Open lecture by Sergei Dmitriev “Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty: From Emperor to Street Merchant”

On November 26, an open lecture by Sergei Dmitriev “Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty: From Emperor to Street Merchant” was held in the Center of Oriental Literature of the Russian State Library.

Sergey Dmitriev is a candidate of historical sciences, a leading researcher of the China Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Ancient and Medieval History of China section, associate professor of the Philosophy of the East Department of the Philosophy Faculty of the Russian State University and the Oriental Studies Department of the Faculty of International Politics of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, author of lecture courses on Chinese history (in cooperation with Arche, given in Russian) and Chinese religions (in cooperation with Non-Fictional Education, given in Russian). On November 26, he gave a lecture “Everyday Life in the Tang Dynasty: From Emperor to Street Vendor.”

174 people registered for the meeting, and together with the lecturer they were able to immerse themselves in the world of medieval China, namely the Tang Empire. After the lecture there were many questions, all of which were answered by Sergey Dmitriev.

Our team has prepared a summary of the lecture:

The first part of the lecture was devoted to a brief excursion into the history of China and its foreign policy position. Special attention was paid to Empress Wu Zetian and Tang Emperor Xuanzong as characteristic figures of that era.

During the Tang period there was also a change in religious thought, associated with the spread of Buddhism. Sergey Dmitriev told the story of the monk Xuan-tszang, about his march to India for sutras and its reflection in the literary tradition, in particular, one of the four great Chinese novels “Journey to the West” is devoted to this story.

The lecture also dealt with the culinary matter: what traditions and food habits appeared in the Tang era. For example, sugar and black pepper came from India, tea was spread among the southern nobility, although tea traditions at that time were very different from the modern ones, and more often heat-treated food was used.

It was in the Tang era that changes in the everyday life of ordinary people took place. Because of the cold weather, high furniture (such as chairs and tables) appeared. The kan stove, which also served as a bed, became widespread. There were changes in all areas of life, which is partly why the Tang era is considered the golden age in Chinese history.

In addition, Sergei answered many questions: he explained the reason for the rise of China, the presence of citizenship and self-consciousness as a separate people in the Han Chinese, the importance of state examinations, and even touched on the sexual life of that period.

The lecture turned out to be very enlightening. The Oriental Dialogues project team would like to thank all the participants and invite them to the upcoming events!