the ‘outside’ other 71
rulers of the weakened Chinese state aimed at imposing some ideas of
the Uighur court concerning religious politics.^213 A. Khazanov stresses
the fact that Manichaeism was established in the Uighur khaganate
immediately aft er the end of the An Lu-shan’s rebellion (755–763),
which was disastrous for the Chinese Empire. Khazanov describes how
the political confrontation with the Middle Kingdom was “translated
into the language of religious opposition”.^214
C. Mackerras also points out that in 768 A.D. the khagan managed
to persuade the emperor to give permission for building Manichaean
temples in China; perhaps, says Mackerras, by doing so the Uighur
ruler intended to keep an eye on the Uighur residents in China and
to provide them with a powerful weapon against presupposed Chi-
nese infl uence. Th ree years later the Uighurs asked for a permission to
establish such temples in four other cities, including in Southern China,
and this way the number of the temples of the “Doctrine of Light” (the
Chinese name of the Manichaeism—my note, Ts. St.) increased with
four.^215 In fact this act deserves careful scrutiny. In 732 A.D. the fol-
lowers of Manichaeism in China were subjected, for the fi rst time,
to an offi cial pursuit and their religion was forbidden for everybody
except foreigners.^216 Th e Uighur khagan demanded the cancellation of
this prohibition and China, exhausted by the long military campaigns
against An Lu-shan and Tibet, had no choice but to accept this humili-
ating demand if China intended to keep the important friendship with
the Uighurs. So the khagan’s demand can be hardly interpreted as a
simple act demonstrating his ideological independence.^217 Later on, ca.
806 A.D., the Uighurs sent a special mission to the Chinese capital
to preach the Manichaean religion.^218 A monastery was built for the
(^213) For this as well as other possible motifs see, Mackerras 1990, 331 f.; Foltz 1999,
80–81.
(^214) Khazanov 1994, 19–20.
(^215) Mackerras 1990, 332; Foltz 1999, 81. Litvinsky 1996, 419 f., writes that in China
Manichaeism is brought no later than 672 A.D., and missionaries came to the court
in 694 A.D.; with the edict of 732 A.D. they were allowed to preach to their adherents,
but later the missionaries were again repressed. According to Lieu 1998, 194–195,
there were also Manichaeans who came to the court of China during the reigns of
Kao-tsung (650–683) and Wu Tse-tien (684–704). 216
Foltz 1999, 79: “However, since it [Manichaeism—my note, Ts. St.] is the indig-
enous religion of the Western Barbarians and other [foreigners], its followers will not
be punished if they practice it among themselves”, to quote the emperor’s edict.
(^217) Khazanov 1994, 19.
(^218) Bichurin 1950, 331 and n. 2. For some Gnostic texts written in Turkic dialects
and giving aspects of Manichaean doctrine see, Gnosis on the Silk Road 1993, 277–376.