Abe no nakamaro

Abe no nakamaro （698-770）from Nara, Japan, was a famous overseas student sent to the Tang Dynasty.

Since the Pre-Qin period, China has interacted with surrounding countries through the sea route. This trend not only led to more and more frequent seaborne trade between the Tang Dynasty and other countries, but also rapidly evolved cultural exchange. Cultural interaction became an important theme of the Maritime Silk Road.

C. 717 Abe no nakamaro reached Chang’an with a diplomatic mission to the Tang Dynasty. The scene in the glorious age of the Tang Dynasty deeply shocked these ambitious young men. After finishing study, the diplomatic mission returned to Japan but Abe no nakamaro decided to stay in the Tang Dynasty to learn its culture.

Abe no nakamaro studied very hard. After graduation, he attended the imperial competitive examination and became a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination. He was much appreciated by the emperor Xuanzong and began a smooth official career.

After living in China for 17 years, Abe no nakamaro gradually became homesick. Approved by Xuanzong, he was on his way home. Encountering a mishap, he returned to Chang’an and never went back to Japan. In 770 Abe no nakamaro died in Chang’an at the age of 77.

The flourishing age of the Tang Dynasty is also the period in which culture was developed and thriving. Overseas students dispatched to the Tang Dynasty, of whom Abe no nakamaro was the representative, came across the sea to China finally died in the Tang Dynasty or benefited Japan, contributing much to Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges.