« 2026. # 1 (187)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 1 (187), 138—143

UDK: 930.23/.85:327.82(4/5-44:510)”05/07″(09)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

The date the article was first submitted to the publication 3.12.2025

The date the article was accepted for publication after review 1.02.2026

The date of publication (publication)

FEATURES OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN BYZANTIUM AND CHINA IN THE SUI (581—618 AD) AND TANG (618—907 AD) DYNASTIES

KOZLOVSKYI Serhii

• ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4590-2433
• Ph.D (in History), Associate Professor,
• Department of Medieval History and Byzantine Studies,
• Ivan Franko National University of Lviv,
• 1, Universytetska str., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
• Contacts: e-mail: serg.kozlovskyy@gmail.com

Abstract. The article is devoted to the analysis of the formation and development of political, trade, and cultural-religious relations between Constantinople and China of the Sui and Tang dynasties in the Early Middle Ages.

The relevance of the topic is determined by the need for a comprehensive rethinking of early medieval diplomatic relations in modern historical science, in particular the role of the Silk Road as a channel not only of economic, but also of civilizational interaction between the two largest empires of the continent, as well as the insufficient study of direct Byzantine-Chinese interaction in both Ukrainian-language and world his-toriographies.

The purpose of the article is to clarify the nature and intensity of contacts between Byzantium and China in the 6^th—8^th centuries, to show the common features and differences of their foreign policy, and to determine the reasons why these relations, despite their activity, did not acquire strategic significance for both sides.

Research methods: comparative historical, historical-geographical, numismatic analysis, critical comparison of Byzantine and Chinese written sources, as well as modern works of Western and Chinese researchers.

Results. The article establishes that Chinese diplomacy interpreted Byzantium (Fulin) within the framework of the concept of «conditional vassalage», while Byzantium viewed China as a potential ally against common enemies (Arabs, Turkic). The chronology of diplomatic missions sent by the Romans to China (643, 667?, 701?, 711, 719, 742) and the nature of the gifts (jewels, glass, exotic animals) are established. The importance of the Silk Road in the circulation of Byzantine gold and silver is proven. This is evidenced by the fact that more than 100 Byzantine coins and their imitations, dating from the reign of Theodosius II (408—450) to Constantine V (741—775), were discovered in the burials of Chinese officials of the indicated eras. At the same time, a sign of Roman influences in the Middle Kingdom was the short-lived flourishing of Nestorian Christianity during 635—845, which was manifested in the construction of temples in the capital of the Sui and Tang states  — Chang’an (modern Xi’an, Shanxi province, China), translations of sacred texts and borrowing elements of Greek mythology in Chinese art of the era.

Keywords: diplomacy, Byzantium, China, Tang dynasty, Fulin, Silk Road, solidus, Middle Ages, Turkic, nomads.

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