through the official control, and its group is also the main tribute, mutual market and other ways to export, tribute is the ancient Chinese dynasty in order to stabilize the political, proclaim the national prestige and the establishment of a system.

When other countries to pay tribute to this behavior, the Tang government will give its gifts, and most of these gifts back than the tribute value is much larger, and silk fabrics, especially silk is an important item in the return of gifts, its political meaning is much higher than the economic meaning. And the mutual market is also so, the main is also to maintain a friendly relationship with the surrounding ethnic areas, there are political considerations, so this time the so-called foreign trade is with a strong political color.

Three, barter as the main way

The Sheng Tang period of silk fabrics foreign trade basically all by the government, and in this trade, is not the most commonly used in our current barter, barter, barter, barter, barter, but the direct exchange of goods, in the process of the use of money is relatively very little. In the tribute, the rest of the countries mostly use local specialties, including animals, etc. to exchange for specialties in the Central Plains, and the most important is silk, and in the mutual trade, the most common is the exchange of silk and horses, so it can be said that the silk fabrics are the big head of the trade, and the barter is the most important way of trading.

However, this does not mean that there is no currency circulation, archaeology still found a lot of Arab gold coins, these gold coins can not appear for no reason, naturally, for trade. And the history books above also have records, ? Begging in the temple worship and to the two cities to trade goods, allowed? The Xi trade in the fourth year of the new year, and this kind of unofficial, private transactions will naturally have currency circulation. And some of the items in the trade are not needed by the people, bartering is difficult, the circulation of currency is also inevitable.

Four, not equal exchange

From the point of view of economics, general trade is equal exchange, the exchange is a certain value considerations. But the Sheng Tang period of silk trade is not so, its own is a non-equivalent exchange of trade, to take the simplest is that the Tang government's expenditure is far higher than the acquisition of the much higher, especially on the tribute, China's return to the value of silk fabrics to be much higher than the value of foreign tributes to the goods.

For example, in the twenty-second year of the reign of the Kaiyuan Emperor, an envoy from the southwestern barbarians came to pay tribute,? sent an envoy to offer musk and cowhuang? and what did the Tang government return? Give two thousand bolts of silk, miscellaneous color two hundred bolts? This is not a small amount, in the Kaiyuan years, a silk is worth about five hundred and fifty Wen, then these items is roughly more than one million Wen, and a good head of cattle at that time is only more than 4,000 Wen, can be replaced by nearly 300 head of cattle, regardless of the Southwest barbarians tribute to the value of musk and oxalis is not so much for the head of a good cow, and this is just a typical example, in addition to the There are many more examples.

In the Sheng Tang period of silk trade activities, most of the unequal trade relations, but the Tang government is willing to do so? The reasons for this can be broadly divided into two.

The first point is to publicize the national prestige, showing the economic strength of the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, China's strength in all aspects was extremely prosperous, so there was also a ? The Tang government was no exception to this rule, as it was bound to give people a sense of superiority. The Tang government was no exception. Giving more valuable gifts to the countries that came to pay tribute was a way to show the strength of their own country, and it also served as a deterrent. The second reason is to maintain the relationship with the countries, most of the relationship between the countries is maintained by the interests, if you want to stabilize the situation, make the countries with their own friendship is naturally the best choice, and this imposition of ? This kind of small favor is the easiest and most convenient way at that time. The way to do this is the simplest and most practical way to do it.