The Unique Position of Yuan Dynasty Record Prose in the Cultural Exchanges Along the Silk Road Between China and the West, and the Embodiment of its Values

Abstract

The Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) marked a pivotal era in cultural and economic exchanges along the Silk Road, fostering unprecedented intercultural interactions. This study investigates the thematic, linguistic, and contextual dimensions of Yuan record prose, examining its documentation of intercultural exchanges, environmental challenges, and cultural hybridity while bridging textual and material culture. A qualitative, exploratory design was employed, integrating textual, comparative, and contextual analyses. Yuan record prose, including administrative records, trade agreements, and personal narratives, was analysed for recurring themes such as trade, technology, and societal integration. In the findings, the role of Yuan record prose as recording intercultural exchanges, environmental problems, and the hybridism of cultures are discussed. Agreements and routes of the seas were mediums that the prose used to demonstrate trade dynamics, demonstrating the importance of trade as overlapping with material culture. A synthesis of diverse traditions was documented extensively on technological diffusion, societal integration and religious practices. Loanwords, idiomatic expressions, and hybrid narratives formed a bridge between nomadic and sedentary governance, and linguistic hybridity was present in these. Resilience is evidenced by environmental adaptations like caravan rerouting and irrigation projects. These results together show how Yuan record prose helped both extend artistic representations, as well as highlight the dynasty's integrative governance. In its exploration of Yuan record prose as a medium, this study contributes to knowledge of Yuan record prose as a multifaceted medium reflecting cultural, economic, and environmental narratives.