The commercial metropolis was once a world-class city.
The Northern Wei Dynasty was founded by the Xianbei people, an ancient ethnic group with lofty ambitions. They established their capital at Datong, naming it Pingcheng. After establishing their capital, they swept away the remnants of the Sixteen Kingdoms and controlled most of China. In constructing Pingcheng, they revered Confucianism and Confucius, guided by ritualistic principles such as impartiality, hierarchical order, and filial piety. They pioneered the practice of urban planning centred on a central axis.
The city's layout and architecture were exceptionally orderly, housing a population exceeding one million. This demographic scale surpassed that of Chang'an and Luoyang during the Han and Jin dynasties, as well as Byzantium and Constantinople in the ancient Roman West, truly qualifying it as a world-class metropolis. Coupled with advanced handicrafts and a transport network linking the Silk Road to the west and maritime routes to Goryeo and Japan in the east, caravans and merchant convoys thronged its streets, transforming it into a bustling commercial metropolis.
Sacred Buddhist Sites Preserve World-Class Cave Art
From the reign of Emperor Wencheng onwards, the veneration of Buddhism became a cornerstone of the Northern Wei dynasty. The concept of the ‘unity of Buddha and Emperor’ consolidated imperial authority while fostering the creation of numerous Buddhist cave artworks, such as the Yungang Grottoes and the earlier Five Caves of Tan Yao. The artistry of the Yungang Grottoes is now recognised as a world-class intangible cultural heritage.
As successive Northern Wei emperors increasingly promoted Buddhism, Empress Dowager Feng, during her regency, continued the excavation of the Yungang Grottoes and extensively built temples. Within Pingcheng, temples numbered over a hundred, with the constant sounds of scripture translation, copying, and prayers for blessings and prosperity, propelling Buddhism to its zenith. Even today, one can still sense the symphony of morning bells and evening drums in Datong. Temples such as Huayan Temple, Shanhua Temple, and Fahua Temple remain sacred Buddhist sites shrouded in incense smoke.
Reform Stage: Forging Pingcheng's Splendour
Pingcheng-Datong during the Northern Wei dynasty also served as a stage for political reform. With Empress Feng's support and assistance, Emperor Xiaowen diligently governed, enacting a series of reform measures. He lifted the ban on private land ownership, summoned farmers back to their ancestral lands, and encouraged nomadic herders to settle and take up farming. He overhauled the bureaucracy, implemented equal land distribution and tax reforms, nationalised land, and redistributed it according to population, thereby altering the prevailing state where ‘the wealthy possessed thousands of acres of fertile land while the poor had nowhere to stand’.
Comprehensive Sinicisation policies were implemented, alongside vigorous promotion of education, ritual systems, and cultural reform. These multifaceted reforms propelled the Northern Wei dynasty to unprecedented strength, ushering in its most glorious era. Thus, Pingcheng-Datong truly served as a stage for reform.
The Cradle of Ethnic Integration: The Tang Dynasty Emerged from Here
Ethnic integration in China has deep historical roots, occurring naturally throughout various eras. Yet the Northern Wei's integration was a policy-driven process, unfolding subtly and imperceptibly. They cultivated the land meticulously alongside the Han people; promoted Buddhism, allowing all to dissolve ethnic barriers and divisions through devout incense-burning, scripture recitation, and Buddhist worship; They extensively appointed Han scholars, promoted education, and embraced Han culture. They also adapted customs, adopting Han practices for marriage and funerals, thereby achieving intermarriage between Hu and Han peoples and profound ethnic integration.
It can be said that Pingcheng-Datong in history witnessed the rise and fall of the Northern Wei dynasty, serving as a pivotal link in Chinese history. Without the Northern Wei and Pingcheng, the golden age of the Tang Dynasty would not have been possible, highlighting its immense historical significance.
