In ancient China, harmony was a way to strengthen international relations, common in many dynasties. For example, in the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu made peace, and the Tang Dynasty also made peace with the Tibetans and Turks. Although this meant marrying away from home for the princess, it seemed trivial compared to the stories mentioned below. This particular princess, named Kokoma, was married in an unbelievably distant place where the king had died when she arrived.
This fascinating story is vividly recorded in the Travels of Marco Polo. Kuo Kuozhen was born in the Yuan Dynasty, a dynasty with a large territory. Genghis Khan's descendants continued their conquests, conquering the Jin Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty, Western Xia, and even all of Central Asia and Khorizm, all the way to Europe. This led to the creation of the four khanates, one of which was the westernmost Ilkhanate (later known as the Ilkhanate), which is now Turkey and Afghanistan. And Kokuozhen's marriage was a marriage with the king of the Ilkhanate, Aruhun.
Imagine the distance of this journey, when Genghis Khan personally conquered the flower thorn and rode for nearly two years. Horses need to rest, they need to graze, and people need to rest. After the marriage was determined, the route had to be carefully planned within the Yuan Dynasty.
If you choose to travel by land, you will face many difficulties, passing through mountains, snow-capped mountains, deserts, large lakes and grasslands, and the dangers along the way are unpredictable. Considering the princess's delicate status, the fastest means of transportation at that time was a horse-drawn carriage.
However, given the abundance of the princess's dowry, the carriage procession will become quite long, which will significantly slow down the march. It would take at least seven or eight years, and by the time the party reached its destination, the princess would probably be old and the daylily would be cold. What's more, in the event of a natural disaster or banditry, the princess's safety cannot be guaranteed.
Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty decided to choose the waterway and set off by boat from Quanzhou. However, taking a boat is also a long and difficult journey. At that time, the navigation technology was not yet mature, and natural conditions such as waves and monsoons had a great impact on the family sending process.
From the Strait of Malacca across the Indian Ocean to the Ilkhanate, the whole process took more than two years. When the princess was happily preparing to go ashore to get married, she was told by the messenger that the king Aruhun was dead and that the new king was Aruhun's brother Qihedu. The new king did not want to marry the princess, so he betrothed her to the late king's son, Ghazan.
Interestingly, Ghazan, who was supposed to inherit the throne, later staged a coup d'état to regain the throne. As a result, the princess of the Yuan Dynasty became a princess again, and her fate was unpredictable. This story not only gives us an insight into the customs of ancient Wakin, but also shows the great challenges of transportation, politics and diplomacy at that time.
The ancient system of kinship was a way of establishing friendly relations between nations, strengthening the bonds between them through marriage. However, this system also revealed some deficiencies in the society of the time, such as the safety of the princess and the lack of marriage rights. While tracing history, we should also reflect on the impact of these institutions on the fate of individuals, and what these issues have for today's society.
In contemporary times, the establishment of international relations no longer depends on the marriage of royal families, but pays more attention to equality and respect for national sovereignty. However, there are some lessons we can learn from the ancient system of peace and affinity, such as careful consideration of long-distance travel and safety, and respect for the will of all parties in foreign affairs. Through an in-depth understanding of history, we can better understand the evolution of the world and achieve a more lasting peace in today's society.
Overall, Kuo Kuozhen's marriage journey is not only an ancient history, but also an adventure across time and space. This story reminds us that while pursuing national interests, we must also pay attention to the rights and security of individuals. Perhaps, in contemporary society, we can build international relations in a more intelligent and egalitarian way, so that everyone can live in an environment of respect and dignity.