| Abstract |
Shi Danai was an important Türkish military commander during late Sui and early T’ang Dynasties. He was the first foreign commander to serve on Lee Yuan’s army when the latter initiated a mutiny in Taiyuan. He was also the first to adopt the “Shi” surname, and subsequently affected the surname choice of all his Türkish fellowmen in the T’ang Dynasty. Yet, historical records about Shi Danai’s life and experiences, especially his attachment to Li Yuan, were scarce and fragmentary. Fortunately, Dunhuang Manuscript S.2078 Verso contains a student writing practice sample which reveals partial content of “Stele for Shi Danai” to allow us exploring Shi Danai’s life and achievements more explicitly. |
