The Dark Barbarians, who inhabited and developed east of Tibet and south of the Dadu River between the Sui and the Tang Dynasty, maintained close relations with the central dynasties and Tibet. However, down to the Tang Dynasty, with the change of relations between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet, the Tang court regarded governance of the Dark Barbarians as an important chip to adjust and develop its relations with Tibet. Meanwhile, in this period of time, the Dark Barbarians in Nanzhao took a special geographic position, which caused their relations with the Tang court and Tibet to be eraspecific “triangular relations”, now governed by the Tang court now attached to Tibet according to changes of situation. However, by means of war, paying tributes and receiving rewards, the Dark Barbarians developed and strengthened their economic and cultural relations with the inland Tang court. In the meantime they maintained close political, economic, cultural and social relations with the White Barbarians and other branches of their own nationality and steadily consolidated their political rule and government of the Yue ethnics. With wars against and rule of the Biao kingdom on the IndoChina Peninsula, the Dark Barbarians developed their relations of goods exchange and cultural intercourse with the Biao people and other foreign ethnics.

ethnical relations in the Sui and the Tang Dynasty; the Dark Barbarians; the White Barbarians; Tibet; Nanzhao; the Yue ethnics