The Tang Dynasty, spanning from 618 to 907 AD, is considered by many scholars to be China’s “golden age,” where diplomatic relations and cultural exchanges were more prominent than any previous period in Chinese history. Tang China was a multiethnic empire, where in the streets of the Tang capital, Chang’an, people of various cultures and races could be seen peacefully interacting and trading. However, during the Tang dynasty there were periods of interruption of this multicultural, open state, specifically during Wu Zetian’s short-lived reign in the second Zhou dynasty and the An Lushan rebellion. For the purposes of this essay, I will mainly focus on Wu Zetian’s rise to power and the impact of her reign, as reflected by the deaths and reburials …show more content…
The dynasty was founded by Li Yuan after marching on the preceding Sui capital in 617, and Li became the official royal name of the Tang. It took about a decade to gain control over the northeast, central plain, and the south of China in addition to Guanzhong, which was done by the help of Li Yuan’s sons, including Li Shimin, otherwise known as the later Emperor Taizong, who “had displayed considerable military skill in the conquest of the northeast and central plane” and defeated the Turks, leading the Tang to, “[claim] unchallenged mastery in Central Asia.” Wu Zhao, otherwise known as Wu Zetian was originally a concubine to Emperor Taizong, who later became the consort of his ninth son, Emperor Gaozong. After establishing herself within the royal family, she utilized Gaozong’s recurring illnesses to her advantage, and gained, “effective control of the empire” even while he was still alive, and later “rose to a status equivalent to that of an emperor” after his death, establishing the second Zhou dynasty from 690 until her own death in 705. It is also important to note that Wu Zetian is the only woman in Chinese history “who sought to rule [China] in her own right.” Therefore, considering China’s patriarchal ruling history, maintaining this high status as a female was surely difficult, and required a certain amount of manipulation in order to stay in power. For instance, her second son with Emperor Gaozong, Li Xian, who was known for being, “intelligent, scholarly, judicious, and open” was greatly involved in royal policies from a very young age and highly admired by his father, therefore making him a threat to Wu Zetian. When Gaozong’s illness was at its peak in 679, Li Xian was put in charge of court affairs and Wu Zetian began to plot how to ruin Li Xian’s good name. She began to spread the rumor that Li Xian was not fit for the
There are little to no direct accounts of how individuals’ lives were a couple thousand years ago in Ancient China. With a wealth of information on the rise, decline, and fall of empires, Michael Loewe, a sinologist who specializes in oriental studies and theology, writes an imaginary story about a hero named Bing set around 70 BCE. Bing: From Farmer’s Son to Magistrate in Han China is Loewe’s fictional portrait of life during the Han Empire. It is by no means a comprehensive historical account of Han times, in fact, it was written with those readers who are not familiar with Chinese in mind, however through the life of Bing we can gage how the lives of laborers, those involved in military service, merchants, and government officials might
During the Tang and Song dynasty, many excellent achievements have been accomplished which are still being preserved and used widely over centuries. Their citizens were excelled in many fields with several of new and practical inventions which all directly affected the citizens’ lives.
Chapter 1: The Wan-Li Emperor, begins by explaining the major premise of the work: The concept of looking at a single year in the history of the leadership of China and evaluating the implications for understanding other aspects of history, including the decline of the Ming Dynasty. In this initial chapter, Huang provides an anecdotal history of some of the events that occurred, and includes within it a discussion of the set up of the leadership, the repercussions that occurred in the event of certain actions, including the prospects of an audience with the emperor. Huang reviews these issues as he considers that actions taken by the Wan-li emperor, who was only twenty-four in 1587 and who had been a veteran of ceremonial proceedings, and considers his history as an element of understanding the progression of leadership.
Smarr, Janet. “Emperor Wu”. Making of the Modern World 12. Ledden Auditorium, La Jolla, CA. 17 Feb. 2012. Lecture.
Timothy Brook’s book, The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China is a detailed account of the three centuries of the Ming Dynasty in China. The book allows an opportunity to view this prominent time period of Chinese history. Confusions of Pleasure not only chronicles the economic development during the Ming dynasty, but also the resulting cultural and social changes that transform the gentry and merchant class. Brook’s insights highlight the divide between the Ming dynasty’s idealized beliefs, and the realities of its economic expansion and its effects. Brook describes this gap through the use of several first hand accounts of individuals with various social statuses.
