After commanding an army in the recovery of the An’nan protectorate (安南都護府) from the Nanzhao regime during the Xiantong period (860-873) of Tang Emperor Yizong’s reign, Gao Pian (高駢) built a canal called Tianweiyao (天威遙) so as to provide the An’nan region with a route to the sea. The most immediate reason behind the construction of this canal involved the necessity of transporting large amounts of military supplies to the An’nan region, but the deeper reason motivating the construction was the important role that such a sea route would play in the politics, military affairs, and overseas trade of the Tang dynasty. Tianweiyao had a profound impact at the time of its construction, and it was to continue to exercise such an impact into later periods as well. Compared to specific but brief records about Tianweiyao found in sources such as dynastic histories, the “Inscription of the Tianweiyao Tablet,” composed by one of Gao Pian’s staff, Pei Xing (裴鉶), describes the construction of Tianweiyao in great detail and is thus of significant historical value. This article investigates the circulation of the “Inscription of the Tianweiyao Tablet” throughout history, the precise location of Tianweiyao, and the significance of the An’nan sea route from the Han to the Tang dynasty. The article also points out that the “Inscription of the Tianweiyao Tablet,” along with various other materials, attributes the completion of the canal project to the Lord of Thunder (Leigong 雷公) and the Mother of Lightning (Dianmu 電母), a phenomenon which reflects the close relationship between northern government officials and literati and the Thunder God belief popular along the Gulf of Tonkin (北部灣) coast.
late Tang period, Gao Pian, An’nan protectorate , Tianweiyao canal, Gulf of Tonkin
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