Figure 1.--Emperor T'ai Tsung commissioned this portrait of himself with 12 previous emperors. This is only apartial view of the painting. The emprors go back to the Han dynasty. It was meant as a warning to his son, the crown prince, to learn from the mistakes of his predecesors.

Te Tang Dynasty is generally seen as the Goldren ge of China. Shu Emperor Wen was killed by his son and in the turmoil that followed, another general, Kao-tsu and his son T'ai Tsung seized control of China. They founded the T'ang Dynasty (618-907 AD) under which China regained much of its former power. The advent of the Tang in many ways mirrored the rise of the Han over 800 before. Like the Han. the Tang rose after the fall of a brutal empeor which the Chinese believed haf lost the 'mandate of heaven'. And like the Han, the Tang were led by a powerful leader--T'ai Tsung. This is a major difference in the subsequent history beteen the West and East. The Roman Empire was never reconstructed in the West. The Chinese Empire was reconstituted in the East. The writ of the T'ang Emperors would eventually extend from the Caspian to the Pacific. The T'ang Dynasty oversaw a period of great prosperity and economic growth at a time that the West was mired in the Dark Ages. The first Tang emperor was Kao-tsu/Gaozu (618-626), who had been urged on by his son T'ai Tsung who coninued the policies of his father. Together they continued many of the policies of the Sui, but with more of an eye for political legitimacy. The key to the success of the Tang was the economy. Land was assigned to peasant farmers who essentially owned it and benefitted from their harvests as long as they farmed it. Equal areas of land were assigned to each adult male, creating a strong base of support. The T'ang also introduced military innovations like settler soldiers. The Tang created a reliable monetary system using copper coins and silk ribbons. Emperor Ko-tsu enacted a set of laws, revised every two decades, laying a foundation that spread throughout east Asia and endured into the Ming dynasty -- nearly a millenium. This made him one of the great law givers of history. A major asset was the Grand Canal which the Shu had just comleted. This linked northern and southern China (the Yellow and Yangste Rivers). This would be a major factor in cementing Chinese unity. The productive agricultural bounty of the south could be used to feed the north. And the Tang made use of the Grand Canal, taking measures to increase its efficency. The T'ang maintained a very competent civil service which made possible a highly efficent imperial beaureacracy.

Shu Dynasty (589-618 AD)

The short lived Shu Dynasty (589-618 AD) finally unified China again. The Shu dynasty was founded by a talented military commander who ruled as the Emperor Wen-ti. He united the feuding states by defeating Wei and Wu. He made major changes, ending the anti-Han policies of the northern kingdoms. Wen was a Buddhist, but reintroduced Confuscianism as the imperial state ideology. Wen is commonly depicted as a ruthless leadership compared to the legalist Han traditions. The Shu dynasty achieved important feats, including restorations of the Great Wall of China. But its most important accomplishment was the Grand Canal linking the eastern plains to the northern rivers. Canals had existed in China for centuries It was the Shu who finally connected them. All of this was expensive. The Shu taxed peasants heavily, and often conscripted them into forced labor. Historians believe that as many as half of the Canal workers died as a result of the forced Lanor. It was a phenomenal feat of construction and one of the most impressive in the world at the time. The Shu Dynasty was immensly important, but had only a short history--only 36 years. The Sui dynasty was weakened by heavy losses in wars, especially fighting with Korea. The peasantry rose in revolt.

