"Draft Tang and Silla: Imitation and Unique Characteristics"의 두 판 사이의 차이

2017년 8월 21일 (월) 20:56 판

1차 원고

The culture of the Silla Kingdom was both directly and indirectly influenced by China. While Silla waged war with the Tang Dynasty on and off for many years, it took due note of Tang's political systems. Silla, aspiring to build a unified nation with strong royal authority, adopted the Tang’s political systems centering on the emperor. It also stressed Confucian political ideologies, establishing a Confucian education institute named Gukhak and a civil service exam system based on Confucian texts.

Many Silla scholars went to study in China and the best of them were selected through exams to serve as government officials, most notably Choe Chiwon. Silla Buddhist monks also went to study in China, the most famous being Uisang, who established the Hwaeom School of Buddhism in Korea when he returned.

Active exchanges between Silla and Tang is evidenced by the residential areas and Buddhist temples for the Silla people that existed in the Tang capital of Changan (today's Xian). In the 9th century, a trading port named Cheonghaejin was established on the central west coast of the Korean Peninsula for maritime trade between Silla and Tang; that area is now called Dangjin.

But Silla culture should not be seen as a copy of Chinese culture. While Silla actively adopted the advanced civilization of Tang, many intellectuals stressed the importance of their native culture. For example, the Tang civil service exam system was not fully implemented because of Silla's unique social class system, the "bone rank system," which regulated political and social activities according to birth and blood ties.

The great Buddhist master Wonhyo, who attained enlightenment at Dangjin and declined to go study in Tang along with his friend Uisang, belonged to the class of scholars, artists, and religious leaders. One of the most influential Buddhist figures of his time, he wrote many books, including an important Commentary on the Awakening of Mahayana Faith scripture. The intellectual accomplishments of Wonhyo and Uisang influenced the further development of Buddhism in China and Asia for the next millennium. His son, Seol Chong, a Confucian scholar, was credited with systemizing Idu, a method of writing the Korean language using Chinese characters.

The achievements of figures like these attest to the way Silla's culture shared mutual influences with Tang as it developed into a rich culture with its own unique identity.