[May 13th CGTN Japanese]On the 12th, which is “Mother’s Day,” the program on China Central Broadcasting and Television Center (China Media Group/CMG) is about how people from the Tang Dynasty, more than 1,000 years ago, are far away. I introduced a letter I wrote to my mother.

It is a letter written by a man named Zhao Yishen in the Tang Dynasty to his mother. Translated into modern language, it says, “Mom, when I heard that your brother was promoted to the rank of “Yun-Kai Lieutenant” (a government position), I also wrote a letter to his mother. (Name) was also very happy. From now on, please stop asking people to give me gifts and keep them for yourself. Iko and I are like little birds that have left the nest. I am building my own nest in a foreign land, but deep down I am always thinking about my hometown,” he wrote in a letter filled with nostalgia as he expressed his feelings for his mother. Juzi is the name of Mr. Zhao’s wife.

“Suyori other land, Gyoya shikyo (Always think of home, even though you are far away)” were the words of Zhao.

In 646, Zhao wrote Words from the Heart in Luoyang, central China. A thousand years later, this letter was unearthed from the Astana Tumulus in Turpan, Xinjiang, in northwestern China. The Astana Tumulus is a cemetery for residents of Gaochang’s old city, and Zhao’s mother is buried here. Luoyang and Turpan are more than 3,000 kilometers apart, and during the Tang Dynasty it felt like the end of the earth. It also makes me think about the reason why Cho moved so far away from his parents.

In addition, Gaochang City was a strategic point on the ancient Silk Road, and during the Tang Taizong era, King Gaochang’s Kowentai blocked traffic between the Central Plains area and the western region, monopolizing trade on the Silk Road. In 640, Tang Taizong Li Shimin sent troops west to take back Gaochang, and the Koji clan was ordered to move to the Central Plains. It is highly likely that Zhao moved to Luoyang in response to this incident.

Furthermore, judging from the text of the letter, it is estimated that the correspondence from Luoyang to Gaochang would normally take three months. The ancient Chinese postal system was called “ekiden,” and was set up by government offices to transport documents and goods. However, due to limited transportation capacity, ordinary people were not able to take advantage of the national relay races. For this reason, ordinary people had no choice but to ask their acquaintances to provide correspondence. (c)CGTN Japanese/AFPBB News