Cultural blending

Although the Xixia Dynasty (1038-1227) featured a majority of Tangut people, its population also included Han, Uygur, and Tibetan peoples. Its territory encompassed most of present-day Ningxia and Gansu as well as parts of Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Shaanxi. During its development over nearly two centuries, Xixia emulated the Central Plains dynasties in politics, economics, culture, and other aspects, promoting exchange and integration among various ethnic groups. It thus made important contributions to the spread of Chinese civilization and the development of the Chinese nation.

Xixia largely learned from the Central Plains dynasties in its institutions and ritual systems. It bestowed titles on deceased emperors in the same forms as the Central Plains region. Xixia and the Song Dynasty (960-1279) exchanged envoys to offer condolences for the deaths of emperors and empress dowagers, reflecting close ritual interactions.

The official system of Xixia was also modeled on that of the Song Dynasty. Epitaphs unearthed from the Xixia Imperial Tombs provide physical evidence: The title Shangzhuguo (literally "Upper Pillar of the State") appears in Tangut-script inscriptions, and the title Zhuguo (literally "Pillar of the State") in Chinese-character inscriptions, confirming that Xixia also had honorific titles. Both Tangut and Chinese inscriptions contain Jinzi Guangludafu (Golden Purple Grand Master for Outstanding Glorious Service). This demonstrates that Xixia emulated the Central Plains dynasties in its institutional system and administrative structure.

The exchange among ethnic groups took deeper root in daily economic activities and social interactions. The Xixia code included special articles regulating trade with the Song and Liao (907-1125) dynasties. For instance, it stipulated that camels used for trade missions to the Song and Liao should be allocated by a designated department. This provides evidence that economic and trade exchange with the Central Plains dynasties was a normal, legally protected practice in Xixia.

Unearthed documents paint a vivid picture of ethnic integration in local communities. Household registers show that household heads included both Tangut and Han people, suggesting that cross-ethnic marriages were common. In addition, the signing parties of unearthed contracts in Xixia script came from various ethnic groups, including the Tangut, Han, Khitan, Uygur, and Rouran. This shows that through daily economic activities, they built close social networks based on shared rules.

The Xixia Dynasty's recognition and reverence for Central Plains culture epitomized ethnic integration at a spiritual level. As early as the founding of Xixia, Emperor Li Yuanhao organized scholars to translate Confucian classics into Tangut script. Unearthed documents show that Confucian works such as The Analects, Mencius, and Classic of Filial Piety as well as military texts including The Art of War, Six Strategies, and Three Strategies were all translated into Tangut script. Xixia also compiled a Tangut-Chinese bilingual glossary, and a Chinese version of its legal code survives, demonstrating multilingual usage at the institutional level.

Moreover, the Xixia Dynasty traced its own cultural origin back to the common origin of the Chinese nation. Historical records on Xuanyuan (also known as the Yellow Emperor), discovered on fragmented stone steles and unearthed documents from the Xixia Imperial Tombs, verify that Xixia also revered this legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation. This shows that against the broader background of cultural exchange and ethnic integration at that time, key elements of Central Plains culture had taken deep root in Xixia culture.

The Xixia Dynasty also achieved remarkable success in the integration of various ethnic arts. In the Buddhist caves such as the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and the Yulin Caves in Guazhou, early Xixia murals inherited the styles of the Five Dynasties period (907-960) and the Song Dynasty. Murals in the mid-Xixia Dynasty integrated Song art with Uygur mural styles, forming distinct ethnic characteristics. In the late Xixia Dynasty, influence from Tibetan Buddhism increased, and Tibetan-style Buddhist paintings became popular, blending multi-ethnic arts into one integrated style.

The history and culture of the Xixia Dynasty clearly demonstrated that the development of Chinese civilization involved a history of interaction, exchange, and integration among various ethnic groups in which they learned from each other and progressed together. Relics from Xixia vividly illustrate how the pattern of a unified yet diverse Chinese civilization took shape.

The author is a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, CASS.