亚美尼亚人和中国

Armenians and China

学界关于古代中国与亚美尼亚等中亚国家的交流历史向来鲜人问津。本文在仔细披寻语言、历法、宗教和艺术等领域史料的基础之上提出,中国与亚美尼亚之间的交往具有深厚的历史渊源。公元前夕,亚美尼亚人便在中国与罗马帝国及其继承者间扮演了中介的角色。公元初期,其与中国汉朝间通过大夏王朝开始交往,这种往来至唐代得到加强,自此亚美尼亚商人的形象开始为中国所熟悉,而关于中国唐朝的地理、政治结构等的叙述也时现于亚美尼亚人的文字记载中。蒙古人征服亚美尼亚后,不仅驱动了其与中国之间的间接交流,也在大都、泉州等地形成了亚美尼亚人聚居区,这些亚美尼亚人相继大规模地皈依天主教。近代以来,亚美尼亚人沿着印度和波斯商人的足迹来到中国,在中国境内从事着贸易活动。

The exchange history of ancient China and Central Asian countries such as Armenia is rarely visited by scholars.In this article,it is asserted that the exchange between the two countries is embedded with deep historical root,which is based on careful examination of the documents of languages,calendars,religions and arts.As early as before Christ,Armenians had played the role of intermediator between China and Roman Empire and its successors.In the early years of the first century,it began to contact with the Han Dynasty via Daxia Kingdom（tokhara） and the exchange got strengthened in the Tang when the image of Armenian businessmen came to be familiar with Chinese people.Meanwhile,the accounts of the geography and political structures of the Tang frequently appeared in the written records of Armenian.After the Mongol conquest of Armenia,the indirect exchange between it and China was spurred,and Armenian inhabitations formed in Chinese cities such as Dadu and Quanzhou.These Armenian people continued to convert to Catholicism in large scale.In modern times,Armenian came to China along the trails of Indian and Persian merchants.They engaged in trade activities in China.