Foundation of the Tang Dynasty

Shu Emperor Wen was killed by his son and in the turmoil that followed, another general, Kao-tsu (the Duke of Tang) and his son T'ai Tsung seized control of China. They founded the T'ang Dynasty (618-907 AD) under which China regained much of its former power. The advent of the Tang in many ways mirrored the rise of the Han over 800 before. Like the Han. the Tang rose after the fall of a brutal empeor which the Chinese believed haf lost the 'mandate of heaven'. And like the Han, the Tang were led by a powerful leader--T'ai Tsung. The first Tang emperor was Kao-tsu/Gaozu (618-626), who had been urged on by his son T'ai Tsung who coninued the policies of his father. Together they continued many of the policies of the Sui, but with more of an eye for political legitimacy. The names of emperors are a little complicated becaise there are two ways of writing them, such as Kao-tsu/Gaozu. Thee are lso family names and temple names. General Li Shih-min Ko's son was a co-founder. He had pushed his father to revolt. And Li preferred his temple name--T'ai Tsung. T'ai eliminating all political rivals of the Tang and established firm Tang control of China even before becoming emperor itself. All the other sons and brothers were murdered. Historians diffre on wether Kao or T'ai were responsible. Tai-tsung took the throne from his father (626), allowing him ro peacefully retire.

The West

At the time the Tang rose in China, the Western Roman Empire had fallen and Germanic tribes were in the process of carving out kingdoms that would evolve into sparate nation states. The Eastern Empire had survived, but was about to be challenged by the rise of Islam. There was a general cultural collapse, the beginning of the Dark Age. The Church survived and would be the repository of learning and law. The idea of the Romam Empire and unity endured, but was not as strong as in China, perhaps bcause the wrring German tribes providing the ruling class for the medieval era. This is a major difference in the subsequent history beteen the West and East. The Roman Empire was never reconstructed in the West. The Chinese Empire was reconstituted in the East.

Territory

The writ of the T'ang Emperors would eventually extend from the Caspian to the Pacific. Tang China was had about the same land area as the great Han Empire. Some authors say a little larger. The actual trritory differed. The Tang never acquired the area of modern southern China around Yunnan. Southern China was controlled by the Nanzhou Empire that had a capital near Dali. The Tang focus was on expanding west into Central Asia and controling the Silk Road. The Tang court was in contact with Persia, the Caliphate, and the Byzantine Empire. The Silk Road was vital tothe Tang economy which is why their territory streached west and not south. Goods and and ideas flowed over the Silk Road which was protected by Tang control of Central Asia. The Silk Road was an important aspect of Tang economic prosperity. The population is estimated at 50-60 million people. This sounds small by modern standards, but not by contemporary population levels.

Economy

The T'ang Dynasty oversaw a period of great prosperity and economic growth at a time that the West was mired in the Dark Ages. The key to the success of the Tang was the economy. The Tang reduced the size of government, both at the imerial and provincial level. This mean that the peasantry could retain more of ther earnings. The money saved by reducing government allowed Kao and Tai to build a food surplus to del with famine as well relief efforts in case of natural disasters. Land was assigned to peasant farmers who essentially owned it and benefitted from their harvests as long as they farmed it. Equal areas of land were assigned to each adult male, creating a strong base of support. The Tang created a reliable monetary system using copper coins and silk ribbons. A major asset was the Grand Canal which the Shu had just completed. This linked northern and southern China (the Yellow and Yangste Rivers). This would be a major factor in cementing Chinese unity. The productive agricultural bounty of the south could be used to feed the north. And the Tang made use of the Grand Canal, taking measures to increase its efficency. Trading and the Silk Road was an important part of the Tang economy. Caravans traveling the Silk Road wentas far west as Syria, at first part of the Byzantine Empire. They carries sikls, porceslin, glassware, tapestries as well as jasmine and exotic herbs. The Tang benefited from the Silk Road trade and conquests in Central Asia achieved in the early years. It helpd the Tang Empire grow larger and prosperous and significantly affected religion and culture.

Military

The T'ang also introduced military innovations like settler soldiers. The principal military challenge came from the East--Central Asia. The question became where was the Turkish frontier which Turkish tribes had been pushing east. The issue was fundamentally control of the Silk Road. The Tang achieved a major military victory (657). This meant 150 years of Tang control over much of Central Asia. The Tang had less success against the Nanzhao to the south. The Nanzhao controlled the Chama or Southern Silk Road to Tibet and Southeast Asia. An Arab Army defeated a Tang force at the Battle of Talas (751). It was only a small force, but meant that the Tang lost control of the western section of the silk Rod. There were also conflicts with the Tibetains. A major military campaign was the Lushan Revolt (755-63) which seriously weakened the Tang.

