| 英文摘要 |
This paper analyzes the concept of nationality (guo, guojia) in the Tang Dynasty based on an interpretation of the laws regarding ‘offences among the barbarians (huawai ren)' in the Tang Code. Three key points can be distinguished. First, although the idea of barbarians is based on a cultural distinction, in practice the criterion was household registration. Second, the legislators of the Tang Code had a clear definition about two kinds of guo, domestic and foreign. The areas of zhou (prefecture) and xian (county), which were ruled by Chinese emperors, constituted one domestic guo. Third, this paper discusses the identity of these so-called huawai ren. I would like to emphasize that the term huawai ren in clauses of the Tang Code does not refer to foreigners in the common sense, but mainly to diplomatic envoys in public service from foreign countries, including monks and students. Based on this analysis, this paper demonstrates that a system of states did exist in ancient East Asia, although these states were not equal in stature, the heads of the greater being known as di (emperor) and the lesser as wang (king). The paper concludes by juxtaposing the Tang Code's idea of guo with the concept of “empire” (tianxia), arguing that ‘tianxia – guo – jia' is a valid framework for understanding the Chinese imperial polity. |
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