Rumination on the Images of Tang Horses in Taiping Guangji:Discussing the Social Psychology of the Tang People
The large class book Taiping Guangji contained many bizarre stories about the Tang people and horses,portraying the diverse images of Tang horses,called dragon horses and miraculous horses.The dragon horses were auspicious on earth and brought good expectations.Miraculous horses showed the duality and complexity.Among them,the good miraculous horses were brave and loyal,and their love and hatred were clear,which reflected the understanding of horses after being tamed,which meaned good luck and enlightenment.The weird miraculous horses,who were reincarnated debtors.Their nature was wild and capricious,changing with others,punishing evil and revenging,which indicated disasters.By observing the real life between people of different classes and horses,and integrating the thoughts of Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism that were already popular at that time,the Tang people constructed the image of a horse that was extraordinary,loyal,upright and hardworking,and fully expressed their awe of horses.The absurd and bizarre records of equestrian calamities not only reflected the changes of the current situation,but also presented the profound influence of the theological superstition of Yin and Yang disasters on the Tang people.