Daisy Jiang
Class 1 Grade 3
Beijing No.2 Middle School
International Division
In order to understand the real relationship between ancient China and the Huns lived in the Mongolia plateau two thousand yearsago, I looked up some information from Chinese history book and online solutions. Two thousand years ago, the Huns and ancient china were facing really serious diplomatic situation. Because of the extremely terrible living environment in the Mongolia plateau, the traditional and backward ways of production, and the savage reign of the king-ChanYu, the Huns suffered from lack of daily necessities and unstable life conditions. Relatively, ancient China during the Han dynasty had rich people, fertile ground, wide variety of production, and strict political system. There were abundant difference between these two ancient countries and because the huge differences, Huns to the Han dynasty began a steady stream of attacks to plunder food, lifestyle products, and large number of labor forces. The wars between these two countries continued for nearly one thousand years. Those wars caused millions of people died and uncountable lose in money and property. However, in my opinion,those wars were not only disasters to people lived in these two countries, but also a very good chance of the fusion of different cultures. Also, thanks to these wars, the communication and business trade between several ancient Asian countries became more and more prosperity.
Birth histories as China’s earliest nomadic country, Huns deeply influenced the development of culture of Han dynasty lived in Central Plains. Huns were long lived in Mongolia plateau with powerful nationnomadic living ways and wars, which makes countries of different dynasty in China deeply dread. The formation of the national history of the Huns was hard and complicated, and the explanation of their brutal folk customs caused more damage to other residence lived on the Mongolia plateau. Pampered man could not survive under the bad circumstances, the extremely cold weather in Mongolia plateau shaped the Huns also to have a dogged determination fighting spirit that Chinese people did not have. In sense, if there were no friction between the Huns and the Central Plains States of war, the Han dynasty and later dynasties were notseen to the diverse cultures of the western world.
The conflict between Huns and the Han dynasty showed more in the tug with the Western World. Since Chinese had more powerful economic and military strength, the Western World preferred to have more trade with the Han dynasty rather than have trade with dangerous Huns government, which caused a great resentment among Huns. Two side started competing for the right of trade,and the road of trading was forced to be created--the Silk Road. There were plenty of business products trade through this road and the road even reached the edge of eastern Mediterranean.
Because of this, due to friction with the Huns, Han dynasty alliances with the Western World, also, Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain continuously sent to the Western World through the Silk Road and bonds a really strong relationship of trading. Also, best varieties of horses and colorful new fruits were sent into the Central Plains of China. Silk Roads promoted economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and contributed to the prosperity of the Han dynasty, then had a strong impact to the later world. Although Huns kept starting national wars with south living dynasties, Han people and Huns people both learned from each other and promote mutual development. Finally, these two contradictory cultures clash and eventually integrated in the long river of history.
