The Historical Reception of the Yijing in the Tangut State
The Yijing [Classic of Changes] was an influential Chinese text in the Sinosphere, but its reception in the non Sinic neighboring nations of China remains largely unknown. This is a pioneering study of the popularization and uses of the Yijing in the Tangut state based primarily on Tangut documents unearthed in Khara Khoto, highlighting the ways that the Yijing's symbolism and divination were incorporated into Tangut traditions. Yijing related ideas and practices played a considerable role in different aspects of Tangut culture such as medicine, architecture, art, military strategy, political terminology, calendars, divination and the perception of the world. The Tangut reception of the Yijing was selective and the preference for practical values was obvious. This pioneering study will shed new light on the popularization and localization of the Yijing in non Sinic cultures in Asia and the making of a Yijing cultural sphere in Asia.