Xian Tang Dynasty 700-800

The Tang Dynasty 700-800: A Golden Age And More

The Xian Tang Dynasty was one of the most impressive periods of Chinese history. It spanned a period of close to 300 years from 618 to 907 AD and it saw development in many different areas. The period of the Tang Dynasty 700-800 AD had within it the reign of the Emperor Xuanzhong, considered to be one of the golden ages of the empire.

Just prior to this century, a concubine removed the true heir and made herself the Empress Wu in 690 AD. She only ruled for 15 years, marking an interruption in the line of the Tangs. Among other things, she was known for overtaxing the peasants so much that they suffered gre4atly as a result.

710 marked a restoration of the Tangs which was to last until 756 AD. In 712, Xuanzhong took the throne and his reign continued up until the rebellion which the general An Lu-shan would stage. This golden age was to see a return to the prior census taking and the armies were righted once again.

The emperor made a number of changes including lowering economic inflation, reducing court lavishness as well as abolishing the death penalty. Taoism and Buddhism co-existed at this period and could be found of equal strength at court. One of the ministers adopted a foreign policy that was aggressive and began to hire non-Chinese generals. This was to be one reason for the later rebellion.

There were also a number of developments within the arts in this period. Some of these developments were a result of travel by way of the Silk Road. This trade route, connecting China to other areas of the globe such as Persia and India, promoted new ideas in the empire of fashion, culture as well as technology.

At this time, new kinds of poetry were also introduced which were sometimes sung. This was seen as a beginning of opera and performances could often be seen as part of a theater production. Additional art forms such as ceramics and calligraphy also continued to flourish.

As the armies were righted, the leaders gained more power. An Lu-shan, an army general, took over the government in 756 AD. Though he was killed in 757, the rebellion would continue under Shi Ssu-ming. He in turn was killed in 763.

Although the Xian Tang dynasty continued after this point, it marked the beginning of its demise. Territory was lost in a number of areas and could not be regained. The rise in military governors which begin after 710 continued. They became so powerful that they were no longer under the control of the central government.

With the conquest of much territory by a variety of different ethnic groups, such as the Turks, less people were using the Silk Road. This was to further isolate China. Though the beginning of the Tang Dynasty 700-800 was a high point in the history of China, the last half saw the beginning of the collapse. It would see somewhat of a recovery in the next century but this did not last.