Empress Wu’s rise to power was due to her unwavering determination and ruthless spirit. She first entered the palace as a thirteen year old concubine and from an early age she realized the importance of raising her status. Wu was ‘not just another imperial consort… she was very much a political fig...
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chinese culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member of the Chinese society nor the poor, we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, an American woman whom helps him write the book. When Liang Heng and Judy Shapiro fell in love in China during 1979, they weren’t just a rarity; they were both pioneers at a time when the idea of marriages between foreigners and Chinese were still unacceptable in society.
China has gone through many changes in its history. Changes include economic, political, and social. In the early 1500 and throughout history, mostly all social classes followed Confucianism. Confucianism is a type of religion based on an ideal society (Chang 2012, 22). China was molded though Confucianism but that slowly deteriorated as years went on. One main group that has been a main part in these changes is the Chinese literati. The Chinese literati include the higher-class people such as officials and scholars. The Chinese literati were the dominant social class during the 1500’s but their power slowly decreased throughout history. Throughout my paper, I will explain the Chinese literati involvement as centuries passed.
Major changes in political structure, social and economic life define the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. Each period laid the foundation for the next, with changes and improvements to create a new order.
In the early fifth century due to the weak Sui dynasty (561-617). The Emperor taxed heavy on its citizens and forced them to build large monuments and buildings with little to no pay. Many people as a result of this hard labor died. Fed up with heavy taxation and forced labor, rebellions occurred trough out Sui China and put the emperor to its grave 618. That same year Li Yuan, who was a Sui Governor in a Chinese province, later became emperor Gaozu of Tang declared himself ruler of the new Tang Dynasty. During his eight year reign, he united parts of China, relaxed harsh laws and promoted trade. After his retirement his son Li Shimin became the next Emperor of the Tang. He was also known as Emperor Taizong. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, China flourished economically and militarily. After his death, China enjoyed prosperity and peace brought about the soil faction of imperial protection over the Chinese regions.1 Also for the first time in this time period , China had trade relations with Yamato Japan. China also had strong diplomatic relations with the western world for the first time. In 674 the Sassanid Persian royal house fled the advancing Arab army and arrived in the Tang capital, Chang’an. Which became the most populist city in the world at the time, with two million
Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang dynasty, used his military to create one of the largest dynasties in Chinese history. Along with conquering China, the Tang dynasty also added modern day Korea and Vietnam into their territory. Trade and the economy prospered with of the use of the Grand Canal, created during the Sui dynasty, as well as the Silk Road systems that were also used by the Romans. China experienced a rice surplus during the Tang dynasty due to the introduction of fast ripening rice. Instead of having one harvest a year, the new strain of rice allowed two harvests a year and doubled the rice production. This helped the Chinese economy remain prosperous during the Tang dynasty. The economy also grew because of standardized paper money and an early form of credit. Paper money was convenient when traded long distances since it was light and easy to carry. The Tang dynasty started used porcelain instead of clay for pottery, which became very popular in Europe and grew the economy. During the 700s A.D., the Tang also invented gunpowder, which can be considered one of the greatest inventions of all time. China also was fairly tolerant to outside culture. There were many cosmopolitan cities such as Chang’an and Luoyang with traders from different places that all worked with one another. The Tang dynasty had around fifty million people and controlled over two million square miles of land, as per Bentley. Because of its military, economy, tolerance, and territory, the Tang dynasty should be considered a
...u wavered between an essentialist reduction of their nature to those aspects of it that the Chinese found particularly shameful and a more favorable appreciation of their intelligence and flexibility. Likewise, some Xiongnu customs, such as their preference of the young over the elderly, are depicted as simple reversals of Chinese customs. The description of the political organization of the Xiongnu, for example, gives an impression of efficient government rather than backward tyranny. In fact, its sophisticated combination of centralized control and decentralized administration seemed well suited to provoke the admiration of Sima Qian’s Chinese readers, many of whom were critical of the unwieldy governmental bureaucracy of the Han. His descriptions of the Xiongnu underlined the limits of the expansion of Han civilization in the steppe regions of northern Asia.
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
The Warring States is the subject and title of Griffith’s third chapter, which gives an enlightening look at the life and times in China after the defeat of the rule of Chin at Ching Yang in 453. (p. 20) The country was divided into eight individual warring sects (with the exception of Yen...
The purpose of this paper is to tell the history of the Ming Dynasty’s impact on the Chinese Empire, and to explain why the Chinese Empire was in fact an empire.