Culture

The Tang Dynasty was an era of unparalleded cultural brilliance. And it occurred at a time when Europe was under going the Dark Ages. A Chinese reader tells us that the Chinese admire the Tang Dynastyu as arguably reaching the pinicle their country's cultural achievements. And of all those achievements, it is literature especially the poets that the Tang spawnd that are most admired. Li Bai and Du Fu are commonly listed as special favorites, but there were many more. Both survived the An Lushan Rebellion. Their hardships seen to have colored and added depth to their poetry. The poets addressed many themes. They wrote about the privations of life on the frontiers, as well as more comfortable life in the peaceful fields. There were poems describing historic affairs spiced with imaginative fancies. Many Chinese scholars believe that the literary achhievements of Tang poems has never been surpassed. They are still widely read by the Chinese today. Poetry was not the only literary achievement. The Tang began to develop the ancient novel form called 'Chuan Qi' (story). We see worksith complete story lines and developed characters. And the stiry lines became much more realistic set in what seems like accurate descriptions of society. Chinese sources point to Zhenzhong Ji, Yingying Zhuan and Liwa Zhuan. Tang authors provided the foundation for the later flowering of the novel form suring the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There were advances in the visual arts. Nearly half of the mural paintings and sculptures in the Mogao Caves are believed to be the work of Tang artists. There were advanced in architecture. The Xian Great Mosque was built was built during the Tang Dnasty (742). As was normally the case during eras of cultural brilliance, there was a first an openess to the outside world. Important cultural exchange occurred with foreign countries. Tang China was the recognized culural center of East Asia. Studentsfrom not only all of China, but Japan and Korea came to the capital Chang'an (Xian) to study. There were cultural exchanges furthur afield as well. This was an especially important era for the Silk Road trade. Friendly relations were estblished with the Caliphate. New trade items and thinking reached China, including emeralds, pepper, and Islam. were gradually introduced into China.

Technology

China during the medieval era was a techmological powerhouse. The Chinese never invented modern science (the scientific method), but much of the technologicl advances that propelled the West out of medieval era and fudalism came from China. It often took hundreds of years for Chinese technologies to travel west over the Silk Road. Chinese inventions include: astronomical clock, the crossbow, compass, Chinese latterns (essentially a hot air baloon), gun powder, kites, printing (movable type), paper, plow, porselin, silk, spoon, seismograph, stern rudder, tea, umbrella, wheel barrow, and much more. The Tang of coure were only one part of that process, but an important part. Both gunpowder and porcelin (meaning high temperture furnaces), and the first printed book appeared during the Tang dynasty. There were also important advances in astronomy and medicine. Astronomer Monk Yixing measured the meridian (longitude) line. Measuring distance between poles was a phenomenal achievement at the time. Sun Simiao became regarded as the well-known King of Medicine. His medical book, 'Qianjin Fang' (Thousand Golden Prescriptions), was considered the great treasure of traditional Chinese medicine. The Chinese translation of the 'Diamond Sutra'was printed rather than transcribed (868). It is believed to be the earliest engraved printing. Some Chinese inventions never traveled the Silk Road, but were invented separately in the West, such as mass production. And many Chinese inventions were neverfully capaitalized on by the Chinese like mass production. Gun powder is a good example. The Chinese used gunpowser more for fireworks than weaponry. As a result, in the 19th century the Europeans used advanced gunpowder weapons to imposed the Unequal Treaties on China. We think the wealth of China helps to explain why it was such a technological powerhouse. Less clear is why China did not do more with the technology it created or why it was in the relatively backward West tht modern science appeared.

