Hansen’s article describes life in Changan during the Tang Dynasty. It seems as though life in Changan was highly organized. Much thought was put into the layout of the city; the market had to be in the north while the emperor’s audience hall must face the south so that his back is facing the market. This is to illustrate that the status of a person involved in commerce was low. The negative view attributed to people involved in commerce and the city layout are examples of a society based on class. Also the essay mentions a story of a young man who cannot escape his class no matter what he does, which again illustrates that social class was important and there was little mobility among the classes. This is not unique to Changan, this is a theme found in many articles that I have read for this class. The markets were also heavily supervised by the government. There was a market supervisor who over saw everything that had to do with the market including checking the quality of goods, currency, etc. This reminded me of the society that I live in today. We have departments in the government that regulate things like goods and currency to this day. However the merchants were not the only ones who were under government supervision, the commoners also experienced this. Therefore everyone in Changan was controlled by the government, illustrating again an organized society.
Bundy`s Missiological Reflections on Nestorian Christianity in China During the Tang Dynasty argues that the Nestorians did have an impact in China during the Tang Dynasty however not a great one. The essay states that foreigners in China China China China
