[Joseonggwan's Global Humanities Journey] Which Will the 'Stan Five Brothers' Choose, the US or China?

If there is any unexpected gain from watching the broadcast of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, it might be an increased interest in the five Central Asian countries. For example, while watching the rowing events, we confirmed that Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are powerhouses in canoeing and kayaking in Asia.

The football team faced Kyrgyzstan in the round of 16. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan are familiar countries frequently appearing in the media, but Kyrgyzstan was relatively unfamiliar. The fact that Kyrgyzstan was the number one search term when the football round of 16 match took place speaks volumes about the situation.

Just before the Hangzhou Asian Games, a ‘C5+1’ summit was held in New York. C5 refers to the five Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It was the first time in history that the U.S. president held a summit with the presidents of the five Central Asian countries.

[Joseonggwan's Global Humanities Journey] Which Will the 'Stan Five Brothers' Choose, the US or China?

‘Stan’ means country or land in Persian. Therefore, the media refers to the five Central Asian countries as the ‘five Stans.’ The ‘five Stans’ share four major commonalities. First, they all became independent countries after breaking away from the Soviet Union at the end of 1991. Traces of 45 years of Soviet rule remain everywhere. Some countries maintain authoritarian regimes. The most distinctive feature is their names. Male surnames end with ‘-ov,’ and female surnames often end with ‘-ya’ or ‘-ba.’

The second is from an ethnic perspective. The ‘five Stans’ are mainly descendants of non-European nomadic and equestrian peoples. The Turkic tribes we learned about in history class are included among these non-European nomadic equestrian peoples. Third, all the ‘five Stans’ practice Islam. Lastly, the ‘five Stans’ are rich in underground resources, including rare earth elements.

China has long had its eyes on the ‘five Stans.’ Ahead of the September New York ‘C5+1’ meeting, in May, Xi Jinping invited the ‘five Stans’ to Xi’an in Shaanxi Province to hold the ‘China-Central Asia Summit.’

The U.S. and China compete to bring the ‘five Stans’ to their side. Which side will the ‘five Stans’ choose? Geographically, China seems to have the advantage. Historically, the ‘five Stans’ were once within China’s sphere of influence.

Why did Xi Jinping invite the ‘five Stans’ to Xi’an instead of Beijing? It was to emphasize China’s deep historical ties with the ‘five Stans.’

Xi’an was the capital of 13 Chinese dynasties and was called Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty. Xi’an was a key transportation hub to the Western Regions and the starting point of the Silk Road. In fact, Xi’an has a huge caravan sculpture commemorating the starting point of the Silk Road.

A monument commemorating the Silk Road caravan in Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China. The figure leading at the front is a Sogdian guide.
Photo by Seonggwan Cho

A caravan loaded with goods on camels and horses sets off toward the Western Regions. At the front of this caravan is a guide whose facial features differ significantly from the Chinese figures behind him. He is a Sogdian. The Sogdians were Persian nomads who built the Sogdian civilization in Central Asia before the Common Era and prospered. The Sogdians were intermediaries in Silk Road caravan trade. Without them, caravans could not traverse the Silk Road.

The ‘five Stans’ are countries located along the Silk Road route. Between China and Central Asia lies a vast desert: the Taklamakan Desert. The Silk Road splits into two routes, north and south, to avoid this desert, which is said to be impossible to survive once entered. Whichever route is chosen, one must pass through the ‘five Stans.’

China gave the West three things: paper, gunpowder, and the compass. The Taiwanese-Japanese historian Jin Sunshin traced the long journey of Eastern paper to the West. Reading his masterpiece ‘Paper Road’ enlightens the reader. Paper is both the beginning and the end of civilization.

In 105 AD, Cai Lun, a eunuch of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China, developed paper. Before paper, humanity used clay tablets, papyrus, parchment, and bamboo slips as communication tools. Papyrus was fragile, parchment was heavy and expensive, and bamboo slips were bulky and heavy. Human history can be seen as a quest for faster and more convenient communication methods.

The event that transmitted Chinese paper to the West through Central Asia was the Battle of Talas in 751. Talas is a city near the northern border of present-day Kyrgyzstan. In the valley through which the Talas River flows, Islamic forces clashed with Tang Dynasty troops.

Let’s look at world history centered on Central Asia in the mid-8th century. The Tang Dynasty (618?907) ruled the Chinese continent as a unified empire, enjoying the world’s highest civilization and exerting strong centripetal force on neighboring countries. Although the Silk Road passing through Central Asia was outside Tang territory, the magnetic field of the world’s strongest empire extended there.

Its influence reached as far east as Gyeongju in Silla. The Sogdians even entered Silla, distributing Western cultural goods. A prime example is the face of the warrior statues guarding the tomb of King Wonseong, the 38th ruler of Silla.

Muinseok (Military Stone Statue) of King Wonseong, the 38th ruler of Silla. [Photo by Gyeongju City Tourism Resources Video Image]

At around the same time, Islam was roaring fiercely in the Western Regions. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, fled persecution and moved to Medina on the Arabian Peninsula, making it a base for proselytizing. Afterward, Islam rapidly expanded its power centered on the Arabian desert. Islam, which advocated the unity of religion and politics, was ruled by a caliph in the territories it controlled.

Islam expanded eastward, overthrowing the Sassanian dynasty of Persia (Iran). Having taken control of Persia, Islam escaped the limitations of a desert religion, established the framework of a world religion, and built an empire. Islam then expanded its influence in all directions from Persia. Under the Abbasid Caliphate, the Islamic Empire actively sought to control Central Asia, the heart of the Silk Road. Central Asia was a battleground where Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christian sects were mixed and competing. If only they could conquer Central Asia...

To conclude, the Tang forces suffered a crushing defeat in the five-day Battle of Talas. Two reasons contributed to the defeat of the world’s strongest Tang army at Talas. One was the complex political situation within Tang in 751, which led to little emphasis on the Central Asian expedition. The other was that the nomadic tribes allied with the Tang army sided with the Islamic forces at a critical moment. The Tang commander was Gao Xianzhi, originally from Goguryeo.

What we should note here is that China did not regard this defeat as significant. This was because the battle took place outside Tang territory, so no land was lost. The Battle of Talas was a clash of civilizations. Samuel Huntington’s predicted ‘clash of civilizations’ occurred 1,200 years ago in Talas, Central Asia.

The Tang referred to Islam as ‘Da Shi.’ Among the Tang soldiers captured by the Da Shi, there was a paper-making technician, and shortly afterward, paper production began in Samarkand, Central Asia. Then, along the Silk Road, paper and papermaking techniques were transmitted to Europe via Constantinople and Venice. When Christian civilization acquired paper, the most advanced communication tool, the center of world history finally shifted from East to West.

The Tang Empire fell in 907. Afterward, the Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties rose and fell on the Chinese continent. These dynasties showed little interest in Central Asia. After Constantinople fell to Islam in 1453 and the Silk Road was blocked, Central Asia completely faded from China’s attention. Meanwhile, Islam took control of the entire Central Asian region, completing the Islamization of the Eurasian continent.

Adjacent to Central Asia is the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where Turkic nomadic Uygurs are the majority. Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region shares ethnic, historical, and religious affinities with the ‘five Stans.’ The Uygurs are called Hu?h? (回紇) in Chinese. Because the Hu?h? people practice Islam, Islam is called Hu?ji?o (回?) in Chinese.

What choice will the ‘five Stans’ make? Having deeply experienced the Soviet communist system, the ‘five Stans’ have tasted freedom for over 30 years. They are currently quietly watching the atrocities China is committing in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.