EACS-2016. Book of Abstracts

Section 11 21st Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies 127 the character of the dualistic system, and the role of Kublai and his successors in its formation, still con- tinues. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of this dualistic system by examining the admin- istrative policies applied to Han Buddhism in Southeastern China. Kublai established new strategies and administrative practices, such as the independent administration of Buddhist affairs by Tibetan Buddhist appointees. His policy represented an extension of Mongol tradition rather than the absorption of Song strategy. However, this original policy changed significantly during the middle and late Yuan period. As administrative power independent of the civilian bureaucracy diminished, a dual administrative policy evolved and experienced several rounds of reform. As we shall see, in the broader sweep of the transition of Buddhist administration in Southeastern China from the early to the late Yuan, Kublai’s influence in the formation and operation of the hybrid administrative system was not especially significant. At least in the field of Buddhist administration, the dualistic system was implemented only in the mid to late Yuan. Furthermore, while on the one hand Mongol supremacy was reflected in the emphasis of Mongolian fac- tors on the dual system, and in the various reforms implemented by governors serving the Yuan, on the other hand we see Han strategies gradually rose to prominence in the course of practical administrative operations. Thus, the administration of Buddhist affairs reflected a continuous negotiated path between Mongolian traditions and Han ways, based on discrepancies between the rulers’ aspirations and the practi- cal operations of government. Xing Yun (Fudan University) The Collapse of the Uighur Empire and the Northern Frontier Formation of the Late Tang Dynasty Key words: Late Tang Dynasty, the Great Wall Area, the Uighur Empire, Frontier This project examines the Changcheng frontier (i. e. the frontier area along the GreatWall) Of the late Tang Dynasty. After the collapse of the Uighur Empire in 840s, a variety of ethnic groups along the Changcheng frontier ( Tangut, tartar, Xi, Khitan etc.) seized such an opportunity and expanded quickly, which profoundly influenced the political situation of late Tang Dynasty or even the trend of history afterward. However, until now the Changcheng frontier of Late Tang Dynasty lacks thorough discussion. Issues still need further study such as the specific form of frontier (linear? zonal?) in different time periods and places, the governance method of Tang in the frontier area, the social formation in the frontier area in the drier and colder climate compared with former period etc. This project aims to take the collapse of the Uighur Empire and its pressure on Changcheng frontier in 840s as an example to analyze the formation of Changcheng frontier in late Tang period. For instance, as to the fluctuation of the Tuntian system (a state- promoted system of agriculture) and the troops in Changcheng frontier, we should take into consideration not only the deployment of troops in the whole northern frontier in accordance with Tang’s internal and external affairs but also the changes in agricultural and livestock productivity in cold climate as well. Dif- ferent from former studies which mainly discussed the relationship between Tang and other peripheral countries or the migration of various ethnic groups, this study concentrated on the frontier itself, aiming to combine the analysis of both the natural and social environments as a way to figure out the vicissitude of the social formation of the frontier and its impact on Tang Dynasty. Yates Robin (McGill University) Gifts, Tribute, and Tax: Exchange Relations with the Imperial Center in the Qin and Han Dynasties Key words: Tribute system, ritual, emperor, Songbai boards, taxation Among the boards discovered in Songbai Han tomb no. 1, Jingzhou, Hubei Province, in late 2004, which are as yet still not officially published, was one which recorded Han legal ordinance Collection C no. 9, proclaimed in 170 BCE. This ordinance required the provision of certain quantities of loquat fruit as “tribute” (xian) to the emperor by some counties in the middle Yangzi River region. Why was