Tang Dynasty

Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618-907) followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms Period in China. The dynasty was interrupted by the Second Zhou Dynasty (690-705) when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne.

The Tang dynasty, with its capital at Chang'an, the most populous city in the world at the time, is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization-- equal, or even superior, to the Han period. Its territory, acquired through the military exploits of its early rulers, was greater than that of the Han. Stimulated by contact with India and the Middle East, the empire saw a flowering of creativity in many fields. Buddhism, originating in India around the time of Confucius, continued to flourish during the Tang period and was adopted by the imperial family, becoming thoroughly sinicized and a permanent part of Chinese traditional culture. Block printing made the written word available to vastly greater audiences.

The Tang period was the golden age of literature and art (see Tang Dynasty art). A government system supported by a large class of Confucian literati selected through civil service examinations was perfected under Tang rule. This competitive procedure was designed to draw the best talents into government. But perhaps an even greater consideration for the Tang rulers, aware that imperial dependence on powerful aristocratic families and warlords would have destabilizing consequences, was to create a body of career officials having no autonomous territorial or functional power base. As it turned out, these scholar-officials acquired status in their local communities, family ties, and shared values that connected them to the imperial court. From Tang times until the closing days of the Qing empire in 1911, scholar officials functioned often as intermediaries between the grassroots level and the government.

By the middle of the 8th century, Tang power had ebbed. Military defeat in 751 by Arabs at the Battle of Talas marked end of Tang authority in Central Asia. Domestic economic instability and subsequent rebellions of An Lushan and warlordism marked the beginning of five centuries of steady military decline for the Tang empire. Misrule, court intrigues, economic exploitation, and popular rebellions weakened the empire, making it possible for warlord Zhu Wen to terminate the dynasty in 907. The next half-century saw the fragmentation of China into five northern dynasties and ten southern kingdoms.

Rulers of the Tang Dynasty

   Xianqing  (顯慶 Xiǎn qìng)  656-661

   Longshuo  (龍朔 Lóng shuò)  661-663

   Linde     (麟德 Lín dé)     664-665

   Qianfeng  (乾封 Qían fēng)  666-668

   Zongzhang (總章 Zǒng zhāng) 668-670

   Xianheng  (咸亨 Xián hēng)  670-674

   Shangyuan (上元 Shàng yuán) 674-676

   Yifeng    (儀鳳 Yí fèng)    676-679

   Tiaolu    (調露 Tiáo lù)    679-680

   Yonglong  (永隆 Yǒng lóng)  680-681

   Kaiyao    (開耀 Kāi yào)    681-682

   Yongchun  (永淳 Yǒng chún)  682-683

   Hongdao   (弘道 Hóng dào)   683

   Chuigong  (垂拱 Chuí gǒng)  685-688

   Yongchang (永昌 Yǒng chāng) 689

   Zaichu    (載初 Zài chū)    690

   Jinglong (景龍 Jǐng lóng) 707-710<be>

   Taiji   (太極 Tài jí)   712

   Yanhe   (延和 Yán hé)   712

   Kaiyuan  (開元 Kāi yuán)  713-741

   Tianbao  (天寶 Tiān bǎo)  742-756

   Qianyuan  (乾元 Qián yuán)  758-760

   Shangyuan (上元 Shàng yuán) 760-761

   Guangde (廣德 Guǎng dé) 763-764

   Yongtai (永泰 Yǒng tài) 765-766

   Dali    (大曆 Dà lì)    766-779

   Xingyuan  (興元 Xīng yuán)   784

   Zhenyuan  (貞元 Zhēn yuán)   785-805

   Dahe  (大和 Dà hé) or Taihe (Tài hé 太和) 827-835

   Kaicheng (開成 Kāi chéng) 836-840

   Xiantong (咸通 Xián tōng) 860-873

   Qianfu    (乾符 Qián fú)    874-879

   Guangming (廣明 Guǎng míng) 880-881

   Zhonghe   (中和 Zhōng hé)   881-885

   Guangqi   (光啟 Guāng qǐ)   885-888

   Wende     (文德 Wén dé)     888

   Dashun   (大順 Dà shùn)   890-891

   Jingfu   (景福 Jǐng fú)   892-893

   Qianning (乾寧 Qián níng) 894-898

   Guanghua (光化 Guāng huà) 898-901

   Tianfu   (天復 Tiān fù)   901-904

   Tianyou  (天佑 Tiān yòu)  904

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• An Lushan Rebellion
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