Nastorian Society: First Iranian Immigrant Settlers in China

After Yazgerd III’s rout at the hand of Muslims and upon his death in Marv (651 A.D), a number of House Sassanid members set off for China and were admitted by Emperor Gaozong of Tang (649-683 A.D) to settle in the Chinese territory and were granted the right to establish Fire Temples (Atashkadeh), and practice their religion and rituals. However, prior to their migration to China, a certain Alopen with his entourage had entered the city of Chang-An, the capital city of Tang dynasty, in 635, a few years before the Battle of al-Qadissiyah. These early settlers were Nestorian Christians who, as attests the stone monument ‘Sian-Fu’, had brought with themselves holy scripture and images, and were granted leave to meet Emperor Taizong (626-649 A.D). The outcome of this meeting was the settlement of the first Iranian emigrés, estabslishment of the first church in Chang-An and translation of the first Christian scripture into Chinese. The current research draws upon primary sources, including the Sian-Fu monument, in order to narrate the presence of Nestorian Christians as early signs of Iranian cultural presence in Chinese sources. The findings reaffirm the influential role played by the Nestorian Christians on education and cultural stage of China.