Legal Reform

Emperor Ko-tsu enacted a set of laws, revised every two decades, laying a foundation that spread throughout east Asia (Korea and Japan) and endured into the Ming dynasty -- nearly a millenium. This made him one of the great law givers of history. The Tang legal reforms built on the Sui legal code. It has been described as the 'Confucianisation' of Chinese law. It was the culmination of a slow process of incorporating the Confucian views of society into the law codes. The result was the great Tang Code of 624. It set out what all great law codes do, a clear simple-to-understand set of laws. The code set out was permitted in Tang society and what was crininal. And it spelled out what the punishments were for violating the law. This meant that the law and judgements wre not arbrtrary. The laws and punishments were codified. The Tang Code is regarded by many scholars as a model of legal precision and clarity. Three basic departments were established to create policies and laws. They were to be administered by six ministries (personnel administration, military, finance, rites, justice, and public works). The law was so clearly stated and so in coformity with Chinese thinking and values that even the dynasy that overthrough the Tang, retained their legal system. An kmprtant reason for the Tang lgal code was the novel idea that good government should include a prvision for education. The Tang unlike many rulers believed that a well-educated public was not a threat to authority, but rather, a solid foundation for a stable, prosperous society.

Civil Service

Civil exams based on competece were reinstituted. These exams tested both the the candidates' literary skills and knowledge of Confucian texts. The T'ang thus maintained a very competent civil service which made possible a highly efficent imperial beaureacracy.

Cultural Melting Pot

The impotance of the Silk Road brought many forign influnces into China. The capital cities of the Tang were Ch'ang-an (Shijiazhuang/Hebei) and Loyang (Luoyang). Chang'an was one of the largest and richest cities in the world. Note that both are cities in central China. They became cultural melting pots of diverse cultures and religions including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Islam.

Religion

The early Tang emperors adopted tolrtant policies concerning religion. There were two principal traditional religious traditions -- Daoism and Buddhism. Daoism is an indegious religious philophosy. Buddhism is also often seen in the West as a Chinese religion. It was not, it originated in India. Buddhist missionaries began to traveled the Silk Road from northern India to China (1st century AD). It was, howeverm in the Tang dynasty that Buddhism achieved great religious devotion in China (mid-7th century). Buddhist schools of thought developed a distinctly Chinese flavor, including the Ch'an school. This was the origin of Zen Buddhism. It was during the reign of Emperor Taizong that a noted Buddhist Monk, Xuan Zang, traveled the Silk Road to India, seeking the Buddhist Sutra. It was an epic journey. Most people and goods did not travel the entire length of the Silk Road like Marco Polo, but instead travled between important tradng centers. Xuan Zang made a trip all the way to India. He acquired some 657 sutras and brought them back to China. The beloved Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built to house them. Buddhist monks set about translating them. In the process a mature system of Chinese Buddhist philosophy began to develop along with various sects. Islam, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity also reached China over the Silk Road. Gradually Tang attitude toward religion along with openess to outside influences hadened. Emperor Wuzong decided to demand uniformity in Buddhist thought and used state coercion to achieve it. Many sects were supressed and disappeared/ Zen became the domany sect. A few other sects survived.

Decline

The economy began to decline during the late-Tang period. There were major natural disasters, both flooding and drought. As the Tang economy declined so did Chinese attitudes toward foreigners and frign influences. Conflicts between Chinese and foreign traders increased as Chinese attitudes changed. After hundreds of years of cultural openess, the Emperor began banning foreigners from entering China (836). Emperor Wu-tsung was a devout Taoist. He wanted more religious uniformity among his people. He launched a major effort to eliminate Buddhism which he saw as a foreign influence (843-45). The Emperor closed thousands of temples and seized their wealth. It seems similar to Henry VIII's breakup of the monastaries in England. The economic impact was different, perhps bcause Henry widely shared the wealth with his supporters. The campign only lasted 3 years. Buddhism as a religion in China never recovered. The Huang Chao Rebellion eriouly weakened the Tang (874–884).

Sung Dynasty (960-1280 AD)

Five feeble, short-lived dynasties repalaced the T'ang weakened by corruption and rebellion. They were replaced by the Sung Dynasty (960-1280-AD). The Sung are sometimes described as the Augustine Age of China. Writing and printing flourished and libraries appeared.

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Created: 6:46 AM 12/5/2016
Last updated: 1:36 PM 12/21/2016