Modern Social Science Research

The Transformation Text of Zhang Yichao, a genre of storytelling literature discovered among Dunhuang manuscripts, takes the historical deeds of Zhang Yichao, leader of the Guiyi Army in the Tang Dynasty, who recovered and governed the Hexi Corridor as its core subject. It serves as a vivid literary record of ethnic integration along the Silk Road. Eulogizing Zhang Yichao’s achievements in reclaiming Hexi territory and pacifying local ethnic groups, the text reflects the aspiration and recognition of diverse Silk Road ethnic groups toward unified political governance. This paper explores the characteristics of ethnic and cultural integration embodied in the work, and examines the coexistence of traditional Sino-barbarian distinctions and pluralistic ethnic cultural identity in Silk Road regions. It further analyzes the integrated features in stylistic construction, linguistic expression and aesthetic temperament of the bianwen, and probes into the dynamic formation and historical significance of the pluralistic and integrated pattern of Chinese culture during the Tang and Song dynasties.

Bianwen of Zhang Yichao; Multicultural integration; The distinction between Chinese and barbarian cultures; Aesthetic integration