Sinicized Tibetan Empire?

Dorozhand

Banned
An idea just popped into my head at random concerning a wanked Tibetan Empire. IIRC the Tibetans actually captured Chang'an briefly during one of their wars with Tang at the zenith of their power. Now, let's say Tibet had ended up, by whatever means (perhaps a breakup of Tang from within coinciding?), totally defeating Tang, afterwards establishing permanent control over swathes of western China, from Ordos through Chengdu to Yunnan and including a significant portion of Yellow River plain.

Could these conquests have spurred a Sinicization of the Tibetan Empire in the same mode as the previous Turkic dynasties during Eastern Jin and OTL's Jurchen and Mongols? If so, what would such a state and culture look like, and what would the exchanges look like, and effects on subsequent Tibetan history be?
 
I think this is a very interesting idea. In effect, the Yuan Dynasty caused a heavy cultural exchange between Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian culture. I imagine something more similar and to a greater degree of cultural shifts. I think Tibetans do sometimes (traditionally and not due to modern CCP) use chopsticks as an eating utensil, but its use is not dominant, so perhaps that would solidify?

I wonder if anyone is more capable of expanding on this topic; definitely is worth exploring.
 
Sinicization of the Tibetan Empire will be more difficult than the Turkic nomads, if only because it's more difficult to see large swathes of the Tibetan population/leadership migrating into China proper after conquest, unlike the previous Turkic nomads.

Owing to the sheer distance and size of the land they have to control, it's quite likely that the Tibetans will have to rely on other ethnicities to assist in imperial governance. Arabs, Turkics and Sogdians will be brought in to govern parts of China as jiedushi (since they have no local loyalty), and Han sent to govern places in Central Asia.

Over time this will probably result in the emergence of a cosmopolitan Han-Turkic-Tibetan elite: not just in terms of Tibetans being more Han, but also the Han becoming more Tibetan. One assumes this means greater influence of Tibetan Buddhism, but also a continuation of the extensive Turkic influence that permeated Sui and Tang elite life (e.g. interest in martial activities, less gender role differentiation, cosmopolitanism and so on). The state structure would also likely see the continuation of aristocratic rule in China, and delay the emergence of the meritocratic-bureaucratic state.

I doubt Tibet proper will ever be Sinicized (any Sinicized Tibetan emperor would likely see Tibet revolt away, just as the Northern Wei saw the defection of its homelands after Emperor Xiaowen's reforms), but re-Sinicization of Chinese elites will probably come about either through the re-establishment of an indigenous Chinese dynasty, or through an extensive reform movement.
 
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