Awards

The Qinghai Path was a key corridor of the Silk Road, historically known as the “Tuyuhun Route”, “Henan Route”, “Qiangzhong Route”, and “Huangzhong Route”. It originated in prehistoric times, took shape during the Eastern Zhou, and flourished from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang dynasty. Recent archaeological discoveries along this path, especially in Dulan, reveal the convergence of Tang, Tibetan, Central Asian, and West Asian cultures, enriching the understanding of the Silk Road network. As a major source of Tang dynasty textiles, the newly found textiles are numerous, diverse, and high-quality, ranging from Sogdian to Central Plains types, representing the period’s peak craftsmanship. Despite their significance, systematic study remains limited.

This dissertation examines textiles from the 6th to 8th centuries along the Qinghai Path, including excavations of Tuyuhun and Tibetan tombs, museum collections, recovered artifacts, and overseas collections. Through fieldwork, artifact surveys, and material analysis, it reviews their discovery, collection, conservation and research history. It then analyzes textile types, weaving structures, techniques, patterns, and artistic features. Using iconographic comparison, it traces connections between textile patterns and imagery on other media, and outlines the evolution and genealogy of designs. Finally, from a cross-cultural perspective, it explores provenance, function, chronology, and regional distribution, situating these textiles within Silk Road exchange.

The study clarifies the technological and design development of textiles from the Northern Dynasties to the Tang dynasty, defines a distinct ‘Dulan style,’ and analyzes the garment forms and culture of Tibetan and Tuyuhun. It provides new material-based insights into cross-cultural interaction along the Silk Road.